by GREGORY FABIANO
Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder is a common, yet often misunderstood, mental health condition.
Symptoms include inattention, overactivity and impulsivity – behaviors everyone experiences at one time or another. For people with ADHD, these behaviors happen frequently and interfere with everyday life at school, at home and everywhere else.
ADHD affects more than 6 million U.S. children. People who have ADHD develop symptoms by age 12, and it usually continues into adolescence and young adulthood. The condition can affect people throughout their whole life.
On average, two students in every U.S. classroom have it. It is important to note that ADHD is just one way of defining a person’s behavior. It has nothing to do with how smart you are or whether you can make friends or excel at sports, music or art, or about any other strengths.
What does and doesn’t cause ADHD
Nobody really knows exactly what causes ADHD. Scientists think that genes may play a role, but no one knows exactly how at this point. Based on years of research findings, scientists attribute this condition to a combination of how someone’s brain works and their personal environment.
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