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'Attention Deficit Disorder' or 'Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder' (ADD / ADHD) is not actually a medical condition. It is a behavioural syndrome, a description of behavioural patterns which are not caused by any specific medical anomaly.

For this reason, a child diagnosed as having ADD or ADHD should not be medicated.

The symptoms described by ADD / ADHD are common in most children at some point between their 1st and 5th birthday - often affectionately referred to as the 'terrible twos', but can happen at any time. All kids go through a period of testing boundaries and learning what they can and can't do, and while this is a difficult time for parents, it's a necessary part of a child's development.

One of the most important roles a parent plays in a child's life is to teach them how to live in society. This means teaching the child to distinguish between acceptable behaviour and unacceptable behaviour. The sooner children learn these rules, the sooner they gain the confidence to control their situation and become independent. Conversely, the sooner they learn that bad behaviour is rewarded with attention, the more they repeat bad behaviour patterns and get the attention they crave.

ADD / ADHD can be caused or aggravated by many factors, including (most commonly) diet, exercise and boredom.

Too many artificial sweeteners, colours and flavours, too much sugar, caffein or monosodium glutamate - all of these things can affect your child's behaviour and can cause 'highs' of adrenaline as their bodies' process the toxins they consume in snack and junk food. Cutting back on sugary snacks and drinks and increasing fresh fruit, veg and juice can make an overwhelming difference in your child's mood and temper, so do try changing their diet before resorting to medication.

Children also have an incredible amount of energy that must be burned off. Having too much energy and not enough to do will really drive your kid mad, so make an effort to take him to the park regularly so he can run around and release some of that pent-up energy. Dragging him round the supermarket for three hours, however, is no substitution: exercise has to be fun for children.

Boredom is another contributing factor to hyperactivity in children, so have plenty of activities on hand, such as painting, drawing, games, puzzles, etc. There are lots of resources online for 'rainy day activities' - it doesn't have to be raining for you to occupy your child's rapidly developing brain!

Finally, don't forget

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