Has anyone ever heard this? I think its utterly fascinating.
I think its a combination of nature and nurture. Meaning genes and possibly our exposure to TV.

As a child of the 80's and 90's I spent hours in front of the tube. TV has a calming effect on our minds. A bit like hypnosis. It puts us in a relaxed state where we our vision and auditory senses are being stimulated. Tickled if you will. In hypnosis when a person reaches this state they are open to suggestion.

Without delving too far into the issue i think ADDers are more often than not the creative type. We love the visual senses and love to be stimulated. Thus affecting our attention spans through TV exposure.

Its going to be interesting to see the new generation develope on the internet where attention can be a fraction of TV.


-Cheers!

Add is caused by physiological deffeciencies in the brain, and ( as far as I know ) either you're born with it, or you're not.

In TV, shows are designed to keep your attention through constant stimulation, either a free-flow of c-grade jokes, or flashyness, or speed. which attracts the add person. the internet is just about the same, strobe light pop-ups, videos on demand, an infinite amount of information on EVERYTHING (did you know Alfred Hitchcock didn't have a belly button?).

when I was growing up, I was glued to the TV (till I got kicked outside) constantly, when I was 13 we got a computer at my moms, couldnt get me off that, now im here, on my laptop talking about me being on a computer.. quite the conundrum

I rarely watched tv as a kid. We were never allowed to, we had to go outside and play. There might be a slight connection between tv and ADD/ADHD but I doubt it. Now we have a whole generation (two really) that are obsessed wth video games. There is always something for the ADDer to attach to. I think that the ADD/ADHD child is more attracted to the tv because of the visual stimuli, like you noted.

I have read that it stimulates the wrong brain development at the wrong time in young children.

It causes poor motor development in young kids.

Kids at the Sensorimotor Stage should be playing with blocks and manipulating things with their hands and eyes to develop spatial and motor skills.

TV also doesn't stimulate verbal skills right b/c it is not Interactive.

Kids are being overly visually stimulated at an age means that they aren't learning to catch balls and use their hands to paint and pick things up and build towers, etc.

re: 2 (People with ADD are born with it.)



I don't think all people are born with it. I do not recall that being proven yet.

I believe that they call it "secondary adhd" when you develop add-like symproms from some other cause...like a head injury ,etc. It's not really adhd, but it sure resembles it.

I think the consensus is pretty much that adhd is genetic and that you are basically born with it. They have found genes associated with adhd.

By the diagnostic criteria, the first symptoms have to appear by age 7.

I do thinnk that an adhd kid can easily be overstimulated or even hyperfocused by television. It's easy to see how some people could make the mistake of associating tv or video games with adhd because the environmental conditions can be a factor.... but the plain truth is, it's genetic. You don't acquire it, you are born with it.

ME :D

I played princess for hours and hours, day after day as a kiddie.

I also feel that t.v. has helped my son learn words faster. we watch educational stuff for preschoolers. and this boy is running around with a screwdriver trying to screw in stuff exactly in the right spot. he can hit a hammer in the same spot over and over when i couldnt even do it more than 5 times without missing. me and him can play soccer back and forth and he's actually pretty good at it. i always said pre-parent days that i'd never let a t.v. be on during the day. his speech is way advanced than other kids his age i've been around. i think it's a depending who you are type of thing.

i cant see t.v. and ADD connected.

I was too hyperactive to watch TV ever, in other wards my ADD prevented me from watching TV. So no ADHD is NOT caused by TV ADD is caused by genetics.

I believe that they call it "secondary adhd" when you develop add-like symproms from some other cause...like a head injury ,etc. It's not really adhd, but it sure resembles it.

I think the consensus is pretty much that adhd is genetic and that you are basically born with it. They have found genes associated with adhd.

By the diagnostic criteria, the first symptoms have to appear by age 7.

I do thinnk that an adhd kid can easily be overstimulated or even hyperfocused by television. It's easy to see how some people could make the mistake of associating tv or video games with adhd because the environmental conditions can be a factor.... but the plain truth is, it's genetic. You don't acquire it, you are born with it.

ME :D
Agreed.

No, I don't really believe that tv and ADHD are related. As Mead suggested, someone with ADHD have such hyperactive minds that they can't even sit long enough to get through a tv show.

It seems that the overall consensus here is that TV does NOT cause ADD/ADHD, I have to say I agree.

Being brought up with TV from a young age it seems absolutely possible that people that have had a large amount of exposure to TV from a young age through to adulthood could, due to the constant audio and visual stimulation of the TV develop a short attention span and because of the lack of stimulation in realilty compared to TV it could cause said person to seek higher forms of stimulation and maybe possibly hinder the development of the persons short term memory (though the memory point, I'm not sure is valid).

