ADHD is 'in a child's genes' as scientists provide hope to ending bad behaviour stigma

ADHD.... Poor parenting or diets containing too much sugar have long been thought to set off the symptoms, but the study suggests genetic defects are involved.
Children with ADHD have a genetic condition, research has shown.
For the first time, a direct link has been found between attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and differences in brain development as displayed in autism and other disorders, according to the findings.
Scientists at Cardiff University who carried out a study of almost 1,400 children say the results should help parents beat the stigma of ADHD, which has often been dismissed as mere bad behaviour.
Poor parenting or diets containing too much sugar have long been thought to set off the symptoms, but the latest study suggests genetic defects are involved.
The risk of having a certain set of genetic variants was twice as high among children diagnosed with ADHD compared with children who did not have it.
Professor Anita Thapar, who led the study, said ADHD was known to run in families but this was the first direct evidence that genetic factors were important.
She added: ‘Too often, people dismiss ADHD as being down to bad parenting or poor diet.
‘As a clinician, it was clear to me that this was unlikely to be the case.
‘Now we can say with confidence that ADHD is a genetic disease and that the brains of children with this condition develop differently from those of other children.’