I work in the educational sector and come across lots of kids with 'problems' relating to ADD and ADHD plus a whole host of other labels. Does anyone have a view on this and why do you think the kids these days are such 'problems'? Is it food additives, genetic, social?

Are we creating LITTLE MONSTERS??

I think everyone will have a different opinion as to why kids behave like they do.
I do know a child who has ADHD,and it is nothing like a naughty child behaves.It is not just bad behaviour,it streches to parental and sibling abuse,not just temper tantrums.
My own daughter had problems with behaviour,so we tried the additive thing,and things improved 100%.
I thought it was complete bunkum at first,but after a week or 2,we thought we had a diferent kid!!

Every child is different,and has their own reasons for their behaviour.You cannot pigeonhole every kid

Diet for many kids (and adults) makes a HUGE difference. Cut the fizzy drinks and sweets, and any other sources of additives. Also improve diet generally with fruit and veg.

Kinda obvious but people don't equate diet with behaviour when in fact evidence increasingly shows a string link.

This goes for adults too.

Certainly not genetic.

95% of kid's behaviour is social environment...parents, peer pressure, quality of teaching and unenforcible discipline in schools, bad TV promoting bad diet and 'must have gear' their parents can't really afford, bad console games; - and self-discipline of course. How are kids supposed to learn self-discipline when all around they see people stuffing themselves with instant gratification.

But who cares anyway ? 95% of our politicians have the moral fibre of a professional pimp. All they want to do is get on the parliamentary gravy-train and will promise anything to anyone to achieve their end.

There was summat on radio 4 about this the other night. Something about breast feeding! Kids that were breast fed were better behaved! So come on girls do your bit!!! :thumbsup:

Who knows where it comes from? My little brother has ADHD, along with a number of other problems, my parents are very loving and have done everything they could to help him but its not really working much...

He is 15, he has ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia (i know one or both are spelt wrong :P) and he also has an eating disorder and a sleeping disorder, in the sense he's on medication to help him sleep, melotonin...

He's in his final year of school and he's not likely to pass many if any of his exams unfortunatly... unlike myself, currently at University in our fine city of Sheffield :) so I cant see how its genetic if I'm at one end of the scale and he's right at the other end...

his behaviour continualy gets worse as he's getting older, as when kids with ADHD hit their later teens their problems either generally slowly go or get worse... at the moment we've been having to deal with him skipping school, last year he skipped two weeks straight and got my parents in trouble with the social...

y'know, the social can be an ass, they blamed my folks cus my brother set off for school but just skipped with a friend... dont see how thats fair but y'know?

and now he's been getting into stealing, (un)fortunatly its only been from us, his family, so he's not really getting in trouble with the law...

but I think they need to do more research into where these problems are coming from... they're putting more and more kids on ritalin or similar drugs... and its not the way to go in my opinion, there is obviously and under lying cause in this...

the same really could be said in the gradual increase in cancer...

then again, perhaps its just that as we progress technologically that we are able to spot things that we couldnt 10... 20... 50 years ago?

My brother was diagnosed with ADHD when he was 13. He was in a run down area of Barnsley and they simply assumed he was another problem child. He has never recieved proper help and I wish I could do more...I wish he would let me do more.

My mum gave me an article she found a few years after his diagnosis that linked forceps birth with ADHD and ADD...my brother was delivered with forceps. I guess it was an interesting thing to put together. She has never looked into any futher but there is lots of news about the rise in assisted births. Perhaps it is there we should be looking to to see if these are affecting our childrens brain function and in addition family history of hyperactivity.

Moon Maiden

can't comment on forceps deliveries other than to say there is nothing conclusive as far as I know and not much you could do about it now anyway.

do recommend checking into diet tho. Cut out the crap and have a healthy balanced diet - if it helps it'd probably be within 2-4 weeks. and if it doesn't help, its not exactly a bad thing or costly!

My brother requires medication...the situation is complicated and my father is first class useless. Needless to say my brother has slipped the net and left school with no qualifications.
He has gone off to make his fortune now, hopefully he will find a decent young woman because if she ain't decent she will have to deal with me :twisted:

Moon

http://www.adhdhelp.org/index.htm

not sure about some of it but it's a guide at least. IMHO drugs should be the absolute last resort in kids - the brain is still maturing right through the teen years so who knows the long term effect.

About 1.7 per cent of the UK population, mostly children, have ADD or ADHD. Boys are more likely to be affected.