I totally agree with QueensU_girl, long exposure to the TV reduces the time used to develop motor and verbal skills as a result when compared to an 'outdoor' child the co-ordination and speaking ability would be somewhat lacking.

Lacking the ability to focus isn't the only symptom of ADD/ADHD.

Edward Hallowell, Author of Driven to Distraction, has said I think in Answers to Distraction (correct me if I am worng) that television can cause what he calls "Pseudo-AD/HD", I read all three of the "Distraction" series and it was in one of them, Answers to Distraction was the FAQ one right? I don't know for sure and someone here probably does.

Fair enough for those who are too hyperactive to even watch television.

But what about the hyperfocusers? :confused:

Im quite a hyperfocuser sometimes, and I will always over focus in things I enjoy, and I will not be distracted from an enjoyable task, even if a nuke went off!! :eek:

And I love the PC, the televison, and video games.

I do not think these factors cause ADHD, but instead these are factors of ADHD in some people! :D

In other words.....ADHD isnt caused by too much televison or PC

But many people who do have ADHD tend to do things that stimulate, and for many Add'ers the television and PC do this for us.

Does anyone really know???

arghhh mspen!!!

Your pictures grab my attention everytime!!! :D

Oh... I almost forgot. I have adhd and I don't own a TV.

ME :D

I hate television it's too distracting.

Fair enough for those who are too hyperactive to even watch television.

But what about the hyperfocusers?

Hyper active people can hyperfocus too.

Personally I find the TV stimuli too darn slow and overly controlling. I prefer the computer it changes subjects when I want it to and to what ever subject I want with fewer commercial interruptions and if I want to have seven different things going at one time I can.

Naturally when I am in a really hyper mood I have been known to have three computers going with two being attached to one key board and monitor so I can control them without having to switch controls, one of my computers has two hard drives which brings me to my next point computers are more flexible.

Does anyone really know???

YES we do!!!!!! 100% without a doubt

Here is how

Some of us were ADD before you had TV 24/7, cable video games and home computers {when I was in the 7th grade computers were a picture in our science book they took up entire rooms that were temperature controlled}

When I was a child there was Saturday morning cartoons that came on at 6:00 am and went off at 10:00am That was all the kids programming period. When I was in Jr High they would play the Brady Bunch or was it the partidge family? any way in the afternoon after school. I got to watch one 30 minutes show a day and that was it.

When I was very young my mom did not watch TV except for the news after dinner. Many stations went off after the news in the evening. Cable was unheard of there was no video games, DVDs, music was played on the radio, musical recording came on LP's or reel to reel tape. No game boys, Play stations, no VCRs DVD's no such thing as a home computer, cell phones, microwaves, instant meals, {yes we did have toilet paper} .

Yet those of us in the age group old enough to actually have grown up BEFORE the TV generation still managed to have ADD


This is a reasonable question for the lay person , or regular member of ADDF as you are not ADD experts, Besides I am very sure you have probably read such a claim made by experts and are simply smart enough to question it. - as you should.


I can't help but shake my head when "experts" make such claims as TV causing ADD . These ingorant experts seem to forget that there are many of us who were born and reared in an era before TV was a 27/7 entity yet we still have the same ADD - it only takes one slightly worn brain to figure this out.

I grew up watching way too much TV I know it didn't cause my ADD but it surely didn't help it. The shows I watched sure didn't train my brain to focus on anything too long. I blame cartoons like "The Super Friends" for making my ADD much worse than it had to be...lol

Your pictures grab my attention everytime!!!

Moving signatures and avatars can be stopped by hitting the "esc" key, well that is how I make them stop any way.

Has anyone ever heard this? I think its utterly fascinating.
I think its a combination of nature and nurture. Meaning genes and possibly our exposure to TV.

As a child of the 80's and 90's I spent hours in front of the tube. TV has a calming effect on our minds. A bit like hypnosis. It puts us in a relaxed state where we our vision and auditory senses are being stimulated. Tickled if you will. In hypnosis when a person reaches this state they are open to suggestion.

Without delving too far into the issue i think ADDers are more often than not the creative type. We love the visual senses and love to be stimulated. Thus affecting our attention spans through TV exposure.

Its going to be interesting to see the new generation develope on the internet where attention can be a fraction of TV.


