Symptoms Comparison Chart

Many children today are being labeled “ADD/ADHD”, based on their behavioral symptoms. However, as this chart demonstrates, many symptoms that commonly result in a diagnosis of ADD or ADHD may be caused by learning problems such as dyslexia, Irlen syndrome, and auditory processing problems. Physicians, educators, and psychologists are generally most familiar with ADD/ADHD, and many have received little or no training in the diagnosis or treatment of dyslexia, Irlen syndrome, or auditory processing problems. We therefore recommend assessment for these common learning problems whenever ADD/ADHD symptoms are identified. When learning problems are resolved, some or all of the symptoms of ADD/ADHD may “miraculously” disappear.

Trait	Dyslexia	ADD/ADHD	Irlen Syndrome	Auditory Processing Problems
PSYCHOSOCIAL
Depressed, frustrated or angry	X	X	X	X
Poor sense of self and/or predisposition to depression or anxiety	X	X	X	X
Difficulty making and keeping friends	X	X	X	X
READING PATTERN
Skips words or whole lines while reading	X	X	X
Loses place easily	X	X	X
Is a slow reader	X	X	X
Comprehension is poor	X	X	X	X
Avoids reading or takes frequent breaks	X	X	X
PRINTING/HANDWRITING (Issues commonly related to Dysgraphia)
Unequal letter size or spacing	X	X	X
Difficulty writing on the line	X	X	X
Poor handwriting, avoids cursive	X	X	X
Awkward pencil grip	X
Prone to mirror writing (writing backwards)	X
ACTIVITY
Impulsive		X		X
Energy is difficult to contain/in constant motion		X
Blurts out answers before questions are finished		X		X
Difficulty taking turns and with self restraint		X		X
Restless or day dreamy	X	X	X	X
Struggles to complete homework	X	X	X	X
PHYSICALLY OBSERVABLE
Eyes burn, itch or water			X
Experiences headache, stomach ache or fatigue	X	X	X	X
Rubs eyes frequently			X
Shades eyes while reading			X
Squints or blinks excessively			X
Tilts head to read			X
Physically fatigues quickly while reading			X
Reads in dim light			X
Family history of strain with reading, light sensitivity, headaches or migraine			X
ISSUES OF VISUAL PERCEPTION
Sees print as fuzzy or unstable			X
Mixes up numbers in math problems	X		X
Perceives visual distortions on the printed page	X		X
Reads words that are upside down	X		X
Experiences letter reversals	X		X
Difficulty learning to tell time	X		X
ISSUES OF AUDITORY PERCEPTION
Slow to learn connection between individual letters and sounds	X			X
Difficulty sounding out words and blending words together	X			X
Jumbles up syllables in spoken and written words	X			X
Was slow to learn to speak	X			X
Struggles to follow verbal directions	X	X		X
Was slow to learn to speak		X		X

Please contact us for more information on how Abba's Child Learning Center can help with these and other learning problems.