attention deficit disorder

noun

medical : a condition in which someone (such as a child) has problems with learning and behavior because of being unable to think about or pay attention to things for very long

Full Definition of ATTENTION DEFICIT DISORDER

: a syndrome of disordered learning and disruptive behavior that is not caused by any serious underlying physical or mental disorder and that has several subtypes characterized primarily by symptoms of inattentiveness or primarily by symptoms of hyperactivity and impulsive behavior (as speaking out of turn) or by the significant expression of all three —abbreviation ADD

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First Known Use of ATTENTION DEFICIT DISORDER

1978

Medical Dictionary

attention deficit disorder

noun

Medical Definition of ATTENTION DEFICIT DISORDER

: a syndrome of disordered learning and disruptive behavior that is not caused by any serious underlying physical or mental disorder and that has several subtypes characterized primarily by symptoms of inattentiveness or primarily by symptoms of hyperactivity and impulsive behavior (as in speaking out of turn) or by the significant expression of all three—abbreviation ADD; called also minimal brain dysfunction