Thirty years ago, if a child was inattentive, fidgety, and prone to act on impulse, we would have called him rambunctious, an explorer, or even creative or bright. Three decades ago, children who had trouble paying attention in school were often skipped ahead, because the assumption was the work was not challenging enough for them.

But now, when children begin exhibiting these symptoms, they are usually diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and medicated almost immediately.

Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) is a relatively new diagnosis, a label given to behavior commonly exhibited by boys of elementary school age. Young boys typically act impulsively, have excess energy, fidget, and have trouble paying attention in class. Compounded with the fact that the typical school age child spends 40-plus hours a week watching television or playing video games, it is no wonder many children have energy to burn.

Many factors contribute to inattentiveness in children, some of which are quite serious and have nothing to do with the child