Ever heard of Inattentive ADD?

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In trying to figure out why my son is having a hard time in school at times, and at other times he's doing just fine, I stumbled upon this apparently recent diagnosis that's a version of ADD -- Inattentive ADD -- which is signified by a generally easy-going child (as opposed to the typically hyperactive ADHD child) who doesn't pay attention in class, has a hard time finishing schoolwork, but is considered "nice" and "friendly", and usually goes undiagnosed because they are quiet and therefore not as noticeable as classic ADHD children. They have a rough time with independent thinking, they don't talk back to teachers or parents, and they usually have friends, but even friends get frustrated with them because they aren't decisive and tend to "go along" with everything.

If you've been diagnosed with this, or have any experience with this diagnosis, I would love to hear about your story.

I have never heard of that. I think I might look into Inattentive ADD. I wish I could help you

I've been diagnosed with ADHD along with OCD and Asperger's Syndrome (talk about a triple whammy), but I have to assume that I'm the inattentive type. To be honest, your son sounds exactly like me, which is odd because the majority of people with this type of ADHD are girls. I think it might have to do with how girls are expected to be quiet and not draw attention to themselves, but that's clearly subjective.

Is he also a big reader? And does he seem to get exhausted by too much contact with others? I do. From what I've read, inattentive ADHD usually means that you're more introverted and easygoing than the hyperactive form. One of the symptoms of hyperactive ADHD is excessive talking, but if you're shy about speaking in front of others, you're more likely to just daydream than start joking around with others. It's usually when kids start interrupting classes that teachers start questioning whether or not they have ADHD. That's why the people with the inattentive type are usually referred to as "suffering in silence" although I can't really recall a time that being able to tune out a boring lecture as easily as breathing made me feel like I was suffering. I can only assume that it must seem like I am from the outside.

If he has good self-esteem and is determined to work and stay focused in class, he probably doesn't need Ritalin or something. I tried those. They help when you're doing busy work, but you sometimes get these bad migraines that are pretty much guaranteed to make you throw up.

He sounds like he's doing okay, especially since he has friends. (I did the whole going with the flow thing and it's not really as bad as it sounds).

Thanks for reading, Gweezle

I am having trouble understanding...

ADD= attention deficit disorder
ADHD= attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

I would think the words 'attention deficit' in both disorders would imply inattentiveness. It does not sould like anything new. I always thought ADD was just ADHD without the hyperactivity. Let me know if I am mistaken.

You might have misunderstood the diagnostic terminology. The term 'Inattentive ADD' is redundant, because 'ADD' is short for 'Attention Deficit Disorder' - meaning literally a lack of paying attention' which also means 'inattentive.'

The two forms of Attention Deficit Disorder are distinguished by the presence or lack of Hyperactivity. I have ADD, but not the hyperactivity that sometimes comes with it. My son, on the other hand, was hyperactive and had ADHD [Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder].

What you're describing sounds like the non-hyperactive version -- A.D.D.

Yeah, I've been diagnosed with it. You can ask me questions if you like, but I don't know how much help I can be. But I'll try.

Yes people, there's 2 kinds, either inattentive or hyperactive.

My daughter has the inattentive type also, along with aspergers.
She spent too many years in school very quiet, not talking to anyone, and teachers complained of her being extremely lethargic. They just tried to say she was shy, I knew better.
It made a difficult situation because she didn't care enough to interact with others and finish any of her work. She would even fall asleep in class. When anyone did try to interact with her she would have a panic attack.
I am glad your son has made friends. That makes all the difference. He can learn skills to help with the attention. We make lists for EVERYTHING!! That really helps.
Schools will not really understand, I have even taken in lists of the symptoms for ADD inattentive type and what I know works with her to get her on track so they know how to deal with it instead of just punishing her. That helps too.
She has her good days and bad days. The trick is for him to be able to tell you how he feels. You care enough to ask so he is going to be great, you will see.

This is what is confusing me. I have always understood it to be two different things, ADD and ADHD. Is Inattentive ADD different from ADD, or am I just fumbling over semantics?

Inattentive is a subtype of ADHD. It used to be called "ADD", but at the moment it's officially "Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, inattentive subtype".

ADHD subtypes:
Primarily hyperactive: Hyperactivity/impulsivity
Primarily inattentive: Inattentiveness, no hyperactivity
Combined: Hyperactivity, impulsivity, inattentiveness

The combined type is most common.

As adults, many people with combined type ADHD grow out of the hyperactivity and are left with the inattentive/impulsive combination. They can be either scatterbrained and disorganized, or else over-organized to compensate.

I have many traits of inattentive ADHD, though I was hyperactive as a toddler; I've tried stimulants, and they didn't help (common enough with inattentive ADHD, which is often unaffected by medication). Tried Strattera, too--no result. My main trouble with inattentive ADHD is that I either focus completely on something, or else not at all. If I'm stressed, if I'm physically uncomfortable, if I'm overstimulated... bye-bye, concentration. If I'm interested, though, I may forget that the rest of the world even exists. I also have some minor executive dysfunction, which mostly means I'm very inefficient unless I have a fixed procedure for doing something.

