The primary symptoms of ADHD are hyperactivity, impulsivity and inattention. In normal children, these symptoms can appear in low levels. But in children with ADD, these problems will be severe and happen over and over again for a long period of time. But because many of these symptoms can be found in normal children, it is very important to make sure you get a thorough examination by a qualified mental health professional.

Again, all of these primary symptoms will be severe and of long duration. For people with ADHD with hyperactivity, symptoms of hyperactivity and impulsivity will appear before any symptoms of inattention. The symptoms of a child with hyperactive ADHD will be much more visible than the child with inattentive ADD. The child with inattentive ADD may be viewed as a space cadet, but this may not become prevalent until later years. A child who is impulsive may be viewed as a behavior problem, while a child who is quiet and spacey will be viewed as lazy and unmotivated. But, these are both ADD even though they look very different. Because there are so many variations in ADD and what it looks like, it can difficult to diagnosis. And the longer you go without being diagnosed, the more complex ADD starts to look.

Signs of hyperactivity/impulsivity are restlessness, distractibility, interrupting and saying things without thinking and being excessively physical. As a child gets older, the impulsivity side of their ADD will take a more damaging toll if not dealt with. Impulsive ADDers tend to get into drugs, break the law and do other destructive things at an earlier age.

Signs of inattention are getting easily distracted, making careless mistakes, becoming easily disorganized, the inability to follow directions correctly and poor follow-through. Also, inattentive ADDers become bored easily which leads to task switching. People with inattentive ADD tend to go the longest without getting diagnosed. This occurs because the symptoms are less visible and less distracting to their surrounding environment. But it does not mean that the disorder is any less disabling for the individual. People with inattentive ADD have a higher rate of anxiety and depression because they tend to internalize their symptoms more.

If an individual has combined type ADHD, they will have almost all of the symptoms of hyperactivity, impulsivity and inattention. These are the most severe cases of ADD and can be difficult to treat. Combined type ADDers have a lot of trouble getting organized, but many times their impulsivity prevents this. Individuals with combined type ADHD will have the highest chance of not doing well in school and being a behavior problem for teachers and parents. They also tend to have problems with social skills.