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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Posting again (9:38) - as an adult with ADHD I think there is something about how most middle class white suburban families raise their kids that triggers more ADHD behaviors. I’m stereotyping that demographic because it’s what I am familiar with and my experience assumes some privileges that are not universal- like healthcare and money to pay for sports and activities.

I didn’t know I had ADHD until my late 20s, even then I didn’t know certain behaviors were part of my ADHD or ASD until my early 40s! I had a parent at home who made most food from scratch. She intuitively figured out that a high protein breakfast and daily strenuous exercise were what helped me do my best. She used checklists and routines to teach me independence and responsibility. It wasn’t until college the cracks started to show for me because I didn’t have her gently intervening when I started to go off track. This has helped me understand that it’s not enough to build supports for my kids, but to explicitly explain what I am doing and the how / why so they get to a point where they can implement their own supports.

I work full time. I have multiple kids. Unlike my mother, I don’t have a degree in elementary education. My kids eat more processed foods than I did. Our culture expects more out of kids academically, at earlier ages. My community encourages kids to specialize and play sports at a higher level at much earlier ages. Paradoxically parents are more involved, longer - staying at practices, talking to coaches. When I was 9 like my oldest, I was packing my own sports bag and walking myself to practice. In a weird combination of factors my kids are both busier and more coddled than I was. There are a lot of parts of their day/week that would trigger my ADHD if I was participating and not an adult on the sideline.

In short, I think we’re putting our kids in scenarios that bring out behaviors earlier and more. Combined with access to diagnosis and therapies, the kids are then being identified earlier and more often. [/quote]

My experience is the opposite. I grew up on a farm in the midwest. We had lots of daily 'heavy work, had strong routines (cows have to be milked the same time ever day for one thing), raised all our own meat, raised most all our own veggies, many of our fruits, had our own honey, made many of our own cheeses and rarely had processed foods. From an early age, we had responsibilities, jobs and a lot of independence to complete our chores.

Yet, my brothers with ADHD still struggled - and not just in the classroom. I can't count the times gates weren't closed, tools were left out, a critical step was missed, or something was overlooked that caused damage or additional work. Did you know that farm kids have a far greater risk of injury/death than non farm kids? A moment of inattention can have dire ramifications.

I don't think modern society/expectations are the cause of the increased rates. I think it’s better diagnostic skills and broader understanding of ADHD. [/quote]

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