Hyperactivity : a History of ADHD PDF
Preview Hyperactivity : a History of ADHD
hyperactive HYPERACTIVE THE CONTROVERSIAL HISTORY OF ADHD Matthew Smith reaktion books To my mother, who always stuck up for me, and to Dashiell, who bounced his way through the writing of this book Published by Reaktion Books Ltd 33 Great Sutton Street London ec1v 0dx, uk www.reaktionbooks.co.uk First published 2012 Copyright © Matthew Smith 2012 All rights reserved No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers. Printed and bound in Great Britain by TJ International, Padstow, Cornwall British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data Smith, Matthew, 1973– Hyperactive : the controversial history of ADHD 1. Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder –History. 2. Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder –Etiology. 3. Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder –Treatment –History. I. Title 618.9'28589–dc23 isbn: 978 1 78023 031 3 Contents Preface 7 Introduction: Why the Hype? 12 one Before Hyperactivity 23 two The First Hyperactive Children 46 three Debating Hyperactivity 75 four Ritalin: Magic Bullet or Black Magic? 100 five Alternative Approaches 127 six Hyperactive Around the World 150 Conclusion: Happily Hyperactive? 177 references 186 select bibliography 233 acknowledgements 241 index 243 Preface Historiansdonothavetohaveapersonalconnectiontowhatthey research,butwhentheydo,itisappropriatethatitislaidbaretobe examined.IfonepicksupasocialhistoryofBritain,itishelpfulto knowiftheauthorhastiestoaparticularpoliticalparty.Ifoneis readingahistoryofIsrael,theauthor’sopinionsaboutthebuilding ofnewIsraelisettlementscouldbepertinent.Andifoneisreading about the history of medicine, especially by a historian who is interested in placing the history of health and medicine in its cultural,socialandpoliticalcontexts,itisappropriatethatthecon- textofmyowninvestigationsisrevealed.So,whyamIinterestedin hyperactivity? Iwasnotawareofsuchathinggrowingupandgoingtoschool inthe1980s.Irememberproblemkids,andmighthaveevenbeen oneonoccasion,butneverrecalledsuchboysorgirlsbeingreferred toashyperactive,orbeinglabelledwithanyotherdisorder.Badkids weresimplybadkids,atleastasfarasIwasconcerned.Attending school during the years in which disabled children were being includedinmainstreamclassrooms,Idorememberchildrenwho we,andtheteachers,referredtoas‘retarded’,butnoneofthese childrenseemedparticularlyhyperactive.Iknownowthatmanyof thesechildrenhadeitherDown’sSyndrome,weresufferingfroma braininjuryorwereseriouslylearningdisabled.Thereisalsoastory toldinmyfamilyofmymotherbeingsatdownduringaparent- teacherinterviewwhenIwasinkindergarten,andbeingtoldthatI hadalearningdisabilityonthegroundsthatIcouldnotusescis- sorsproperlyandhaddifficultiesstayinguprightonabalancebeam. 7 hyperactive ThisdidnotgooverwellwithmymomandIbegangradeoneina differentschool,wheremylearningdisability,so-called,remained foreverhidden. Instead,thefirsthyperactivekidImetknowingly,Imetasan adult. He sticks out in my memory for many reasons, not least becausewesharedafirstnameandhelookedalittlebitlikeIdidat his age, which was about six or seven. I was a nervous student teacheratamiddlingprimaryschool;hewasoneofmystudents. And there was no question that he was an active little boy. If he hadhisdruthers,IamconfidentthatMatthewwouldhavehappily bouncedaroundtheclassroom,sharpeninghispencil,lookingout thewindow,tryingonalltheotherkids’boots,investigatingwhat was kept in the corner cupboard and generally doing his best impression of a perpetual motion machine from the time of the principal’swelcomingaddressonthepasystemtothedingingof thehome-timebell.Itwasasifsittingathisdeskquietlywasana- thematohim,anabhorrentconditiontobeavoidedatallcost. Ihavetoadmitthat,whenIwasinchargeoftheclassroom, Matthew’sescapadesdidnotannoymeagreatdeal.Hetendednot tobothertheotherkidsterriblymuchand,whileroamingaround theroomdidnothelphimcompletehiswork,neitherdidforcing himtositinhisseat.SternlyorderingMatthewtoremainseatedat hisdeskmerelygeneratedanimpressiveand,toallbutthesternest pedagogue,amusingsetofcontortionsintheboyashefoundways tobalancehischairononeofitslegs,whilekeepingonlytheindex finger of one hand in contact with his desk. He could follow instructions,itappeared,justhisowninterpretationofthem.But whileIwascontenttolethimdohisthing,findingafewminutes whenpossibletoworkwithhimindividually,itwasclearthatmy supervisingteacherwasnot.Usuallyacalm,gentlewomanwho wasslowtolosehertemper,seeingMatthewthestudentperform balancingactsworthyofCirqueduSoleil,andMatthewthestudent teacherturningablindeye,wouldcausehertocryout:‘Matthew, what are you doing?!’ I was never sure which one of us she had inmind. AttheendofmytermIreturnedtotheuniversitytocompletethe theoreticalcomponentofmyeducationdegree,andwasbemusedby 8
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