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Adhd Causes – a Guide for Parents on the Latest Research

Parents are not the only people who are puzzled by the cause of ADHD. Scientists and doctors have not been able to pinpoint exact ADHD causes but they have identified some factors which may cause this behaviour disorder in children and may also contribute to exacerbating ADHD symptoms.

The Genetic Link

Research shows that if ADHD is present in the family ,then a child has a greater chance of suffering from this condition. If a parent has ADHD himself/herself then the child has a 70% chance of having ADHD.

Many parents do not know that they have ADHD and only discover it when they have their child diagnosed. Once it is diagnosed, instead of using this label as a curse, use it as a challenge and remind your child that s/he has great potential. After all, Einstein, Beethoven, Tom Cruise, Leonardo da Vinci and Henry Ford all suffered from ADHD. Didn’t they do well !

The Child’s Brain

Parts of the brain that are used to control impulses and attention/concentration in ADHD children seem to be a little less developed than in normal children. The neurotransmitters do not seem to function so well in ADHD children.

Pregnancy

There is a strong link between smoking and alcohol abuse during pregnancy with ADHD. During pregnancy, smoking certainly seems to damage the neurons which is turn will produce the neurotransmitters so there is a reasonable possibility that the new born child will have ADHD symptoms. Some research even shows that there is a definite link between smoking during pregnancy and aggressive behaviour in kids.

There is also evidence that if a pregnant mother is exposed to certain toxins (such as the infamous PCBs), then there is an increased risk of ADHD. The same goes for the child himself who may have been exposed to these toxins – again there is a greater risk of developing an attention deficit disorder.

Food Allergies

Food allergies have been identified as a cause of ADHD but there is no firm evidence that this is so although many of these foods produce similar symptoms to ADHD. However, most experts agree that a food allergy can be a contributing factor and in any case , for the general health of the child, it will be important to eliminate these food allergies from the child’s diet. No surprise in learning that more and more children are developing allergies to fish, nuts and lactose (milk and cheese). The CDC (US Centers For Disease Control and Prevention) estimates that in the last ten years, there has been an 18% increase in the number of children suffering from allergies. That figure, according to them, now stands at 3 million.

Although the cause of ADHD is difficult to pinpoint, diagnosis is much more straightforward and once confirmed parents are faced with the problem of ADHD treatment and wonder what is the best thing to do. They will want to know what are the alternatives to ADHD drugs and will want to investigate fully, alternative ADHD therapy. The link in the article below will give all the information you will need. Often this information is hard to gather from the Internet but this site will answer any questions you may have.

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