This article offers an overview of ADD and ADHD, their causes and long-term prognoses. The complexities of the conditions, our incomplete knowledge about them and the difficulties of diagnosis during the early childhood years are discussed. Assessment and treatment options are summarised and the conclusion reached that, while our understanding of ADD and ADHD is still incomplete and we have still larger gaps in our knowledge of treatment options for many children, the condition has so many secondary effects that designing an individualised and multimodal treatment regime is essential.
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