A 35-year-old member asked:
what's the difference between inattention in adhd (short attention span) and spacing out?
1 doctor answer • 6 doctors weighed in

Dr. Glen Elliott answered
Child Psychiatry 43 years experience
Quite similar: The attentional problems with adhd are of two broad types: inattention and distractiibility. Inattention is trouble staying focused on a topic, even with the best of intentions, and "spacing out" can be a manifestation of that. Distractibility has to do with being unable to a new element in the environment when one needs to stay focused on something else, jumping from one activity to another.
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Last updated Nov 27, 2017
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