In the study of behavioral sciences there is not a lot that can be said for why certain conditions appear in some people and not in others.  When looking for the cause of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder we have to look at factors that affect the development of the child which include pre-natal diet, genetics, and environment.  The cause of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is not really completely known but we can study the cause of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder by studying what we believe creates the symptoms that eventually lead to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

In The Brain

Studies into the cause of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder have revealed that people that suffer from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder seem to have slower activity in the parts of their brain that controls motor functions and the ability to concentrate and pay attention.  It is possible that one of the causes of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder has to do with the brain’s inability to produce a chemical called dopamine which has a lot to do with motor functions and the brain’s ability to concentrate.  In the absence of a full compliment of the chemicals the brain needs to function properly we get an imbalance that could be the cause of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder although nothing has been shown to be absolute yet.

Environment Versus Genetics

There have been studies done on the genetics of children diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and in one study conducted by the Biederman Group in Massachusetts showed that upwards of thirty-five percent of the immediate family of a child with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder are likely to also have the condition.  In a similar study it was shown that adopted children with parents known to have the condition were more likely to be diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder than children that did not have affected parents regardless of what the condition was of the adoptive parents.

This kind of a study gets us closer to determining a cause of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and it can be hypothesized from these studies that attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is more than likely a genetic condition and that environment has little to do with developing the condition.  More tests are being conducted and no definite results have yet been determined. And keep in mind that important factors such as climate change and diet have not yet been completely studied as we try to find the cause of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

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