-Cheers!
I think I have ADD and due to the type I think I have, I have NEVER been able to sit in front of a TV doing NOTHING and thinking of NOTHING. The type I think I have, requires my MIND/BRAIN to be active! NOT my body! TV just does not do it for me. So NO I dont think TV(or reactions to food, or bad parenting, bad diets, or schools)can cause ADD/ADHD. I think one is BORN with it just like my oldest son was. I knew during the pregnancy that he was ADHD just by the way he acted and moved. He moved more then my twins did! The day after he was born he stayed awake for 7 HOURS! This trend contiuned on for him. Every day he did this. By 10 months of age he stoped taking naps, and NOT because I wanted him too. HE DID NOT WATCH TV AT ALL UNTIL HE WAS 5! So NO NO NO, TV does NOT cause true ADHD/ADD!

If there was an actual outside cause of ADHD, don't you think there'd be a cure? If it was as easy as shutting off a television then there'd be no ADHD.

I think that dx's are coming younger these days due to the workloads children are expected to carry as young as first grade. Just my opinion but comparing my school experience to my son's experiences now...holy crap! They're already introducing multiplication and division concepts, types of matter, and geography beyond our state's borders. I know for a fact I wasn't introduced to multiplication and division until 4th grade; MiniMe is in second grade.

Of all places to find this info... The strattera web site has good info on the causes of adhd in plain english.... they discuss TV...

http://www.strattera.com/1_3_childhood_adhd/1_3_1_1_1_causes.jsp

Causes of ADHD

Although the exact cause of ADHD remains unknown, research has increased in the last decade. At present, the most likely cause of ADHD is believed to be genetic, but other causes have been implicated as well.



Support for a Genetic Link

Research repeatedly demonstrates that ADHD runs in families. Recently published data in Pediatric Annals indicate that the child of an adult with ADHD has approximately a 25% chance of having ADHD1. There are also indications that ADHD that persists into adulthood is more highly genetic than ADHD that diminishes in childhood. A family history of alcoholism and other mood disorders seems to be associated with an increased risk of ADHD. This may imply some type of genetic commonality between these disorders.

Although the cause of ADHD is unknown, some researchers believe it is due to many factors. In addition to genetic causes, there are other environmental and medical factors that can cause ADHD-like symptoms. Careful examination, however, reveals important differences between these disorders and ADHD. Overall studies have concluded that heredity explains, on average, the majority of ADHD-like behavior exhibited by children, while environmental factors explain only approximately 20% of this type of behavior.



Unproven Causes

In the past, uncertainty about the causes of ADHD created a fertile climate for speculation of all kinds. Many theories - notably those holding parents to blame in some way for their child's uncontrolled behavior - have been advanced and were later determined to be unfounded. Among the most well-known include:


Food/Diet
Poor Parenting
Excessive television watching or video-game playing
Hormones
These factors were initially believed to be causes of ADHD because they appear to be connected. Parents claim that when they fed their children sugar or various other foods, they become more hyperactive (javascript:showGlossary('gloss_hyper.html')), certain diets claimed to eliminate hyperactivity (javascript:showGlossary('gloss_hyper.html')). Professionals who witnessed uncontrolled behavior concluded that parenting methods must be flawed. Hyperactive children seemed to watch more TV and play more video games than other children. It seemed plausible that the emotion inherent in ADHD could stem from some kind of hormonal imbalance, much like the moodiness of adolescence.

However, carefully designed, rigorous studies failed to find that any of these observed associations were causes of ADHD, nor could any of these factors modify the symptoms of ADHD. For example, contrary to parental beliefs, sugar did not make children significantly more hyperactive. No diet, in fact, was found to reduce ADHD symptoms. Parenting techniques did not improve symptoms; parental frustration was in fact found to be an effect, not a cause, of ADHD. Excessive television watching and video game playing also was determined to be a symptom, not a cause, of ADHD. It is a form of stimulation that helps children with the disorder sustain focus and control internal feelings of agitation via a mechanism similar to that at work with medication.

Increasingly it has become clear that ADHD is a neurological disorder that requires a medical diagnosis and treatment.

found some interesting new info from Driven to Distraction (an excellent book for ADDers)

Pseudo-ADD ( a subtype of ADD that is not ADD at all)

"American society tends to create ADD-like symptoms in us all. We live in an ADD-ogenic culture". (pg 191)

I reckon too much TV or instant gratification can cause ADD-like symptoms, mostly attention related.

As for it causing actual ADD? I doubt it.

arghhh mspen!!!

Your pictures grab my attention everytime!!! :D

Can you explain? I don't understand what the avatar expresses?

Well I definitely believe that excessive TV watching is harmful for a child when they would be reading a book(or have someone read to them) or playing outside or doing something else that is more interactive. However, I don't think it "causes" ADHD. Maybe excessive TV can cause symptoms that resemble ADHD but in my opinion it does not cause true blue ADHD. I believe it is caused either by genetics or some sort of injury or insult to the brain. It is a biological condition.

