PUZZLED dad Chris Hatton couldn't understand what was wrong with his nine-year-old son Martin.

As far as everyone was concerned Martin was a child behaving badly.

At Shadsworth Junior School, his teacher called him the laziest boy she had every taught. He never paid attention in class or completed his schoolwork.

Chris and and his partner Ruth were receiving bad reports about his progress. He was nine years old but had a reading age of six. At home he didn't seem to listen to his parents. He wouldn't do what they asked, couldn't follow simple instructions and seemed to be in his own dream world. He never got on with children his own age and did things without considering the dangerous consequences of his actions. Divorced Chris said: "I once found him playing in the cupboard where the electricity meters are and putting paper into the electric fire, both of which he had been told were very dangerous.

He just seemed to have a 'I don't care' attitude. He wasn't bothered about anything.

The unemployed couple blamed themselves for Martin's actions.

Chris said: "We began to ask ourselves questions. Was it our fault? Were we not tough enough on him? Did we let him get away with too much?

"We knew he shouldn't have been acting like he was and we had feelings of inadequacy and guilt because of it." The pair, who live in Rothesay Road, Shadsworth, Blackburn, were at their wits' end trying to cope with Martin's disruptive behaviour.

Chris even took his son to the police station to teach him a lesson after he stole a chocolate egg from the local shop.

But things didn't improve.

"We had a lot of rows and sometimes I just used to cry with frustration because I didn't know what to do to make Martin behave better," said Ruth.

That is until the pair watched a TV programme about children who suffer from Attention Deficit Disorder - and recognised the same traits in Martin. They took him to a private child psychologist who diagnosed in 10 minutes that Martin was suffering from ADD.

Ruth, an epileptic who is registered disabled, said: "It was an absolute relief but then shock set in.

"Basically he was mentally ill, although he looked normal, and it was nothing to do with bad parenting. He had been suffering in silence for nine years. It's like his traffic lights are broken. He is constantly on green and on the go. He doesn't know when to stop or when he is doing wrong."

Attention Deficit Disorder is the controversial childhood mental disorder which is characterised by restlessness, being easily distracted, inability to follow instructions, excessive talking and other disruptive behaviour. It is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain and has two strains, hyperactive and daydreaming. Martin suffered from both.

Chris and Ruth began reading medical books, joined a support group for parents of ADD sufferers, informed the school staff who provided help and Martin was put on medication to control his condition.

Chris said: "The difference has been tremendous. He could sit still and listen and understand things. His concentration level went up and he could understand instructions in books."

He added: "This disorder can irretrievably break down relationships and families if it is not diagnosed and children can have low self-esteem because they are constantly told they are lazy. There is a fine line between bad behaviour and ADD. ADD affects all areas of a child's life: home, work and play."

Anyone who wants to contact Chris and Ruth can call them on Blackburn 772187.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.