Impulsiveness involves not waiting for turns, constantly interrupting others or spontaneously blurting out. Younger children are more difficult to diagnose because it is normal for them to appear overactive or inattentive in many settings. It is often difficult to tell the difference between normal and exceptional attention and activity levels. Sometimes a child may exhibit low attention or high activity levels because the environment requires too much of the child in light of his or her age or the circumstances. Many other things happen to children that could temporarily upset them and these must be considered.
Children spend time in school, home, neighborhood social organizations and many other places.
Often, children respond very differently in various situations and contexts. Every child is different from other children with regard to attention and activity. A fairly wide range of attention and activity levels is acceptable and determining what is exceptional is often difficult. Also, expectations for individual children may vary. Inattention and overactivity may be treated differently from child to child due to a number of factors, such as the child's temperament or personality.