Lesson 3 · about 30 minutes
ADD vs ADHD: the three presentations
“Is it ADD or ADHD?” The honest answer: it depends what year your manual was printed.
Narration is planned. Each lesson will also have a full transcript.
In one sentence
ADD is an older name; today it’s usually described as ADHD with a mainly inattentive presentation.
A change of name
In 1980, the American Psychiatric Association’s manual (DSM-III) used the name “attention deficit disorder”, which could be diagnosed with or without hyperactivity. In 1987 the revised edition renamed it attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Since then, “ADHD” has been the umbrella term — including for people who aren’t hyperactive at all.
Three presentations
Predominantly inattentive: losing track, drifting off, missing details, forgetting. Predominantly hyperactive-impulsive: restless, driven, interrupting, acting fast. Combined: where both are significant. The NHS says most people with ADHD have symptoms of both kinds, while some only show signs of one.
We say “presentation”, not “type”, because it can change. Children who are visibly hyperactive at seven are often less so at seventeen — the restlessness often moves inside.
Try this · Sort the signs
Which group does each everyday sign belong to?
Examples are illustrative, drawn from common clinical descriptions of ADHD. Sorting signs is a learning exercise, not a self-assessment.
Preview of draft course content (Module 1, Lesson 1.3). Awaiting clinical and lived-experience review.