attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
- noun
- /əˈtɛnʃən ˈdɛfɪsɪt ˌhaɪpərækˈtɪvɪti dɪsˈɔrdər/
- Specialized
- It's called Adderall, and it's prescribed to individuals with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or ADHD.
- attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
- children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
- diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
Examples
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Every year, more and more children are being diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (Knowlton, 1998).
Academic text (2000) -
Many children who suffer from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, known as ADHD, need medication.
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Um, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, ADHD.
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Without cues, children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder told fewer stories based on a character's goal than did comparison children.
Academic text (2011) -
About half of all children with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have significant problems with their peer relationships.
Academic text (1994) -
As teachers observe and diagnose students, there is a frequent concern for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
Academic text (1997) -
Though not officially diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Aaron exhibited characteristics of ADHD.
Academic text (2008) -
She'd been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and had a prescription for Adderall.
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There's also increasing evidence of a link between insomnia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Synonyms
A condition that makes it hard to pay attention, stay still and control impulses in daily life
A condition where children have trouble paying attention and often act without thinking or are very restless
A condition that makes it hard to pay attention and sometimes makes people very active or act without thinking
A childhood condition causing learning and behavior problems and too much activity
A condition in children that makes them restless and have trouble paying attention, now called ADHD
A mild brain problem in children, often in boys, that causes problems with behaviour and learning
A health problem in children, often boys, causing too much activity, trouble behaving and learning problems
Antonyms
Surface Forms
Morphology
attention + deficit + hyperactivity + disorder
The overall meaning is directly compositional: 'attention' + 'deficit' indicates reduced attentional ability, 'hyperactivity' denotes excessive activity, and 'disorder' signals a medical/diagnosable condition, so a learner who knows the constituents can infer a condition involving inattention and overactivity. This kind of clinical compound is cross-linguistically common (many languages use equivalent literal compounds), making the phrase predictable and accessible to B1 learners familiar with the component words.
Etymology
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is a name that describes its parts: attention (focus), deficit 'not enough', hyperactivity 'too much' activity, and disorder 'a problem'. So it refers to a condition where someone has trouble focusing, is very active, and often acts without thinking.