I agree that parenting is often a big problem...bad behavior does sometimes get diagnosed as ADD/ADHD. It’s a lot easier for the teachers if kids who were never taught to behave are medicated into quiescence.
But if you’re implying that bad parenting or lack of parenting is the *only* reason for ADD/ADHD, you’re wrong. Just because doctors haven’t yet figured out how to diagnose ADD/ADHD with a blood test or some other physiological test doesn’t mean it’s not real. Actually, some researchers suspect ADD/ADHD may be related to problems with absorption and/or metabolism, since ADD/ADHD kids seem more prone to nutrient deficiencies and gastrointestinal problems. But a lot more research is needed to confirm the correlation and find the underlying cause. Someday there may be a physiological test for at least some cases of ADD/ADHD.
More on point to your second post, sparing the rod is not the issue with my son. He has never been a behavior problem. He doesn’t disrupt class or throw tantrums. He just stays in a “brain fog.” He *wants* to do well, but before we changed his diet, he just couldn’t. Punishing him for his inability to concentrate would have been just as effective as punishing him for his height or eye color, and just as demoralizing.
More on point to your second post, sparing the rod is not the issue with my son.
WOW! I never had to spank my kids to stop their tantrums. And once they learned it didn't work they stopped trying it. Your reaction is telling. You automatically, and reflexively, assumed I meant corporal punishment was the solution.
And don't lecture me on ADD/ADHD. I've been battling people for years on this topic. I know a nurse who is completely rational on every medical topic except ADD/ADHD. She was so informed >spit< that she didn't even know that amphetamines/stimulants were what were being given to children. She simply swallowed wholesale what she was being fed.
And I've seen "the wounded bird gambit" played out more times than I can count. Ooooh...ooooh, I've got a son/daughter/cousin/friend's child who has ADD/ADHD and I can assure you blah, blah, blah.
Your responses, especially your last, look to fit that category. I don't know you or your background, but you wouldn't be the first to spin a yarn to "prove" your point.