I agree that "pseudo-ADHD" is a good way to describe the ADHD-like symptoms that are caused by our crazy lifestyles. It is important to note that it is NOT real ADHD.

I think that dx's are coming younger these days due to the workloads children are expected to carry as young as first grade. Just my opinion but comparing my school experience to my son's experiences now...holy crap! They're already introducing multiplication and division concepts, types of matter, and geography beyond our state's borders. I know for a fact I wasn't introduced to multiplication and division until 4th grade; MiniMe is in second grade.

Really? Hmmm. How old are you? Just wondering because when I was in school they taught us multiplication in second grade and division in third grade. I'm 26 years old.

Oh yeah, I currently don't own a tv either and I still have ADHD. And I watched very little TV as a child and we did not have ANY video games in the house.

Through the years I've heard it does and doesn't. All that doctors, researchers, etc. can do is speculate. I believe one is "born" with it and I also tend to believe that throughout childhood development -- the nature-nurture spectrum has a lot to do with it.

On another note, oh how do I miss those Saturday mornings and eating cereal and watching cartoons then going to play some video games until my hands and fingers became cramped. There was nothing wrong with that and I still do it but it's at night when watching cartoon network or when I have some free time. You know, I've gotten a lot of crap from a myriad of people. They ask, "you still watch cartoons?" , "you still play video games?"

My response has been, "If I told you I felt ageless, would you still tell me that I'm old?".

And I'm a mere 26.

On another note, oh how do I miss those Saturday mornings and eating cereal and watching cartoons then going to play some video games until my hands and fingers became cramped.


Good times ;)

I still try and keep my Saturday mornings free for cartoons and video games. I'd imagine these attention problems would be seen in kids who watch 6+ish hours of TV 7 days a week. I don't see any problem with a lazy saturday.

For what it's worth, I actually acquired my first English watching subtitled TV - once I could read, that is. I fondly recall the very first time I realised I could do that, use the words in Dutch at the bottom of the screen to learn the meaning of what was being said in English. The programme was Transformers; the word was Megatron's repeated exhortation to "DESTROY!" ^_^

Ideally, children's TV invites kids to participate, by singing or dancing along, and may even help them deal with issues they may not yet know how to cope with. I've always found kids' shows on non-commercial channels like Nederland 3 to be pretty good for that. Alternatively, as with Doctor Who, you can just try to scare the bejeezus out of them.

As for the "just go outside and play" card, I wouldn't have. I hated sunshine. My mum tried her best to at least get me out into the garden to read, but the light hurt my eyes. I used to have to cover my eyes whilst sitting in a car, I couldn't stand the brightness of the daylight. It wasn't until I started looking into ADHD and read about sensory hypersensitivity that it all started to make the least bit of sense to me. Again, staying indoors watching TV - or, in my case, reading - seems to have been a symptom of, not a cause for, my problems.

Has anyone recieved a significant increase in attention after limiting the time they watch tv?

Watching TV has propably very little effects for developing add i was 6 or 7 years old before our family did buy TV.

and i have strong suspicion that it's inherited from two or more genes (thus parents might seem harmless normal people while they actually carry exact genes required for add! ) :) :) wether it is personality or so dunno dont care.

or during pregnancy due hormons or so but im Highly skeptic on Add claims being "diase or it needs cure" just simply different way to perceive world and propably it has been good enough to survive...

these days they give you happy-pills if you feel sad for one day, i think this is dangerous path -> people are dissatisfied with living conditions and we just put them eat pills and everything turns to be ok?
*cough cough*

Watching TV has propably very little effects for developing add i was 6 or 7 years old before our family did buy TV.

and i have strong suspicion that it's inherited from two or more genes (thus parents might seem harmless normal people while they actually carry exact genes required for add! ) :) :) wether it is personality or so dunno dont care.

or during pregnancy due hormons or so but im Highly skeptic on Add claims being "diase or it needs cure" just simply different way to perceive world and propably it has been good enough to survive...

these days they give you happy-pills if you feel sad for one day, i think this is dangerous path -> people are dissatisfied with living conditions and we just put them eat pills and everything turns to be ok?
*cough cough*I'm sorry, architect, but sections of your post make me extremely uncomfortable. Especially the implication that people with AD/HD should just suck it up and deal with it, and that taking medication somehow implies an unwillingness to deal with problems that may easily be solved in other ways.

You may stick in as many smilies as you like, I'm still going to find that offensive.