If a 3-year-old cannot learn the alphabet could she have ADD?

Answer 1

It's probably unrelated to AD/HD, especially since this appears to be the only "symptom" she has. She may not be interested in the way you present the task. Rote learning may not be her preferred style of learning (normal kids differ widely in this respect). She may have vision problems. She may have visual-speech integration problems. She may be generally "slow". She may find the task "boring" compared with other things which attract her attention. Failure to learn simple material is not usually a sign of AD/HD. My son learned to read by the age of two and a half - and he's severely AD/HD. The problems come later with more complex problems. It's difficult for an AD/HD kid to selectively apply what they have learned, refrain from applying what they know inappropriately or keep sufficiently focused for long enough periods to learn something which does not easily hold their attention. This is when IQ/acheivement mis-matches occur. I went through school with teachers asking me why, since I tested so high on short IQ-type measures, I failed to win an "Honours Prize" in any of my 13 years of elementary, secondary and "college" schooling. I didn't have the answer to that one. It was presumed that I was "lazy", especially since I began to top the class in some subjects in the upper high school "college" years. (The last two years of Australasian compulsary schooling systems are equivalent to US Junior College or the International Bachalareate.) **You might find non drug alternative, the Australian Bush Flower Essences combination Cognis (for short attention span and better retention and recall)

"Australian Bush Flower Healing" by Ian White

ISBN-10: 073380

Yahoo email group discussing Australian Bush Flower Essences

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/ABFEstudy/