Why Does My Child Have ADHD?
When a child is diagnosed with ADHD, parents will often blame themselves. “What did I do to cause this?” is their first question. The short answer is: nothing. Research shows that this condition has biological causes. Knowing this can help parents who think they caused their child to get this condition. Why do some kids get this? Nobody really knows. But there are certain risk factors that make it more likely that a child will develop this condition. Genetics and heredity can play a big role, as ADHD does seem to run in families. If a child has this problem, there is a 25 percent chance that a close relative has it too. About twice as many boys have symptoms of this condition as girls do. Some studies show that girls have different symptoms, so it’s possible that it’s being missed in girls. Many parents wonder if their child’s diet is causing the behavior problems.
