Learning Problems-The-

Causes of ADD

Synonyms in a broader sense

Attention Deficit Disorder, Attention Deficit Disorder, Jack-in-the-Air, Psycho-Organic Syndrome (POS)

definition

In contrast to the attention deficit hyperactivity syndrome (ADHD), the attention deficit syndrome (ADD) includes under certain circumstances very pronounced inattentive but by no means impulsive or hyperactive behavior. This is the reason why ADD children are also often referred to as dreamers or "Hans-peep-in-the-air".
With regard to possible causes, it can be assumed, according to the current state of research, that incorrect information transmission and processing between the two brain sections (hemispheres) can be held responsible for the development of ADD. The causes for the occurrence of this faulty information transfer can, in turn, be complex and already exist prenatally, i.e. before birth.

Due to the various symptoms that are caused by ADD, problems arise in private and especially in school. Even with normal or sometimes even above-average intelligence, the various symptoms often create gaps in knowledge, which often cause serious problems in the area of reading and spelling or arithmetic. A reading, spelling or arithmetic weakness are often the result.
In general, it can not be ruled out that ADD children suffer from a partial performance disorder in the sense of dyslexia or dyscalculia. Other mental illnesses are also conceivable and cannot be dismissed out of hand. Examples are: Depression, tics, Tourette syndrome, etc.

Causes of ADD

In the past, attempts were made to explain the causes of attention deficit syndrome mostly through errors in upbringing, wrong parenting styles or through traumatic experiences of those affected.
The latest scientific findings, however, assume that neurobiological processes, genetics and environmental influences play a role in the development of attention deficit syndrome.

Neurobiological causes

According to the current state of scientific research, it is assumed that the transmission of stimuli in the brain creates an imbalance of the messenger substances serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine.
Due to their properties, messenger substances have a not inconsiderable influence on human behavior. While serotonin essentially affects mood, dopamine affects physical activity. Norepinephrine, in turn, affects the ability to pay attention. If this balance is disturbed, the transmission of stimuli cannot take place in the usual way, which ultimately triggers the behavior that is typical for ADD.
Stimuli in the brain are received and passed on by nerve cells. To prevent overstimulation, nerve cells are not connected to each other but have a minimal space between them, the so-called synaptic gap.

Once the information has been transmitted, the messenger substances migrate back into the synaptic gap and are taken up again by nerve cell 1.

In the case of ADD, the stimulus transmission processes deviate from the norm, which creates an imbalance in the neurotransmitters serotonin, dopamine and noradrenaline in the brain. In ADD patients, it is assumed that both the transporter gene and the reception sites of the stimulus-absorbing nerve cells for dopamine and / or noradrenaline are different and thus deviate from the norm. Both a reduced dopamine concentration in the synaptic gap and a lack of norepinephrine can cause symptoms typical of ADD.

If a stimulus now arrives at nerve cell 1, it forwards the information to nerve cell 2 by releasing messenger substances into the synaptic gap. When they arrive in the synaptic gap, the messenger substances look for a specific binding site on nerve cell 2, dock and then pass on the information.

Inheritance and environmental influences

The fact that cases of ADD occur more frequently in families allows two possible questions:

Is ADD Genetically Hereditary?
Is the accumulated formation of ADS due to similar / identical environmental influences (upbringing, ...).

Various investigations and studies show that the traits for developing ADD can be genetically inherited. On the other hand, we also know that the influences of the environment can have a decisive influence on the development of ADS.

Upbringing alone is usually not solely responsible for developing ADD. An inconsistent style of upbringing and, as a result, other unfavorable environmental influences can have a special influence on the way an ADD develops. Upbringing plays a key role in the life of an ADHD child. So it is possibly not only important in the area of the cause, but also in the area of therapy, since it has to adapt to and support it in a special way.

Education as a possible cause of ADD

When a child is initially diagnosed with a mental or behavioral disorder, parents often wonder what they did wrong and whether their upbringing could be to blame for the disease.
The answer to this cannot be clearly answered based on the current state of scientific studies.
While the more frequently occurring behavioral disorders can often be traced back to failures in upbringing or influences from the environment, there are significantly more influencing factors in attention disorders, such as genes, neurobiological changes, special characteristics of the person concerned and many more.
In such a pre-stressed child, failures in parenting can at least exacerbate the symptoms.
Children with ADD need a lot of love and attention, as they quickly feel neglected and misunderstood, and they must be given a clear structure and reliable rules. If these special needs are not sufficiently met, upbringing by loving and committed parents could trigger the ADD, but probably not cause the cause without further factors.

Read more on this topic: Educational assistance - what is it?

Causes for the "dreamy behavior" in ADD

Why some attention disorders are associated with hyperactivity and impulsivity and others with absent-mindedness and dreaminess, i.e. what the exact molecular and genetic difference between ADHD and ADD is, is being investigated, but is still unclear.
However, there are many logical reasons for developing dreaminess. On the one hand, a dreamy child is a pleasant child for most parents and educators who can occupy itself alone and seems happy with it. In addition, many children with ADD have a pronounced imagination that enables them to enjoy daydreaming and isolates them from the outside world with all its overwhelming stimuli.
Because of their dreaminess, small children almost only have advantages. It is only in school, when they miss the subject and their grades suffer, that their absenteeism becomes a problem. By then, however, most of them have already had their own dream world so firmly anchored and offers them so much refuge that it can be very difficult to get rid of this behavior.

Minimal cerebral dysfunction as a cause of ADD

MCD is an abbreviated form of minimal cerebral dysfunction and encompasses all disorders of the brain function that were caused in different ways before, during or after birth (= pre-, peri- and postnatal).

Even if MCD was often used as a cause of learning problems, especially in the 1970s, for example as an explanation for the development of dyslexia, there may be connections between pre-, peri- and postnatal problems and the development of ADD.

Minimal brain damage in early childhood can occur prenatally, i.e. prenatally, for example through infectious diseases in the mother, through bleeding or through diet errors during pregnancy. This includes, in a special way, the mother's regular consumption of alcohol or nicotine, which means that the brain stem (thalamus) is not fully developed (organic brain component).

Even during the birth process (= perinatal) there are various causes that can cause minimal cerebral damage. Risk factors are, for example, the lack of oxygen during childbirth or various delays in birth due to positional anomalies.

Studies have also shown that premature babies with a low birth weight develop ADD more often than children with normal birth weights. Here, too, it is assumed that there is a connection with the increased likelihood of minimal, cerebral brain maturation disorders in prematurely born children.

Typical postnatal causes for the development of minimal cerebral dysfunction are typically accidents, infectious diseases or metabolic diseases.

Especially in the context of the diagnostic delimitation of ADD, it is therefore sensible to provide maternity records and examination results of the U-examinations of the child, as they can provide important information.

Allergies and ADD

Often, allergies in ADD patients are also discussed as the cause of an attention deficit.
A lot of people suffer from allergies and not all of these people suffer from ADD. It cannot be denied, however, that an allergy triggers a stressful situation in the body, through which the body or the adrenal cortex induces an adrenaline release and ultimately responds with increased cortisol production. Cortisol belongs to a group of so-called glucocorticoids. The release of cortisol causes a drop in serotonin levels in the body. Serotonin in turn influences a person's mood and attention, and it is precisely these fluctuations in attention and mood that make themselves felt in the child.
Also derived from the various dietary therapy measures, allergies are always suspected of developing ADD. Although a connection is possible in individual cases - as already mentioned above - studies show that allergies and especially food allergies are only rarely used as a cause of the development of ADD. This does not necessarily mean that various dietary therapy measures, such as the Feingold diet, cannot improve symptoms.