Welcome!
Welcome to Levente ADD web for adults, a website for the Predominantly Inattentive Type Attention Deficit Disorder. My name is Karin Windt, I am 34 and born in the western part of Holland, near Amsterdam.

About
The domain name Levente was claimed in the year 2000 as my homepage and hobby space on the web. I had many different professions previous to my becoming interested in ADD, from hairdresser to photography, airport security agent, office manager, store manager and technical assistant. At that time, most households had a computer and the Internet had just reached its peak. It was not long before I turned my hobby into a profession. Still I was not happy, often late, frequently ill, experienced severe monetary set backs leading to a burneout and depression -again. I was only 25 years old.

The subject of ADD first came up in 2003 during a chat session with my Canadian relatives. An information search revealed just a few lines of information on the Predominantly Inattentive Type in children.  From that moment on www.levente.nl became a website with a real purpose. I wrote my own story but never expected many website visitors. My suspicions were confirmed in 2004 when I was given an official diagnosis of having ADD. Levente's success became a turning point in my life at the same time. The website was the only one on the web with information on the inattentive type and the only Dutch site considering ADD as a separate disorder from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Even abroad the information was extremely limited. I thought it was strange to call my disorder “hyperactive” while I was struggling with a completely different range of impairments, including some positive aspects to ADD that were never mentioned. Many emails with questions and life story's followed. Levente soon grew from 60.000 visitors a year in 2004 to more then two million visitors a year today. All of my efforts have one major purpose; to make ADD better known.

In 2005 the first scientific paper on the differences between ADD and ADHD immerged, not surprisingly, from Canada. I organized the first national ADD information and meeting day and expected about 50 people. To my huge surprise over 300 people showed up, requiring us to refuse people at the door because of fire hazards. I was on TV with the words: ADD is ADHD's sister. With no financial resources at all, the meet day came together. There was a  band, a circus artist, a children's bounce house and among other presenters, I did my first presentation on ADD.
The establishment of the ADD Netherlands Foundation was announced during the 2nd ADD-day and on national TV.

I wrote two successful books in 2008 and 2009 with good reviews from Holland and abroad and received a scholarship from Professor Adele Diamond to join the Brain Development and Learning Conference in Vancouver, Canada. I received applause at the conference for my efforts to make ADD better known trough my Foundation and for organizing the ADD-day.
The third nationwide ADD-day took place under the flag of my Foundation and attracted 800 visitors from Holland and Belgium.
Only recently, in 2010 was ADD recognized in the Netherlands as a serious disorder in attention -apart from the hyperactive type of ADHD. Before that every other organization only covered the hyperactive type. This was pretty much world wide the case and it often still is.

Armed with knowledge and experience in the field of ADD led me to do more presentations and training within psychiatry, social work and the educational fields. Through my work for the Foundation and working with people with a similar diagnosis, I offer a unique perspective on the hidden obstacles of the predominantly inattentive type. With respect for doctors and the amount of schooling they do have, I can now call my self an expert in the field of  ADD, ADHD and co-morbidities. Since 2010 many more studies on the  predominantly inattentive type took place. Gradually more of my insights, expressed in numerous ways (on the radio) and ultimately in my books, received a scientific foundation. I was invited to present my abstract on ADD at the famous annually European scientific conference in Finland but unfortunately had to turn them down because of personal recons. In June 2011, I was able to present my case at the Dutch house of representatives. This was the first time that the predominantly inattentive type of ADD had become known on a political level.  

What is Levente
Levente was the artist name of my grandfather, Nico Windt. Levente is a French word (though miss spelled) and means "the wind". He was a hobbyist painter and did wonderful charcoal sketches of the scenes of Holland and many other places that he had visited in his life. My grandfather sold his art as Levente, at markets and fairs. He was not a Rembrandt or a Van Gogh but he was able to sell his paintings regularly. He could often be found along the quay in Enkhuizen, Holland with his easel doing his art work. His art work could be found on some unusual surfaces too, such as kitchen cabinets painted with landscapes, flowers or animals and even home trash cans. Meanwhile, my Grandma was sitting by his side enjoying her self with her embroidery.

A new look
The web site Levente.nl changed In appearance in august 2011. Although I was determined to preserve the site in its original state, partly because the text on this website is often the source of more recent websites about ADD, this was no longer possible. After 10 years the old  purple design, created by 10 years old software showed glitches, errors and broken links. The information however was left intact, supplemented with new  data. It is said: "Do not change something that is successful" I hope that the new Levente.nl will be as much fun and helpful to you as the older version.

Karin Windt
www.levente.nl
www.karinwindt.com