which age groups are most often affected with attention deficit disorder?

Answer 1

ADD is another con by the drug companies. The only ones really affected are the dupes who buy the drugs for their children. We soon will have a generation of drugged out zombies. When I was growing up we did not have ADD. We were very active kids then. No con man had come up with that yet. And my generation did not do too bad.

Answer 2

ADD and ADHD affect every age group. I would say it is least untreated in younger age groups. Ages 6-12. I imagine it is hard to tell if your child actually has a problem or is just acting out like children do. It is always best to let a physician decide this since they are trained in spotting things like this on a daily basis. ;)

Answer 3

ADD does not disappear into adulthood, if that was what you were asking. However, if you want the answer to your question, I would say children age 5 to 8, the prime learning-to-read years. You see, ADD running amok (no meds, usually undiagnosed) prevents students from persistence with learning letters, strategies, and skills. These are the years in which the primary teachers have heaps of experience teaching reading ... and once a child reaches age 8 without knowing how to read (letter/sound correspondence, attack strategies, how to infer, have a good sight vocabulary, enjoys books, etc.), the teachers at that age now know heaps about reading to learn, not the basic stuff. So, if the kid goes on meds, that's good. However, it can also be bad, since all parents do not necessarily give meds all the time, like weekends. I had students who would be distracted on Mondays and Tuesdays, since they went off meds on weekends. ADD drugs need to build up and persist. Further, parents do not necessarily assist their children in learning coping strategies for ADD. Teachers and psychologists know these methods (aiming at self-regulation of your attention), but parents sometimes feel "Oh, Johnny has to concentrate so hard at school, I'm not going to be that mean to him when he comes home" without understanding that it is in the child's best interest to steadily, in all aspects of his/her life, work at these strategies. Last, meds themselves fluctuate and are hard to get the right dosage. Getting the parents, doctors, teachers, and student all focused on helping the child is the best method. I had a parent who was very open about using me (a teacher) as a resource. I would let her know when he seemed sleepy in class, and we would look at his meals (missing breakfast was a problem for him), sleep habits (no TV in the bedroom), and other things before she spoke to the doctor, who might vary the meds or not. It was a wonderful partnership, one in which the parent, and even William himself, participated without blame ... we simply had to figure out what was best for him.

Hope this helps!

Answer 4

ADD is something that is usually diagnosed around age 7-10. . . however there are cases that it may be sooner or later in life. The individually always has had and will have ADD, if they do indeed have it... just at different levels.