ADHD often occurs alongside other difficulties and is not the sole cause of problem behaviour. Children may exhibit temper tantrums, sleep disorders, and be clumsy. Other behavioural problems that occur with ADHD include:

confrontational defiant behaviour, which occurs in 60 per cent of children. The child loses their temper, argues and refuses to comply with adults and deliberately annoys others.

conduct disorders occur in at least 25 per cent of children. The child may be destructive or show deceitful behaviour such as lying, breaking rules and stealing.

specific learning difficulties, including dyslexia, occur in 25-30 per cent of children.

severe clinical depression occurs in 33 per cent of children.

anxiety disorders occur in 30 per cent of children.

What causes ADHD?

Biological factors

The child's temperament, as this contributes to their attitude and personality.


Studies of twins suggest a genetic link to ADHD. In 80-90 per cent of identical twins where one has ADHD so does the other. Recent research also suggests there is a greater chance of inheriting the condition from male relatives such as grandfathers and uncles.

Brain injuries due to birth trauma or pre-birth problems. The brain structures believed to be linked to the development of ADHD are vulnerable to hypoxic damage during birth. The damage is caused by inadequate oxygen reaching parts of the brain while blood flow is reduced.

Diet

Research suggests that diet is not a significant factor in ADHD for most children. Some children have particular food allergies that need investigation. Dietary changes need to be supervised by a doctor and nutritionist. In this approach all foods suspected of causing behavioural problems are removed from the diet then gradually reintroduced while the child's behaviour is monitored by the psychologist.

Medication

Behavioural management techniques such as those above are always important, and for mild attention deficit problems they are the treatment of choice. US research suggests that medication is the best treatment for true ADHD. The most common and effective medications are amphetamine-like stimulants, mainly Ritalin and Dexedrine. If there are coexisting conditions then these may also require medication.

Ritalin reduces hyperactivity and impulsiveness and helps to focus a child's attention. They become less aggressive, seem to comply with requests, and become less forgetful. Many parents say their child's behaviour has vastly improved as a result of Ritalin.

However, there is growing concern about the use of Ritalin to treat ADHD. Like amphetamines, Ritalin is classified as a class A drug. Many parents and professionals are worried about alleged side effects, including damage to the cardiovascular and nervous systems. Ritalin's manufacturers recommend that it is only used to treat children aged six years and over. If symptoms don't improve after a month's trial it should be discontinued. The manufacturers also recommend that even if Ritalin is effective it should discontinued periodically to assess the child's condition. You should discuss any concerns with your child's doctors, and they may alter the dose prescribed.

Psychological treatments

In addition to the management techniques described, other forms of psychological treatment might include anxiety management, cognitive therapy, individual psychotherapy and social skills training.

Educational management

This includes individual, or group, learning support for coexisting learning difficulties and educational underachievement.

Management techniques for parents and teachers

Create a daily routine for the child, eg homework schedules, bedtime and mealtime routines.

Be specific in your instructions to the child and make clear and reasonable requests, eg instead of telling the child to 'behave' suggest 'play quietly with your Lego for 10 minutes'.

Set clear and easily understood boundaries, eg how much TV they may watch, and that rudeness is unacceptable.

Be consistent in the handling and managing of the child.

Remove disturbing or disruptive elements from their daily routine. For example, remove siblings from the room when they are doing homework or turn off the TV.

Plan structured programmes aimed at gradually lengthening the child's concentration span and ability to focus on tasks.

Communicate with the child on a one-to-one basis and avoid addressing other children at the same time.

Use rewards (eg stickers, tokens or even money) consistently and frequently to reinforce appropriate behaviour such as listening to adults and concentrating.

Use sanctions (eg loss of privileges, being sent to their room) for unacceptable behaviour or 'overstepping' of boundaries.

Discuss your child with their school or nursery and see if you can work together.


How is ADHD diagnosed?

ADHD requires a medical diagnosis by a doctor, usually a child or adolescent psychiatrist, a paediatrician or paediatric neurologist or a GP.

It will often be appropriate for other professionals such as psychologists, speech therapists, teachers and health visitors to contribute their observations to the assessment of a child with possible ADHD. There is no single diagnostic test for ADHD so different sorts of information needs to be gathered, such as the following:


History of symptoms

The precise nature of the difficulties, when they were first noticed, in what situations they occur, factors that exacerbate or relieve them.

Medical history

Risk factors that could predispose the child to ADHD include difficulties and risks in pregnancy and during birth, for example if the mother was in poor health, very young or drank alcohol or smoked or had an extended or complicated labour.

