What it can look like
Everyday examples.
Missing details even when the information matters
Losing the thread of a conversation or reading passage
Being pulled away by external input or internal thoughts
Context matters
A pattern is not a diagnosis.
Everyone gets distracted. Clinicians look at persistence, developmental history, setting, and meaningful impairment.
Clinicians consider persistence, developmental history, impairment, multiple settings, health, sleep, mood, anxiety, substance use, learning, and other possible explanations.
Evidence