Pinpointing the causes of ADD can be tricky and complicated at best. Scientists are unclear about what causes the disorder. Thus, they urge families and adults to seek proper diagnoses for their disorder and to pursue treatment instead of focusing on its underlying causes. However, recent evidence provides weight to scientists’ claims that ADD is a biological disorder, dispelling the conception that ADD is the result of bad parenting or a bad home environment.

ADD is Biological

It is necessary for scientists to study ADD in order to understand how better to treat the disorder. Recent research has dispelled the previous assumption that all learning disabilities, including ADD, were the result of minor head trauma or brain infections during childhood. While head injuries can lead to problems with attention, they alone are not the sole cause of ADD.

Likewise, previous assumptions that too much sugar, television, or even food allergies caused ADD have been dispelled. It is also a fact that not every child who experiences poor parenting will be diagnosed with ADD.

Modern medical technology has given scientists a greater capability of exploring the causes linked to ADD. Using newly developed brain scanning devices, scientists have determined through several studies that people with ADD use less glucose in the brain, meaning their brains were not as active. Because glucose is the brain’s main source of energy, the scientists could determine this lower level of inactivity can result in lack of attention or inability to focus.

Scientists are also investigating links between substance abuse during pregnancy and its link to ADD. Some research shows a link between alcohol and the nicotine in cigarettes to brain damage of the unborn fetus and the development of an attention disorder later in life.

It Runs in the Family

Further research shows that children whose parents have been diagnosed with ADD are more likely to have the disorder themselves. This evidence has led scientists to believe the disorder may be genetically linked. In fact, in most cases, if one identical twin has ADD, the other is likely to be diagnosed, as well.