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Difficulty paying attention

Caution: Sleuth is not a substitute for professional advice, and may contain inaccurate information.

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Difficulty paying attention is a common topic in parents’ descriptions of one condition: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

For kids diagnosed with Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Difficulty paying attention is one of four symptoms related to Attention according to Sleuth parents. All of the symptoms of Attention among kids with Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are:

  1. Difficulty focusing or concentrating
  2. Distractibility (or easily distracted)
  3. Impulsiveness
  4. Inattentiveness (or not listening to others)

Other symptoms or behaviors to look for with Difficulty paying attention

When parents mention Difficulty paying attention they also mention these other symptoms:

SymptomFrequencyNumber of mentions
HyperactivityOften4 mentions
Angry behaviorOften2 mentions
DepressionOften2 mentions
FidgetingOften2 mentions
ImpulsivenessOften2 mentions
Short attention spanOften2 mentions
Very high energyOften2 mentions
Acting outSometimes1 mention
AnxietySometimes1 mention
Difficulty calming downSometimes1 mention

Characteristics of Difficulty paying attention

Difficulty paying attention starts at the following ages...

How to read this chart

How common is Difficulty paying attention?

Across kids of all ages represented on Sleuth, 44.0% of parents surveyed by Sleuth say their kids have Difficulty paying attention.

Percentage of kids with Difficulty paying attention by year of age

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This is based on a survey of 1025 children on Sleuth. The plot shows the percentage of parents who rated their child’s Difficulty paying attention “Moderate”, “Severe”, or “Very Severe” among kids in different age groups.

Frequency

OutcomePercent of ChildrenTotal Mentions
Continuously

7%

37 mentions
Hourly

0%

0 mentions
Daily

19%

96 mentions
Weekly

15%

78 mentions
Monthly

14%

74 mentions
Annually

3%

16 mentions
A Few / Several Times

13%

67 mentions
Once

2%

11 mentions
Never

27%

138 mentions

Severity

SeverityPercent of ChildrenTotal Mentions
Very Severe

9%

93 mentions
Severe

13%

134 mentions
Moderate

22%

224 mentions
Mild

21%

213 mentions
Not at All

35%

359 mentions

Care of Difficulty paying attention

Less common approaches...

Discussion of Difficulty paying attention

What was your approach to Difficulty paying attention? What were the results?

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