Critical New Perspectives on Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

249 Pages·2006·1.48 MB·English

by  G. Lloyd

Critical New Perspectives on
ADHD
The ADHD phenomenon has reached global proportions, significantly affecting
the lives of children, parents and teachers worldwide. Explanations for the growth
in diagnoses of the condition are as debatable and contentious as the various
treatments available.
Critical New Perspectives on ADHDunpicks the myths surrounding the development
of this phenomenon, and leaves no stone unturned in its search for answers. The
renowned range of contributors, experts in a variety of academic disciplines,
explore reasons for the emergence and maintenance of ADHD. They debate such
suggested explanations as the dominance of US psychiatric models and the need
for new markets for major pharmaceutical companies as well as the functions that
ADHD diagnoses fulfil in families, classrooms and communities. This book takes
a critical, highly international and frequently controversial perspective on the topic,
and raises a number of concerns often not covered by material currently available
to parents and practitioners.
In a world where moves to educational inclusion are paradoxically paralleled by
the ever-increasing use of medication to control children’s behaviour, this book
scrutinises current accepted practice and offers alternative perspectives and
strategies for teachers and other education professionals. Respect for the unique
struggles of children, families and professionals underlies the discussions. Anyone
with a serious interest in ADHD and other behavioural difficulties cannot afford
to ignore this important new book.
Gwynedd Lloydis Head of Subject at the Department of Educational Studies,
University of Edinburgh, UK.
Joan Steadis Senior Research Fellow at the University of Edinburgh, UK.
David Cohenis Professor of Social Work at Florida International University,
USA.

Critical New Perspectives
on ADHD
Edited by
Gwynedd Lloyd,
Joan Stead and David Cohen
First published 2006 by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada
by Routledge
29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2006 Gwynedd Lloyd, Joan Stead & David Cohen selection and
editorial matter; individual chapters, the contributors.
This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2006.
“To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis or Routledge’s
collection of thousands of eBooks please go to www.eBookstore.tandf.co.uk.”
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or
reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical,
or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including
photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or
retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Critical new perspectives on ADHD / edited by Gwynedd Lloyd,
Joan Stead & David Cohen.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. 2. Attention-deficit disordered
children–Education. I. Lloyd, Gwynedd, 1947– II. Stead, Joan.
III. Cohen, David, 1954–
RJ506.H9C75 2006
618.92′8589–dc22
2005026757
ISBN10: 0–415–36036–6 (hbk)
ISBN10: 0–415–36037–4 (pbk)
ISBN10: 0–203–00801–4 (ebk)
ISBN13: 978–0–415–36036–4 (hbk)
ISBN13: 978–0–415–36037–1 (pbk)
ISBN13: 978–0–203–00801–0 (ebk)
Contents
Acknowledgements vii
Contributors ix
Introduction: widening our view of ADHD 1
JOAN STEAD, GWYNEDD LLOYD AND DAVID COHEN
1 Critiques of the ‘ADHD’ enterprise 12
DAVID COHEN
2 Canaries in the coal mine: the symptoms of children
labeled ‘ADHD’ as biocultural feedback 34
THOMAS ARMSTRONG
3 Disability, childhood studies and the construction of
medical discourses. Questioning attention deficit
hyperactivity disorder: a theoretical perspective 45
JOHN DAVIS
4 ADHD as the new ‘feeblemindedness’ of American Indian
children 66
DAVID WALKER
5 A brief philosophical examination of ADHD 83
GORDON TAIT
6 Inclusion and exclusion in school: experiences of
children labelled ‘ADHD’ in South Africa 96
NITHI MUTHUKRISHNA
vi Contents
7 ‘ADHD’ and parenting styles 115
ÜSTÜN ÖNGEL
8 The Italian saga of ADHD and its treatment 128
MAURIZIO BONATI
9 How does the decision to medicate children arise in cases
of ‘ADHD’? Views of parents and professionals in Canada 137
DAVID COHEN
10 ADHD from a cross-cultural perspective: insights into
adult–child power relationships 156
KEN JACOBSON
11 Pedagogy in the ‘ADHD classroom’: an exploratory study
of ‘The Little Group’ 176
EVA HJÖRNE
12 Managing attention difficulties in the classroom:
a learning styles perspective 198
GAVIN REID
13 Conclusion: supporting children in school 215
GWYNEDD LLOYD
Index 229
Acknowledgements
We are grateful to all the contributors to this book and to Debbie Stasch for her
work on the manuscript. Thanks also to Barry, Julia, Bob, Carole, Saskia and
Bernard.

Contributors
Thomas ArmstrongPh.D. is now based in Australia and is an author of eleven
books, including The Myth of the A.D.D. Child: 50 Ways to Improve Your Child’s
Behavior and Attention Span without Drugs, Labels, or Coercion(New York: Dutton) and
ADD/ADHD Alternatives in the Classroom (Alexandria, Virginia: Association of
Supervision and Curriculum Development). He worked for several years as a
special education teacher in the United States and Canada, and for the past
eighteen years has lectured extensively in the United States and around the
world.
Maurizio Bonati graduated from the University of Milan with a degree
in Medicine. Since 1973 he has been working at the Mario Negri Research
Institute of Milan (an international private foundation for research and educa-
tion in the biomedical sciences). In 1993 he became Head of the Laboratory
for Mother and Child Health, as well as the Director of the Regional Drug
Information Centre. Dr Bonati is the author and co-author of hundreds of
scientific articles, book chapters and abstracts, and editor of Ricerca & Pratica.
His main research interests are: monitoring and epidemiological evaluation of
drug utilization and effects of drugs and vaccines in motherhood and childhood;
research methodology in general hospital and paediatric community practice;
transfer of information to the community; epidemiology of paediatric and
perinatal care. Dr Bonati has also been active in promoting health projects
and research counselling for groups working in developing countries; he carries
out part of this work also as advisor for the World Health Organization.
David CohenPh.D. (co-editor) is currently Professor of Social Work at Florida
International University, USA. He has published widely on medicalization,
iatrogenic disorders in mental health, and the effects and uses of psychiatric
medications in contemporary societies. His books in French and English include
Challenging the Therapeutic State(1990),Medicalisation and Social Control(1994),The
Critical Handbook of Psychiatric Drugs (1995), and Your Drug May be Your Problem
(2001).