, inattention, and impulsive, impatient behavior in childhood (Clinical review: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, 2005). ADHD is essentially a behavioral syndrome that is diagnosed by clinical judgment with reference to explicit criteria and with information derived from various sources. For all variants of ADHD, the age of onset is before the age of 7, symptoms are evident in more than one type of situation and are pervasive across different situations, and symptoms are associated with impaired functioning and not better explained by another disorder (Clinical review: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, 2005).
ADHD presents as an extreme and impairing variant of traits that are present in the general population. It is not regarded as a qualitatively district category and there is currently no objective test that is used to identify ADHD. Most clinicians rely partly on behavioral rating scales that are completed by teachers and parents along with their own observations in making this diagnosis (Clinical review: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, 2005).
It is also recognized that children who are found to have ADHD have abnormal brains and atypical ways of processing information both psychologically and physiologically. This has been demonstrated in research findings, which include recognition that ADHD children are likely to have a smaller brain overall (independent of IQ), reduced anterior temporal lobe gray matter, a reduced dorso-lateral prefrontal cortex, and an absence of normal asymmetry of the basal ganglia
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