I think there are shades of grey, and the degree of ADD changes with the person. Many people with it are very intelligent, and successfull, and have managed almost subconciously to develop a system for managing their life, thus fly under the radar..Quote from [Proximo]:
I think the case for most ppl who are classified as ADD is this:
When they like something they can focus -- If they don't like something then they lose interest and are given the ADD label.
Of course there are extreme cases where people really have ADD but my guess is that this is a very small % of the population.
Some dont, and really struggle. SOme are hyper active, some are mellow, and "aloof"...
What interests me is that if you take an IQ test, (and put the score aside) the pattern of performance in certain areas tends to fit a predictable pattern and is part of the diagnosis for having ADD.