Someone I know who's diagnosed with inattentive ADHD describes
sensory overload, followed by:
blank mind, absence of thoughts, halted thinking, unresponsiveness, halted routine habits,
seeing and hearing but not processing, yet fully conscious of having entered that state.

I tend to kind of freeze up, like I can't plan what to do next, including really simple stuff like sitting down somewhere to figure it out instead of just standing where I am. Being overtired or overwhelmed or both tends to get me "stuck" like that. I really don't know what that is... probably something related to executive dysfunction. It's never lasted longer than a few minutes, anyway. Last time it happened, I had stupidly gone shopping instead of going home and resting after school... ended up standing there staring at the frozen corn and peas for ages! (Well, OK, seemed like ages. Actually minutes. But still... annoying.) Managed to get through the checkout, forgetting half of what I wanted to buy, and get home. Spent the rest of the day doing totally useless things... Lesson learned: upon arriving home from school, relax.

I sorta seemed to alternate between several diferent forms of ADD through my life. During my dark years 8-13 I was very much inattentive....walked around in a complete fog..was often lethargic and very much an escapist...I hit puberty and became somewhat hyperactive....lost alot of weight, bounced off the walls...would forget to eat....etc...very strange...

I meet the criteria for several forms of ADD...My formal diagnosis was not very in-depth ....but that is what I am diagnosed with...

I concider myself to be on the spectrum because I do believe that ADD is on the spectrum. I spent years addicted to ADD forums, and there are alot of cross-issues between ADD and AS...
Also, I seem to be rather different than the other ADDers that I have known, and might somewhat less neurotypical than they are....though they had been medicated since they were kids and perhaps tht is what made them more "functional" than me.....not sure...

Wow, I wasn't sure this thread would get a lot of response, but it sure has -- all of the posts are very informative. Thank you.

taekwondoe, your description of your daughter is EXACTLY what I've been reading. This "inattentive ADD" is usually found in girls, and the research describes lots of lethargy, brain fog, inability to concentrate, inability to make decisions, ability to focus on things that a child is interested, but a non-ability to focus on anything that bores a child. I also read something that really spoke to me about my son -- When my son is having a hard time at school, he's a pleasant child, and therefore the teachers are often easily manipulated by his inability to do things. He gets a break for not handing in homework, or they give him too MUCH assistance, etc. It's hard to believe that such a nice kid could also be manipulative, but that is definitely the case SOMETIMES. He is less so as he gets older.

Stimulants have helped to a small degree, but we've only found one that did help -- Metadate. We tried Concerta, with no good results. Same thing with Strattera. Adderall was a nightmare -- he began to be very depressed, and I pulled him off of that rather quickly. This is a very cheerful child, so when you see depression in him, it's frightening.

Research suggests, as an alternative to stimulants (that often don't work) using a LOW dose of stimulant coupled with a LOW dose of anti-depressant (such as Wellbutrin). I think this could possibly work. I also have found that the research suggests using something called EEG Biofeedback as a therapy. I'm going to look into this as a possible choice for my son -- and since Pennsylvania just passed laws requiring insurance companies to pay for autism therapies, I'm going to check out and see if insurance could actually help us out for the first time in my son's short life span!

Callista, your description sounds exactly like my son. It's hard to realize that he gets "stuck" -- and that getting "stuck" doesn't mean he's being defiant, or lazy, or silly -- he's just "stuck." Other people really can't relate to this situation -- it's almost impossible for us to understand the "stuck" feeling, except maybe it's similar to a non-obvious epileptic episode.

ValMikeSmith, it's that "seeing and hearing but not processing" part of your post that really hits home. I have the scary picture of my son sitting and doing this at school. He certainly does that sometimes when we are working on homework with him at home.

I also can't find any difference between what is classically called ADD, and Inattentive ADD. The research seems to be portraying Inattentive ADD as being new and different somehow, but it sounds the same as ADD to me -- except that now, there is information about HOW different this is from ADHD. It's actually only similar to ADHD in the inattentive part, and it's totally opposite to the hyperactive part. I've been trying to describe to my doctor for YEARS that my son doesn't run around, doesn't interrupt, hasn't ever had multiple visits to the ER, and isn't combative. Just the opposite -- if there's a stimulant that will WAKE HIM UP . . . THAT would be effective. I feel like I'm banging my head against a wall.

Besides, with these meds, I don't want to see my son change. He's a really pleasant, bright kid. The only reason we began to look into this was because we are only having TWO real problems at school -- with READING class and ENGLISH class [sound familiar, parents?]. This is because he cannot think independently enough, or write fast enough, to finish writing assignments about fictional material in class. Oddly enough, he's doing very well in other classes. But in reading, his teacher describes him as very lethargic, and never staying on task (she's had him before, and apparently it's never been this bad before).

Enough said -- all of your posts are much more informative than mine!

Attention Deficit = Inattentive

I tended to be very high energy as a child, but wasn't hyperactive or inattentive. In fact, I had a long attention span from the very beginning for books and loved reading.

Books were the only thing I had any sort of attention span for as a kid.