ADHD

Until recently, people with ADD were considered stupid and in some cases un-teachable. Famous people including Newton, Leonardo da Vinci and Einstein have been suspected of having ADD or ADHD. ADD is a little-understood but surprisingly common brain imbalance. The disorder is genetic, according to some researchers, and it usually manifests itself first as childhood hyperactivity. But as the physical restlessness wears away during puberty, leaving mainly the attention span symptoms, the syndrome becomes harder …

…While the child who is hyperactive has a very brief attention span in virtually every situation (usually except for television or computer games), children who are gifted can concentrate comfortably for long periods on tasks that interest them, and do not require immediate completion of those tasks or immediate consequences. The activities of children with ADHD tend to be both continual and random; the gifted child's activity usually is episodic and directed to specific goals.