ADD has been medically described since 1902 . There is little agreement about what causes it, how to diagnose it and how to treat it. According to some studies, ADD affects as many as 10 million Americans, many of them adults, and approximately 4 percent of school-age children. Depending on whose statistics you believe, about 80 percent of children and 50 percent of adults improve with medications. Now, some myths .
ADD disappears during puberty.
Positive response to medication is confirmation of diagnosis. Distractibility is responsive to will. ADD can be prevented with good prenatal care. Good parenting can prevent much of the acting out in ADD children. By extension, poor parenting is responsible for behavior problems in ADD children.