You know about ADHD, but what about ADD?

So what's the biggest difference between ADHD and ADD? Yep! You're right, you guessed it...it's that "H" for hyper.

Many children diagnosed with ADHD have trouble sitting still and might be so restless that adults quickly notice their rambunctious behavior and suspect there might be attention issues involved. Children diagnosed with ADHD are hyper, inattentive and can be very impulsive. They seem to make wrong decisions and regret them almost immediately. They have trouble finishing tasks.

Whereas kids with ADD might fly under the radar because they aren’t bursting with energy and disrupting the classroom. Instead, they often appear shy or off in their own world. They're usually the quiet ones at family reunions, maybe they're off playing by themselves, or get bored quickly with a task. ADD kids are quite forgetful and many times appear not to be listening.

I'm very intune with both ADHD and ADD because my youngest son was diagnosed with ADD when he was diagnosed with autism, at a young age. Here are some tips that have helped me support my son:

1. Diet - what he eats is very important. I make every effort to purchase healthy, non-processed groceries.

2. Exercise- as he's grown older the exercise routine has slowed down, but there was a time when he had a strict schedule to exercise for 1 -2 hours daily.

3. Things to do lists- These help both he and I. It helps him because he's able to check things off as he completes it and it helps me because I don't have to nag him to do things. Nagging builds bridges between people. I wouldn't want to be associated with nagging him.

4. Set time frames for chores- If you set a timer, like the old school ones that tick loudly (and bother me a bit), it will remind your child there's a task at hand.

5. Be consistent- It definitely helps your child set a foundation of structure if you're consistent.

6. Visual cues- Visual cues help, again you're not nagging, but if you've discussed them and agreed upon them (by that I mean you're both understanding of what the cues mean, not that your child has to approve).