Until three years ago, Julia Davis had never heard of Attention Deficit Disorder. But today she can talk for hours on the subject.

Her interest is more personal than academic. Both of her daughters have the disorder.

Julia and Bill Davis have three adopted children: Claire, 6, Joshua, 7, and Katherine, 8. The children are biological siblings.

The Davis family had been living in Cape Girardeau, but moved last week to Batesville, Ark.

Adopted when she was 1, Claire was diagnosed at age 4 with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD).

Claire was a handful early on in life, her mother recalled. The girl was extremely hyperactive, constantly on the move. She had difficulty coping with her environment and getting along with people.

"The normal things that a toddler should learn, she was not learning," said Julia Davis. "She was experiencing a lot of negatives. She was so active and into so many things. She was in trouble a lot.

"She was not successful in a day-care or pre-school setting. They were not able to handle her."

Even Bible school proved a disaster, said Davis. "They said, `Don't bring this child back. We can't handle her.'"

Davis said that she and her husband knew something was wrong. "I felt frustrated all the time," she said.

In 1991, Cape Girardeau pediatrician James E. Hoffman diagnosed the problem: Attention Deficit Disorder.

The family then took Claire to see a pediatric neurologist in St. Louis.

"At the time, we knew nothing about it (the disorder)," said Davis.

The pediatric neurologist suggested that she join a nationwide support group of parents and professionals called CH.A.D.D. (Children with Attention Deficit Disorders).

The group, founded in 1987 in Plantation, Fla., has since changed its name to Children and Adults with Attention Deficit Disorders to reflect the fact that the disorder can continue beyond adolescence. There are more than 500 chapters nationwide.

"I joined immediately and have never regretted it," said Davis, who in November helped organize an area CH.A.D.D. chapter.

About 80 parents, educators and health care professionals attended the first meeting of CH.A.D.D. of Southeast Missouri. "We were thrilled," said Davis.

Attention Deficit Disorder is a neurobiological disability that nationwide affects up to 3.5 million or 5 percent of all children, and at least 2-5 million adults.

According to CH.A.D.D., there's strong evidence suggesting the disorder is linked to a deficiency of certain chemicals in the area of the brain responsible for attention and activity.

The disorder is characterized by impulsive behavior, short attention span, and often hyperactivity. But a person can have the disorder and not be hyperactive.

Davis' older daughter, Katherine, was diagnosed with the disorder last year. Davis said that as she learned about the characteristics of the disorder in connection with her younger daughter, she realized that some of them also applied to Katherine.

"She (Katherine) wasn't good at changing from one activity to another," said Davis. Katherine's case, however, is less severe than Claire's.

Since Claire was diagnosed with the disorder, she has been put on medicine to help control her impulsiveness and keep her more focused.

An instructional aide has been assisting Claire in school. The aide, who is paid by the school district, has accompanied her on the school bus and at morning kindergarten class at Franklin School.

"The aide spends the whole morning with her," said Davis, explaining that the aide's job is to help keep Claire focused on her school work.

Medication isn't enough. Treatment also involves modifications in a child's behavior and education and counseling or therapy.

"You just attack it from all fronts," said Davis. "Children with Attention Deficit Disorder need a very structured environment."

It's important to cut down on distractions, both auditory and visual, as much as possible.

Many ADD children are super sensitive to smells or sounds. The hum of a fluorescent light, for example, can drive some ADD children to distraction.

"You or I might not even pay any attention to that hum, but that hum might be the only thing that that child could concentrate on," she noted.

Often children with ADD have other problems, said Davis. Her daughter Claire has sensory integration problems, something that is common with many ADD children.

She is sensitive to items that come in contact with her skin. "She is very, very sensitive to tags in the clothes, or a string in the underwear or a fold in the socks.

"She has to wear her socks inside out because she can't stand the feeling of the seam," said Davis. "We have to cut tags out of her clothes. There are many textures that she just can't tolerate."

Davis said they can't take Claire to a shopping mall. There are too many distractions.

At home, Claire's room has very few toys. She used to take all her clothes out of the dresser. Now, they are locked in a closet.

"I got real tired of seeing every piece of clothing out of the drawer," said Davis.

With an ADD child it's important to have routines, even to the point of getting up at the same time every morning and eating dinner at the same time each evening.

Changes in routine, such as occur during holidays, are hard on ADD families.

Even birthday parties are a problem for ADD children like Claire. "She just gets real wild," said Davis. "Imagine your 2-year-old at the wildest time, all the time."

ADD children often need very little sleep. "At her worst, Claire was sleeping four or five hours a night."

Davis said that when one has an ADD child, there is no break in dealing with the disorder. It is something that has to be dealt with every day.

"We have just accepted there are certain changes we have to make in our lifestyle," she said.

Even as the family was preparing for its move to Arkansas last week, Davis was already thinking ahead -- not of beginning again in a new home but of starting a new CH.A.D.D. chapter.