The Widely Believed Causes Of ADD/ADHD

Attention deficit disorder or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADD/ADHD) has varying causes that medical experts have not yet scientifically isolated. There is no medical exam or blood test that can diagnose the causes of these disorders – scientific behavioral assessments, neuro-imaging techniques, and cognitive abilities evaluation, however, aid in the diagnosis of ADD or ADHD.

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ADD/ADHD is commonly attributed to is genes. Studies show that if a parent has ADD/ADHD, the likelihood that the child will have it, too, is 50 percent. Furthermore, an individual who suffers from ADD/ADHD is four times as likely to have had a relative with the same issue.

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Currently, various researches on different genes are ongoing. These notably involve the brain chemical dopamine, which is responsible for the transmission of signals between nerves in the brain, and imbalances in the fatty acids, which are important for brain development and function.

Pregnancy complications are also seen as potential causes of ADD/ADHD. Children who were born under difficult circumstances, for instance, premature birth and low birth weight, have a higher risk of having ADD/ADHD. Exposure to toxins caused by cigarette smoke, alcohol, drugs, lead, PCBs, or pesticides during pregnancy could also hinder the baby’s brain development.

Curtis Cripe, Ph.D. is the director of research and development of NTL Group, a neuroengineering services provider specializing in technology that diagnoses and repairs brain dysfunction, including neurodevelopmental delays in children with learning disorders. Visit this website for more information about the company.

Treating Auditory Processing Disorder/Deficit

Over the past years, more and more people are becoming aware of auditory processing disorder/deficit (APD), which is also known as central auditory processing disorder (CAPD). The disorder causes difficulty in recognizing the subtle differences between sounds in words. Due to this, those who suffer from it find it hard to process what other people are saying.

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A common misconception is that APD is similar to hearing impairment or attention deficit disorder, which is far from the truth. Most children with APD pass hearing tests, having normal hearing abilities. What is affected is how the central nervous system processes the sounds they hear, leading to struggling to understand speech in a noisy environment, obeying directions, and distinguishing sounds that seem similar. While it is different from hearing impairment or other cognitive dysfunctions, APD still affects speech and language development, learning, comprehension, spelling, and reading.

An effective way of treating APD is the use of an auditory program that first identifies the specific cause of the issue and assesses the patient before creating a personalized solution. Several factors are taken into consideration, such as the neurodevelopment of short-term memory, the auditory cortex, the language centers, ability to recognize words and speech, and learned listening personality traits. After which, exercises, activities, and processes are applied to reduce or eliminate neuro-inhibitors in feedback pathways. These tools also develop the brain so it could recognize auditory frequencies, which leads to better processing of sound signals.

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Experienced neuroengineer Dr. Curtis Cripe heads the research and development department of NTL Group, which specializes in diagnosing and treating brain-based dysfunctions. Read more about neuroengineering by connecting with this Google+ page.