Parents who have an interest in fostering effective learning have a responsibility to their children to nourish them with foods rich in nutrients. Feeding excessive sugar to young children at breakfast is a sure way to increase overactivity and reduce concentration for learning.
Another consideration pertains to food sensitivities and allergies. The Feingold diet should be investigated for children with tendencies towards AD/HD.
Parents can also promote exercise. Physical (and especially aerobic) exercise not only reduces stress it also contributes to a good night’s sleep—which, in turn, assists in increasing attention span.
Controversy will continue regarding whether AD/HD is attributed to modern lifestyles or has always been with selected humans but only has become apparent when literacy sit-down learning was imposed.
Either way, parents have a responsibility to investigate all available possibilities before labeling a child or subscribing to pharmaceuticals. Drugs may assist in controlling symptoms but do not alter the neural connections necessary to modify distractability, impulsiveness, or hyperactivity.
