Niece Diagnosed with ADD...possible Causes?

ADHD is proven genetic (it runs in families), it's just the way that we're born. So while I suppose it's technically caused by sex ;), nothing external causes it. The way some people are born gifted or with perfect pitch or with blue eyes or with dyslexia. It's not something caused by parenting (although parenting can make life VERY hard when it doesn't need to be... imagine a dyslexic who is shouted and screamed at for not reading "right"... trauma & anxiety gets lumped into reading which makes it even harder), or by allergies, or by lack of sleep, or a dietary imbalance (although any or all of these things can cause something that *mimics* the *downsides* of adhd).

ADHD people tend to fall into 2 categories: those who are phenomenally successful, and those who struggle with it all their lives. Those who are very successful tend to be those people who work toward the *strengths* of adhd... those who struggle keep trying to put a square peg in a round hole.

The best way to help your niece would be to educate yourself about adhd (most basically -to help in your search- , that there are 3 forms ; hyperactive mental, hyperactive physical, and hyperactive combined mental & physical. The old definitions -which are still in common use- are:

old : new: defining characteristic
ADD is ADHD-i ; aka hyperactive mental,
ADHD is ADHD-h : hyperactive physical
ADD/ADHD is ADHD-c : hyperactive combined

((My son and I are both adhd-c... I often describe it as "When my mind is moving, my body is still... and when my body is moving, my mind is still."))

All 3 express slightly differently, but since you said ADD, in your research look for both ADD & ADHD-i.

Best resources:

- www.additudemag.com

- chadd

- You Mean I'm Not Lazy, Stupid, or Crazy?!? by Kate Kelly & Peggy Ramundo

- http://www.hoagiesgifted.com/ (since most adhd'ers are gifted) As a matter of fact for the "daydreaming contingent" / the adhd-i or adhd-c folks getting them into accelerated / GT/ classes or schools can be the single best thing for them academically.

Hi, very sweet that you want to help your niece. How she's being treated sounds sad, not the ADD part. Many, many people- kids and adults, have ADD and lead productive, happy lives, so it is not a sad situation, just a situation.

As for your other question, you can not cause ADD. As Kristina mentioned, it is a neurological disorder. Hopefully as a result of the diagnosis and treatment, the family will receive counseling to help with parenting issues.

I will say that if you feel that her treatment is abusive, you need to report it. Period. Please do not sit idly by and watch this girl's future be derailed. Your nose does belong in her business!

Good for you for caring about her, she's lucky...

Add is a neurological disorder ... you do not develop or catch it, you are born with it. Most children who are diagnosed or going thru the process see a pshycotherepist as well as developmental doctors and possibly have medication involved. My son is working thru the possible diagnosis and I can TOTALLY SEE how parents who have delt with this issue for 9yrs untreated can act that way, do I find it acceptable NO, but understandable, yes.

ADHD runs in families, so, her parents did not cause it. It is a neurlogical condition, but, what you describe would not make having ADHD any easier, for sure. Depression, and other psychological issues are very frequently comorbid with ADHD, and situational issuse can cause these things to develop or worsen. It is possible that some symptoms of depression could mimic ADHD too, so depending on who and how she was diganosed, she might be exhibiting ADHD like behaviors associated with depression. However, ADHD is not caused by maltreatment from family members.

You can support her and tell her all the things that she does right, and let her know what you like about her. She probably does not hear nearly enough of that kind of talk.

You can encourage her parents to get her a full treatment plan with a board certified child psychiatrist and cognative behaviroal therapy, social skills classes, speech, OT, and intensive educational, medical, and behavioral interventions. You can guide her parents to www.wrightslaw.com to learn how to be good advocates for her in school.

You can also have a little compasion for her parents, even though they do not sound like they have embraced parenthood very well. Today, more than ever, parents are under intense pressure to produce "great" kids. When it does not turn out well, no matter what you do to try and guide your child to be like you expected they would be, it is a very hard and devistating reality. Some people are just not cut out for this road at all, and that is a horrible shame for the child. Who ever said "God will never give you anything you can't handle" was wrong, it happens sometimes, and it is a tradgy for the entire family, including the boy, who will soon wonder and feel guilty for his favored treatment. Very sad. All you can do is to try to love them all, comfort them all, and let them live it down if they can somehow find thier way out of this place they are in. I am not making excuses for them, I just know the depth of dispare that a disabled child can bring and the process of learning to live with a reality that is far different than what you expected, it is a greiving process, and it takes a long time. How sad that these parents could not find the help they needed to be stronger.

The last suggestion would be to encourage family counseling, if you can get that idea to them. It could help, especially if they start to see that their daughter is making progress. Maybe something can be salvaged for all of them.

You should be aware that the family link could mean that your children are at higher risk for having ADHD if they share a gentic background. While you cannot prevent this condition because it is a neurological condition, but you can get your children evaluated as soon as you have any suspicion that there is something going on, and go to a Developmental Pediatrician for a full evaluation, and get all the early intervention you can muster. That is the best thing you can do for them. Many people with ADHD can, and do live very happy and productive lives, so while it may seem heartbreaking, it is not the worst thing that can happen to anyone, and it need not be sad, nor is it really the "outcome" it is just another way of functioning, and some (like Riley, and countless others) do very well, that is the outcome you are looking for, happy, productive lives, which are not decided with a diagnosis.

M.

It sounds like you have a lot of upset and anger over how your niece has been treated for years. Take a look at that. Just give her love and support the parents - they have had a long hard road with her regardless of their own poor behavior. The 24/7 with a child is very difficult.

With your own, one issue is tv - pediatricians and research over the last 40 years has stated kids under 2 should watch no tv. Yep, none. It trains their brains to have short attention spans. So turn off the tv and develop healthy habits for yourself. Get out and have playdates. Join the local Children's Museum. Go to story hour at the library. Visit a different park every day. Join a MOPS group. Read books to her every day - even at her young age. Read books yourself. Our kids are much more influenced by what they catch us doing than by anything we say. If we want them to be kind and thoughtful, we have give to the poor, visit the elderly - not just talk about starving children in Pakistan.

Enjoy your daughter and push out thoughts and worries of what could happen to her - the precious present is a present you have to savor with her.

ADD is a medical condition. Bad parenting does not cause it, and you cannot do anything to avoid it. My older was ADHD but one of the kids who grew out of it and the younger has ADD. If your niece truly has ADD and not misdiagnosed, the parents did not cause it - however, misdiagnossi is possible. ADD doesn't require more love and attention, she requires certain accommodations in order to best focus and do a good job in school.
Of course being subjected to constant demeaning comments can cause a child to retreat, to act out, to become depressed, but that is NOT ADD, it is not a condition that develops over time and is not environmental, you are born with the predisposition. She may have ADD or may not. If she does, it is up to the parents to help her, to work with her teachers, her neurologist or psychiatrist, set up mods and an IEP or a 504 plan at school. Some parents opt for meds (I did not), some opt for supplements (I did, it helped), set up routines and schedules to help with focusing on tasks, etc