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My son is a bright eleven year old sixth grade student. However, it was brought to my attention he was having problems focusing and staying on task. His handwriting was non-readable and he was becoming more and more frustrated. Being a teacher myself, I quickly found my self comparing him to students I had with ADD and ADHD. I could on imagine my son bouncing off the walls, being out of his seat and not paying attention to what was going on in the classroom; Being a major disruption and behavior problem. My son also had a learning disorder which he was receiving help for. It was his Special Education Teacher that suggested we get him tested. I refused because I felt he was not ADHD since at home he would play his video games or watch TV for hours. But I heard this from his other teachers too. So, I agreed to talk to his doctor and see what she thought. She said he may be on the borderline and suggested trying medicine. We did and it has helped! I looked back months later and realized I had been comparing him to those students in my class who never can stay on task, stay in their seat and are always disruptive. It was not fair to compare him and it is never fair to compare any ADD or ADHD child to each other or to normal or average students. All are different and behaviors vary according to the severity of the disorder and the medication being taken.

Many people perceive a child with ADHD as a 'Bad Child'. But this is not true! It is true ADHD child are active, but it depends upon the type of ADHD the child has been diagnosed with. The first type of ADHD is an inattentive type. The child may make careless errors since he/she does not pay attention to details, does not listen well, is not organized, can be distracted easily, are forgetful, and hand-writing and other work maybe sloppy and non-readable. The second type is the hyperactive type. This child cannot sit still. He/she is always squirming, climbing, running, and on the go. He/she cannot be quiet. This child must be talking, he/she may blurt out answers, interrupt, or just have a difficult time waiting his/her time in line. The third type and most common is the combination type. This is a combination of the inattentive type and hyperactive type.

Many educators and parents may see some of the traits and signs of ADHD are young children. However, it is normal to see some traits sometimes. ADHD is a disorder that persists for six months or more. But educators or parents are not

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