Attention - Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) has been recognized as a medical condition since the early 1900's. Yet, outside of the medical field, awareness of ADHD remained limited until the early 1990's. In fact, for a good many years, ADHD was called "minimal brain dysfunction" and was thought to be caused by a minor head injury, complications from birth, or an early infection. While these events may explain a few ADHD cases, the overall theories are now discredited.
We can now say safely that ADHD has a neurobiological basis - that is, there is a physical problem in the brain. Therefore, ADHD is not the result of bad parenting, divorce, sibling rivalry, or other family-related factors. With that said, even though ADHD has a biological basis, treatment that manipulates or intentionally alters the home and school environments in a particular way can positively affect how people function in these settings.
To describe a child with ADHD - Your son is a handful. Since about the age of 3, he has needed your constant attention. Always on the go, he seems to move nonstop from toy to toy and from room to room. After he started school, teachers complained of his constant fidgeting and continual verbal interruptions. Sure, he gets most of the answers correct, and yes, he is a very intelligent child, but the teachers say he disrupts the class much too often. Or perhaps, your son is a dreamer. Early on he tended to daydream, to lose himself so completely that he often failed to respond when you called his name. He has always struggled to pay attention in class, and getting him to do his homework has become a constant struggle. He has difficulty following instructions, tends to miss details, and is disorganized and forgetful. The child described may live in the world of ADHD. Children with ADHD often fail in school, have difficulty in relationships, and suffer from low-self esteem. As if that were not bad enough symptoms most often continue into adolescents and even into adulthood.
