Expert: Christine D. DeLoatch, MA CCC-SLP - 11/27/2005

Question
In the united states, there are many children that live with add, how do these children interact with other children?
How long a an attention span do they have?
How distractible can they get?
How does their surroundings affect them.  How do they interact with adults?
How long does it take a child with add take to start a task and finish it?

Answer
Dear Kimberly,

Thanks for asking me your questions.  I am curious where you are writing from and why you are asking.  These questions seem much too broad for personal support.  If you plan to include these comments in a paper, I would love to see the finished product.

Your questions do not have an easy answer.  The easiest way to answer all your questions is that children and adults range from very mild to severe.  No one person is 'classic.'  Each person has both strengths and weaknesses.  

I will say that in general children with ADD have more difficulty interacting with other children because they can be impulsive and other children don't understand why they say what they say or do what they do. Why they can't seem to control their emotions or actions.  

Attention span also varies.  It's more a problem of disregulation of attention.  At times a child may be hyperfocused on a video game and at other times he may be as distractable as a cat flitting after a butterfly one minute, chasing a ball of dust another.  Environment does play a part here.  High stimuli can result in either an increase in focusing or overstimulation where the person feels scattered, out of control or overwhelmed.  These are more subconscious feelings then conscious ones.  

A calm environment may be too quiet for some - allowing them to focus on extraneous sounds like the ticking of a clock or the humming of flourescent lights instead of the work in front of them. It is ever-changing. It depends on the day of the week, the time of day, whether or not they got a good night sleep the day before, had a good breakfast, didn't have an argument, etc.  It's a formula.  When the right ingredients are there with the right cooking environment then you get a great cake.  If not, then you get unlevened bread.  

Interaction with adults for children with ADD is sometimes easier, if the adult knows the child has ADD.  Sometimes the adult is a little more patient and can help the child, but if not then the adult can get just as frustrated as children do.  

I think throught illustration I have addressed most of your questions.  The last question about how long it takes a child to start and finish a task depends again on the environment, - even the internal environment.  If I am thinking about my new puppy at home then I am distracted and not able to focus on my work.  How long does it take to get started.  I can take minutes, hours, day, weeks, even months, depending on what the task is.  There are projects that I have 'ideas' for that I have not 'started.'  Again finishing is the same.

I will say that the fewer the number of steps, the more likely it will be done quicker.  Responding to your e-mail only requires my information from my head.  No researching websites or anything so I responded right away.  If it had taken something else, I would have put that off for a few hours at least, but then again - this was a distraction, because I as supposed to be eating lunch and preparing for an appointment in 19 minutes.  

I/We tend to do things out of order from which others find logical. Prioritization is very difficult.  It just takes a Hurculean effort to get motivated.  

I hope this explanation has helped.  

Sincerely,

Christine