Inattention is a label for a whole range of problems. It generally means being unable to concentrate on one thing for a long period of time, and this is why children with ADHD find school life so difficult.

• Short attention span; a child naturally has a short attention span and learns to concentrate and focus as they get older. However, with ADHD they never do, their attention wanders after just a minute, doing any task requires attention, so the child never finishes a task. Sometimes they do not even start it. Listening to instructions requires attention and again they find it hard to do.
• This lead to the other symptoms; distraction, being terribly forgetful, careless, loosing things, not following or carrying out instructions, making mistakes, constantly changing tasks, not organizing themselves and being unable to stick at time consuming or tedious tasks.
• All of these are because a child with ADHD simply cannot focus and maintain their attention on one task. Being easily distracted is not just from outside influence, their mind jumps constantly as one thought after another pops up, with no relevance to their current task. A person without ADHD will quickly learn to ignore irrelevant distractions and refocus on a task, but a child with ADHD never learns how to do it unless they get help and support.

Inattention in adults:

• Attention wanders in the middle of a conversation and do not realize it.
• Find it hard to concentrate on work, so work is not completed and has errors that are not picked up.
• Reading and listening are skills are poor. Keeping their attention long enough to remember what they did read is a struggle, remembering what was said is hard and, therefore, following instructions is a hopeless task.
• Find it hard to complete tasks which are simple because their attention wanders constantly.
• Being organized is a serious struggle; your desk, car, and home will be a mess, you will put off doing things. Starting and finishing jobs are difficult, always late and never meet your deadlines. Everything takes longer than you think it will, and you will never find your keys, wallet etc.
• There is a silver lining, as adults will often be able to focus on thing to the exclusion of all else, if a task is particularly attractive and rewarding. Beware of blocking everything completely as it can cause problems in your work and relationships. Computers are a particular hazard as you may find them difficult to walk away from.
• Hyperactivity means to move around constantly, whether it is in a task, your body or always talking.

Hyperactivity in children: 

• A child who is hyperactive will not sit still, even if the area is calm and quiet. They will always fidget and find it hard to settle down and start a task. They are always moving and talking.

Hyperactivity in adults:

• As with children sitting still is hard, you will find yourself agitated and restless. Long meetings are particularly difficult. You will be easily bored and always talking, your thoughts will continually race, and you will want to do that are rewarding and interest you. You will tend to multi-task as it is easier than trying to do one thing at once.

Impulsiveness in children: 

• A child who is impulsive will do things with no regard for consequences, as they do not think far enough ahead to consider them. Waiting in a queue, taking turns, and blurting out something when they think of it; are all symptoms of impulsiveness. Danger and rules are both disregarded casually, and a child will interrupt a conversation because they cannot wait.
• For children, discipline is always a significant problem, and your child will always be in trouble. They do not intend to behave this way, it just happens – and then they get in to trouble – and then they resent the consequences – and so they begin to play up even more. It is extremely hard for a child with ADHD to see why or how their behaviour is wrong. After all, they know the answer to a question now, but in a few seconds, they will have forgotten it.

Impulsiveness in adults:

• Interrupting and talking over others is common, making inappropriate or rude remarks when it pops into your head,being reckless or spontaneous without thinking about the consequences. Having poor self control and addictive tendencies are usual too. Beware of ending up in risky situations as a result of being impulsive.