Daniel brought his 15-year-old son, Brandon, to my office. For the past two years, Brandon’s grades had plummeted from B’s to F’s. If he didn’t make serious changes, he was going to have to repeat his sophomore year. When I began questioning Brandon about his routine, changes in his life, and what home life was like, he immediately told me that he had ADHD. His father nodded in agreement when he asserted himself.

Over the next 45 minutes, I learned that Brandon’s parents had divorced four years earlier and he had moved six times. His parents shared joint custody and Brandon missed his father when he stayed at his mother’s.  He didn’t like sports and enjoyed being with his friends at school, but he hated the work. He liked his teachers, but he just couldn’t seem to concentrate in class. He reminded me several times during the 45 minutes that he had ADHD. His teacher even told him that he had it.

When I probed about activities he did at his mother’s and father’s homes, he told me that he didn’t do anything. What about television? “No,” he said. He didn’t watch much, but he did play video games with friends…