2. What is / are the cause(s) of ADHD?

2.1. No one is certain what the key causes of ADHD / ADD are. Possible causes include:

• Genetic disposition - e.g. strong right-brain dominance or creativity but poor left-brained orientation for detailed analytical skills
  • Children with ADHD/ADD just learn/behave differently from the majority of children because they are genetically wired up to do so.
• Partial brain damage during gestation
  • Fall during gestation period or difficult delivery is sometimes indicated as one of the cause for the ADHD/ADD behaviour
• Inadequacy of chemicals necessary for transmission of various messages in the brain. Ritalin or other stimulant drugs work by increasing the activity of these neuro-chemicals to make up for this inadequacy.
• Dietary causes / Allergy problems
  • Children are eating too much chocolates, sweets, high-carbohydrate foods or are allergic to milk or other products. The latter condition may be linked to excessive use of antibiotics, and the subsequent infestation by candida yeast.
• Farmer / Hunter Theory
  • ADHD children just have the "hunter" genes that make them behave the way they do. They are more alert, active and adaptable to changes as required in hunting race. Man has evolved from being hunters to a farmer about 10,000 years ago, but some remnant "hunter" genes are still in existence.
  • The majority of children have "farmer" genes that make them more orderly and more ready to comply with rules created by the society; Some of these children may even feel "lost" when there are no fixed rules and tasks to guide their daily activities.
• Other learning disabilities that make the child lose interest/ motivation.
  • Many other learning disabilities (e.g. dyslexia, dyspraxia, hearing problems, etc.) result in the child losing interest in what is being taught

2.2. Parenting style is not the cause for the misbehavior of the ADHD / ADD child although good parenting style can help the ADHD / ADD child behaves better.

2.3. It is 10 to 100 times more difficult to teach the ADHD / ADD child appropriate social skills and manners than it is to teach a normal child. It is common for others who do not have ADHD / ADD children to attribute lack of social skills or poor manners of ADHD / ADD children to poor parenting skills.

2.4. Parents with ADHD / ADD children need to have or develop good parenting skills (not much of a choice when you have an ADHD / ADD child). The parenting skills that the average parent has are not adequate for handling ADHD / ADD children.