Probably has more to do with ADHD being diagnosed more freely these days then in an actual increase in ADHD.
Lead was removed from gasoline and most paint quite some time ago as well.
lead, smoking, global warming, nuclear fallout.
ya, whatever
Yup, gotta ban more smoking, cause it causes everything... But wait, there's ten times the lead exposure and twice the smoking exposure in China for children, and they've a tremendously big population of children - wonder how many ADHD cases there are over there...?
Every single time a scientist links something to another, it just don't play when you increase the sample size. And because scientists are so fixated on the cause of the week, they ignore this, time and time again.
Am I saying that every kid needs to suck a pound of lead while someone blows smoke in their face? Absolutely not. But I'd suggest that turning off the television and sending the kids to play outside is likely a better cause to focus on.
Wouldn't it be funny if it turns out to be thirty second commercials that is the biggest contributing factor...?
I think most attention Deficit disorder is because of parental attention deficit.
A good switch used at the right time will cure most of it. IMO.
Gee, I wonder what everyone did when I was growing up. There was smoking all over the place and I can't name one child with ADHD back then. Hmmmmmmmm........ You know I don't remember kids doing drugs. I don't remember them doing a lot of things they do today like wearing clothes that leave nothing to the imagination.
Oh yes, I see they are bringing back ddt after that crazy loon of woman declared it should be banned and possibly hundreds of thousands of people died as a result of her stupidity.
They should really check to see if they can link it to baloney....Maybe they can use this "study" as a basis.
I smoke tobacco in a lead pipe. Am I in trouble?
Meanwhile the children who grew up drinking water from lead pipes in houses with lead paint and with smoking parents stayed focused enough to invent a hell of a lot of stuff.
Nicotine is a stimulant and the largest indicator of ADHD is hereditary. The fact mom's smoked had more children with ADHD merely indicates the sample of Mom's who smoked were more than likely ADHD giving birth to ADHD children.
I may be wrong but the three key factors I understand behind the rise in ADHD are :
1. Lack of adequate discipline.
2. Overzealous and increasing number of shrinks/teaches/etc. on the kickback plan from major drug companies.
3. Modern female teachers hating everything thats male and thus diagnosing a very very high % of boys as ADHD and very few girls that way.
Translation: You give me my grant money, I'll give you the study results you want to hear.
Parents are also seeking to have their kids diagnosed in order to have the mild cocain performance effects of ritalin.
Some parents are into the "i am not a bad mother, my little boy is just defective." (substititue fathers for mother and girl for boy etc.)
bfl
I was thinking the same thing, that smoking has decreased but the incidents of ADD/ADHD seem to be rising. I hardly know of a kid who isn't taking medication for it. I am reading a fascinating book: Unraveling the ADD/ADHD Fiasco by Dr. David B. Stein, a VA psychologist and professor (Longwood University). He says that a lot of ADD/ADHD can be "cured" by employing "better parenting," and by helping the children learn to think. He says that by constantly reminding, putting up charts, etc. that you are teaching children to rely on those things so that they don't have to think. Interesting, eh?
In any case the book is interesting (saw it in my pediatricians office, he doesn't believe in prescribing meds for ADD/ADHD un;ess absolutely necessary...and he has a whole different meaning of "absolutely necessary" than most dr's!) Stein has an interesting website at www.drdavestein.com Has anyone heard of him, or used his methods? If the schools ever suggest my sons (who are just 2 and 4 right now) are evr ADD/ADHD, I would prefer anon-medication approach first, but wonder how doable it is in "real life"?