ADD can have a significant effect on a student's ability to focus on one specific task for a prolonged period of time. This problem eventually leads to the student's not being able to grasp certain concepts in the classroom because of his short attention span and inability to focus on the lesson. Because of this, ADD can cause students' grades to drop significantly and may make it difficult for them to learn things that may come easier to other students.
In addition to causing problems with the way students can learn material and grasp new concepts, ADD can also lead to behavioral problems in the classroom, which can also disrupt the learning process for that student and the other students in the class as well. ADD may cause students to act out and can also generate an impulsivity factor that can cause students to speak out in the classroom at inappropriate times, cut in line and cause trouble in other ways.
ADD can affect a student not only in the classroom but can also have an effect on a child at home as well, in regard to not being able to complete work and missing projects, homework assignments and failing to study for tests. ADD can prevent a student from completing assignments on time because he cannot focus on the task long enough to complete it. These missed assignments and incomplete work eventually lead to lower grades and the danger of staying back a year in school because of failing grades.
ADD's effects on education can cause students to underperform in the classroom, leading to bad behavior and low grades. With these low grades also come lower confidence and self-esteem levels for the students afflicted with ADD. With this disorder, they feel completely out of control and can often feel like failures for consistently underachieving in school. This can create a vicious cycle of a student's simply giving up on studying and completing work because he may feel hopeless. He may feel that because of his disorder it is useless to try and succeed and in turn may even begin to perform worse in the classroom.