Myomancy ADHD, Dyslexia and Autism

Many news outlets are covering a study that reportedly shows one third of all ADHD cases have been caused by prenatal exposure to smoke or childhood exposure to lead. The study is by Dr. Bruce Lanphear of the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center who has done a lot of research on the effects of lead on child development and has been a target of Junk Science who have criticized his earlier work.

Unfortunately this is science by press release and I can find no evidence that this research is being published anywhere. The only information on the research is:

The researchers analyzed data on nearly 4,000 United States children ages four to 15 who were part of a 1999-2002 government health survey. Included were 135 children treated for ADHD. They asked whether mothers had smoked during pregnancy but used blood tests to determine lead exposure, said co-author Dr. Bruce Lanphear, a researcher at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. Children whose mothers smoked during pregnancy were 21/2 times more likely to have ADHD than children who weren’t prenatally exposed to tobacco.

Of course all the news reports have completely missed the difference between correlation and cause. ADHD and smoking are commonly linked so it is highly likely that the Mother’s smoking is just as likely a symptom her ADHD. Any ADHD in the child may be caused by genetic factors or the parent’s behaviour causing ADHD.