How did “ADD” become “ADHD”? And why does the extra letter make all the difference? In this post, we dive into the renaming of ADD, exploring why it changed and how the evolution of neurodiversity terms affects neuroinclusivity.
In the UK today, we base our understanding of ADHD on both the DSM-5 (the American manual of Mental Disorders) and NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) ADHD guidelines. These guidelines treat ADHD as an umbrella term that encompasses three different presentations:
In predominantly inattentive ADHD, people tend to struggle with organisation and focus without signs of hyperactivity. Someone with this presentation might feel easily distracted or unable to follow complex instructions.
People with predominantly hyperactive-impulsive ADHD often have high energy and feel a constant need to move, talk, or fidget. They may also feel compelled to blurt things out without thinking.
Sometimes people display both inattentive and hyperactive-impulsive traits. This is known as a “combined presentation”. According to NICE, the combined presentation is the most common, affecting around 50-70% of individuals with the condition.
As you can see, there are many different ways ADHD can show up, and it can look quite different from person to person.
In the past, the term “ADD” was often used to describe attention disorders, with subtypes only for people with and without hyperactivity. This started to shift in the late 80s, when the diagnosis was updated to “ADHD” to reflect that inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity often overlap and aren’t cleanly separate. As a result, “ADHD” became an umbrella term with different presentations.
Some doctors or individuals may still use the term “ADD” when referring to the predominantly inattentive presentation, though it’s becoming less common.
We tend to use the word “presentation” to categorise different types of ADHD because a person’s experience of the condition can change and fluctuate throughout their lifetime. For example, someone might present with more hyperactive-type traits in childhood and then display inattentive-type symptoms in adulthood (or vice versa). However, this wasn’t always the case.
Before 2013, the DSM-5 used the word “subtype” for categorisation. It was only when new research emerged that clinicians recognised these categories weren’t stable over time, and that many people’s symptoms shifted between them. As a result, the term “presentation” was introduced. This helped to better reflect that ADHD isn’t fixed and can evolve across a person’s life.
When it comes to neurodiversity, we’re always questioning terminology and trying to figure out the most appropriate language to use. This is because words and acronyms don’t always represent the lived experiences of the people they’re meant to describe. What was once inclusive may now be seen as exclusionary, and that’s all part of the natural evolution of social and scientific understanding. As time goes on, we learn more about what’s appropriate and what best reflects the experiences of as many people as possible.
If you have predominantly inattentive ADHD and feel more comfortable calling your condition “ADD”, that’s okay too. Lots of people find identification in the label they were originally diagnosed with – maybe it brought about community or helped them feel understood for the first time. While clinical manuals are there to help doctors treat us, they aren’t there to dictate how we feel about ourselves.
No. ADD is no longer an official clinical diagnosis. Since the late 1980s, the medical community has used ADHD as the umbrella term for attention-related conditions. What people used to call “ADD” is now known as ADHD: Predominantly Inattentive Presentation. Many people still actively use the term ADD, but in clinical settings, ADHD is the most widely accepted terminology.
The difference is mostly historical. ADD was once used to describe attention difficulties without hyperactivity, while ADHD includes inattentive, hyperactive-impulsive, and combined presentations. Today, all three fall under the single diagnosis of ADHD, which better reflects how symptoms can shift and overlap throughout a person’s lifetime.
Our small but mighty team builds leading-edge software that people love. We pride ourselves on a user-led approach to product design. The voice of the customer shapes what we create and that’s exactly how great assistive tech should be made.
