Return to Prenatal and Early Life Risk Factors of ADHD: What Research Says — and What Parents Can Do
Prenatal and Early Life Risk Factors of ADHD: What Research Says — and What Parents Can Do
What causes ADHD? Biological, genetic, and environmental factors — including prenatal and early life exposures — may play a role (and to varying degrees) in the condition’s development in children. But there is much left to uncover. Here, read an overview of the evidence, along with steps parents can take to protect their child’s health.
1 Comment: Prenatal and Early Life Risk Factors of ADHD: What Research Says — and What Parents Can Do
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When it comes to breastfeeding, both of my children have ADHD and were breastfed. My oldest was stopped earlier than my youngest due to things unrelated to her. My youngest, I’d planned to nurse until she was a year old,* but had to stop once she had several teeth – which was about 7 months. ANY sound or movement distracted her, and she would pull off the nipple – without letting go – to look. That hurt! I started nursing her in her room with the door closed – which was really boring because I also have ADHD – and cars going by or noise in the hall outside the door would have her looking towards the sound. So I quit and switched to formula.
*She did get formula at daycare pretty much from the start.
As for the Tylenol thing – many women with ADHD tend to be a bit clumsy. So I figure that we’re more likely to take pain medication during pregnancy because we injured ourselves, which could account for increased risk. Since many women aren’t diagnosed until later in life, many times after having children, you cannot use the lack of maternal diagnosis to rule out genetic risk factors.