Several medical conditions are known to be associated with ADHD. These include fragile-X syndrome, fetal alcohol syndrome, G6PD deficiency, phenylketonuria and generalised resistance to thyroid hormone.

Accidents, operations and chronic medical conditions such as epilepsy, asthma and heart, liver and kidney disorders all need to be taken in to account. Also of possible relevance is any medication the child is taking, as well as any adverse reactions they have had to medication in the past.

Past psychiatric history

Enquiring about any mental health problems the child has had can help rule out depression or anxiety being behind the symptoms.

Educational history

This means the level of their ability and what specific difficulties they have, how they function within their peer group and get on with teachers, and any behaviour difficulties such as suspensions or exclusions. A more detailed evaluation of the child's learning by a psychologist may be necessary.

Evaluation of the child's temperament and personality

The child's temperament and personality, those of other family members and the nature of relationships within the family may need to be assessed. This will include discussion of the methods used by the parents to manage the child's behaviour and how successful they have been. Although this seems intrusive, the assessor will remain neutral and parents should not feel the disorder is 'their fault'.


What is the likely outcome?

Many children simply outgrow ADHD. About half of those affected appear to function normally by young adulthood, but a significant number will have problems that persist into adult life. These may take the form of depression, irritability, antisocial behaviour and attention problems.


By Dr Helen Likierman and Valerie Muter, chartered clinical psychologists

In spite of my rant above I do have a theory on a possible specific cause.

Please consider the levels of air pollution children are now subject to compared with just 20 years ago. However they travel to school they're immersed in the exhaust fumes of high density traffic twice a day; on still days, especially in winter with little wind dispersion and cold air at low level, this pollution must be quite a high percentage content of the air they're breathing. Carbon monoxide is a significant component of exhaust fumes and is known to cause brain damage if inhaled in quite small quantities over long periods.

A related article here
http://www.healthcentral.com/news/NewsFullText.cfm?id=512732

also suggests that air pollution can affect the brain, further research is obviously needed.

I remember the smogs of the 1940s/50s, but these happened only occasionally, the air pollution we face now is a daily phenomenom, and occurs as much in the leafy suburbs as it does in the city centre.

The trouble with that theory Greybeard is that many children are actually diagnosed before they get anywhere near schools and cars.

My brother was difficult from the moment he was born needing constant attention and stimulation to keep him on the striaght and narrow. When he was growing up the disorder had not even been recognised so he was simply labelled a trouble causer.

And if this is the case why are there not more cases considering levels of pollution. I think this could be put together with others as possible factors. For example how much pollution the mother has been subjected to during pregancy on top of smoking perhaps?

Thankf ro the other post it was interesting to read and I can actually connect a number of issues in there to my brothers situation. May explain why the girls are hyper and he got ADHD?

Moon

my nephew has adhd n it is an absolute nightmare to live with. adhd kids are not jus children that misbehave they have serious problems.
it took years for him to be diagnosed(he was bout 13/14) n they had been tryin to find a reason since he had been a very young child.all people would put it down to was that he was a little hyper! it took for him to pin a doctor up against a wall n threaten to smash his face in, for people to take my sister seriously that something was wrong n she needed help.
there is not enough help for people who have to live with these problems on a daily basis. the system let them down all the time.
he not been in school since bout the age of 12 cos no one would take him. all he got was 6hours a wk at spring lane n that wasnt for long either!!
he couldnt have had a more lovin n supportive family. jus a shame that other people that are in place to offer people support let him down. maybe if he had help from some other place he wouldnt be in the mess he is in now.
people need to recognise this condition n be properly trained in how to help people.
it destroys alot of families (as it has ours) but maybe if the help n support was there families could cope alot beta,instaed of bein left to jus cope on their own!!

My son aged 7 doesn't have ADHD but it is thought he is Dyspraxic. He is awaiting assesments at Rygate, hopefully sometime in October (fingers crossed). The school have been amazing, giving him lots of help and he has had a lot of input from S.T.E.P.S. (Learning support) He's just moved up to Y3 (juniors) and I was dismayed to find out this morning that S.T.E.P.S has been disbanded due to lack of Government funding. The people from S.T.E.P.S have been wonderfull and and he has come on no end with his learning. I am now really worried that he won't get the help he needs as the service is no longer there.

Does anyone else have any info about this?

visit www.david-ellis.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk for some useful links to ADHD related sites