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Expert Q&A
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| By Dr. Bunni Tobias Kid Detective Psychologist | ||
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How common is it to have more than one child in the home with ADD?
This is an excellent question and should be answered with caution. People ask if obesity runs in the family also, and it quickly becomes apparent that if poor eating habits (lots of sugar, carbs, fats) are eaten by family members, obesity would be an expected outcome.
Similar questions should be asked about ADD in families. First, if a household is chaotic and disorganized, children from that family are likely to go to school and function in a similar manner. If homework time is haphazard and nutrition is not closely monitored, children may appear to have this psychiatric disorder, which is what ADD is theoretically, while in fact, they are living what they have learned.
I have seen whole families turn around attention issues by calming down and organizing the family, learning about nutrition and feeding children appropriate foods and nutrients, setting a regular bedtime and maintaining it (this is critical!) and in other ways stabilizing the children. Parents fighting and squabbling, as well as various other types of family upset will affect everyone also. Parents who were raised in chaos and then reproduce this in their own families may recreate their own developmental issues.
When putting a label on anyone for any reason, look at their environment and the habits and lifestyle of those around them. Then you are in a better position to determine what is responsible for what. We all need peace and harmony.
For more information and if you want to expand on this issue, just ask and I'll look forward to hearing from you."
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