Hi there

I read with interest the other day of scientists claiming the genetic make up was responsible for ADHD and other assorted behaviour problems in kids…  Hm…  Do I agree??   On the whole, no I don’t agree…  Not just a little bit…???   Maybe the tiniest bit… Let me tell you why…

Any such research ‘findings’ may have an element of accuracy and can be hard to argue against.  And in truth if a genetic test shows there is conclusive reason why a child has a behaviour problems then that could be good news… Or it could be bad news.

At present a child is identified and diagnosed with ADHD on the flimsiest of evidence.  It’s quite often the knee jerk reaction to a child’s increasingly and allegedly uncontrollable behaviour.

My little guy who’s just started with me is (was?) considered totally uncontrollable in school.  (Click to read about him) And, guess what?  Yup… You’re absolutely right… They’re suggesting he’s got ADHD… It’s totally dangerous rubbish… There’s absolutely nothing wrong with him…

But, because it’s relatively easy to get a diagnosis of ADHD then the chances are, if he hadn’t come into my classes and his behaviour ‘miraculously changed’, then he’d be dosed up with drugs within a few months.

The problem is that adults latch on to pretty much any reason(excuse?) for kids behaving badly… Their background, their family,  the were born too early,  born too late, what they eat, what they drink, playing computer games…  The list is endless…

So, am I arguing that none of the above are the reasons are why kids behave badly?  Well, I guess they can be a contributory factor but think about all the other kids for whom the same circumstances exist who behave pretty well…

You see, the problem with out of control kids, and the aspect of the equation that the adults so often fail to consider is….  Themselves…  They just don’t consider that they could be doing the behaviour management bit wrong….

But, that’s exactly what’s happening… THEY ARE DOING IT WRONG!!  Again and again and again…   And as if that isn’t bad enough, they then quite blithely blame the kids for their own short comings.

It’s like you throwing a brick through a glass window and blaming the brick.  I know, kids aren’t bricks but the point is that adults have to take responsibility for kids’ behaviour and learn how to do it right.

So what about the genetic argument for ADHD?  Well, it may be that genes may play a part but if you read the research paper it’s far less convincing than the spin in the newspapers indicated with a very low number of so called ADHD kids having any genetic variance at all.   The danger is that it gives the adults something else to latch onto rather than take any responsibility for the behaviour problems themselves…

My own experience shows that for the vast majority of ADHD kids, manage them properly and their behaviour improves dramatically – and when I say the vast majority I’m talking about almost 100% of them.  I’m asserting this after having worked with these kids when they’re considered at the end of the road – unmanageable and demonised.  Most of what is said about them is dangerous rubbish…

So, back to the heading – stop demonising kids and get your act together adults.   Learn how to do it right and you’ll get the results you want…

Need to know how to manage kids’ behaviour?  No problem. Download your copy of Behaviour Bible and you’ll have the advice and strategies I use every day myself.  It’s not rocket science.  In fact it’s surprisingly easy… Have a look and see!

Thanks for reading.  Liz Marsden @ Behaviour Bible.

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