4 things you didn't know about ADHD

Discover important facts about ADHD that many people, including those affected and their parents, often don't know.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, also known as ADHD, is a condition that's rarely fully understood.

One outcome of ADHD, which most people don't recognize unless they actually suffer from the disorder, is that of short-term memory loss.

• Someone with ADHD won't have trouble remembering his first-grade teacher's name, but remembering the kind of ice cream his wife said she wanted five minutes earlier is more difficult.

ADHD is usually a lifelong issue, but the severity of the disorder can change throughout a person's lifespan.

• Adults with ADHD may thrive when living on their own, but when they get married and children are added to the mix, the additional attention required to function in a family unit can complicate things for them.

Any type of change in a person's life can make ADHD symptoms improve or worsen. It's important for those afflicted by the disorder to recognize this and not be too hard on themselves.

Far too often, people will downplay the actual effects of ADHD when they see a child acting out of hand. They'll say that the parents just don't control their child, allow the child to watch too much television or are simply bad parents. It's important to recognize that this couldn't be further from the truth.

• Science has shown that ADHD is an actual neurological disorder.

Many people believe that ADHD is an actual learning disability. This is inaccurate. While the condition definitely can interfere with a person's ability to learn, it doesn't prevent it altogether. It's not even true that ADHD causes an inability to pay attention.

• Those suffering from the disorder are fully capable of paying attention, but usually only to certain things.

A parent of an ADHD child may recognize that a video game can hold the child's interest for hours on end, but when it is time to study, the child's attention wanders.

• ADHD makes it difficult to control what the child pays attention to, but it doesn't make it impossible to pay attention.

Many people don't fully understand the facts related to ADHD, which can sometimes lead to incorrect and even damaging assumptions.

Fortunately, the disorder can be understood if people are willing to look past misinformation and care for those who need it.