Sunday, April 17, 2011

ADHD is NOT "KSP"

For the sake of non-Filipino speakers, kulang sa pansin (literally means lack of attention) a.k.a. KSP, is a phrase used to describe people who want to grab other people's attention. What they do to attract people's attention varies. They may sing loudly at public places, moonwalk in the middle of the street, or even dress up as vampires at malls. These attention-grabbing actions can be done not only to attract strangers, but also parents, siblings, friends, classmates or co-workers, teachers, bosses, or a crush.

A few times, I've read in the newspaper's editorial section mentioning the word ADHD to denote KSP. ADHD does not mean KSP. They're totally different terms. ADHD stands for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Some people who are not familiar with this disorder may have understood the term differently. The "attention" here is not about doing crazy things to attract people's attention. It refers to concentration. The concentration or attention span of people with ADHD is short. They have a hard time focusing on things; they have difficulty paying attention; they have trouble engaging in activities that require sustained effort. They're also hyperactive. They have very high energy level and never seem to get tired. They may also butt into conversations or activities of other people.
Well, that's a little lesson from a little girl. Remember: ADHD and KSP are different terms and cannot be used interchangeably. I wrote this not to hurt the feelings of people who have used the term, or the terms, incorrectly. I just want to inform everyone to avoid offending anyone just in case. If Abraham Lincoln was still alive, I don't think he will be happy to read in the news about him having a KSP disorder instead of ADHD!

2 comments:

  1. i didn't know that abraham has ADHD. :P

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sharlot, yeah, I didn't know it before too. There are actually a lot of famous people who have ADHD.

    ReplyDelete

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