What is the study of child development?
- intellectual, social, emotional
- for the past 50 years
- focused on brain and central nervous system
what are neurodevelopment disorders?
Impairments centred in areas as the brain and central nervous system
What are the two key features of neurodevelopment disorders?
- Neurological dysfunction that affects the capacity of the individual for intellectual, social, and sometimes physical development
- struggle to fit in and be fully included in society
- focus on being biological in nature and posing challenges to social functioning and educational achievement
what makes socially focused approaches less of a priority?
focus on neurology and attempting to ‘fix’ the disorder
What is ADHD characterized by?
Inattentive, hyperactive, impulsive behaviours
What is the stereotype of ADHD?
boy difficulty sitting still, being organized, concentrating, resisting impulses, who may be aggressive
How are symptoms typically first noticed in ADHD?
In school where these behaviours are deemed problematic
What is the criteria of diagnosis for ADHD?
6/18 symptoms consistently for 6 months
What are the three types of ADHD?
ADHD-I = inattentive type
ADHD-H = Hyperactivity and impulsivity
ADHD-C = Combined type
*Lacks appreciation of internal lived experience
What are characteristics of ADHD inattentive type?
difficulty with attention, difficulty breaking large projects down, losing objects, forgetfulness, avoidance of tasks needing attention, distractibility, overlooking details, daydreaming, appearing not to listen
6 or more of nine traits for at least 6 months
What are characteristics of ADHD hyperactivity and impulsivity type?
excessive talking, fidgeting, difficulty sitting still, difficulty with quiet, difficulty engaging in leisure activities, difficulty resting, interrupting, restlessness, impatience
6 or more of nine traits for at least 6 months
What are some criticisms of ADHD criteria for diagnosis
- criteria may be explained by immaturity
- children may be inappropriately diagnosed
- contextual influences on diagnosis
What are some characteristics of autism?
- difficulty understanding the need to be social and managing social interactions
- struggle to manage social life and social expectations
- increase prevalence as more urban and complex
- no clear cause
What is the evolutionary perspective of autism?
social relations important to success and survival, so autism may have brought some advantages for individuals as well
What were two developments that made ADHD a disorder?
- Terms “hyperkinetic impulse disorder” and “hyperkinetic behaviour syndrome” were coined
- Geopolitical context - American losing the brain race with soviets
How did America losing the brain race impact ADHD?
- strive to improve academic performance
- classrooms doing things -> by the book sitting quietly
- children expected to go on to post secondary
- behaviours associated with underachievement = what is now ADHD
What other aspects led to emergence of ADHD?
- WW2 - importance of psychiatry to keep soldiers healthy to fight
- rise of biological and social psychology
- baby boomer generation
What was the emergence of autism like
- child development = focus of research
- childhood understood as developmental period that could influence adult mental health
- large institutions closing and more apparent in communities
- urge to be more successful in school
- children with unusual behaviours = labeled and and pathologized
- narrowing what was considered ‘normal’ as society and schools changed
What are some explanations of ADHD?
- “general neurological deficit”/difference
- brain injury or infection?
- gene?
- food allergies
- faulty parenting / mother blame
- sleep disruption?
corporal punishment ban led to behavioural problems? - social construction.. just normal variations of childhood behaviour?… non white boys disproportionally diagnosed
What was the Feingold diet?
diet that eliminated many chemical additives and was popular with parents of children with ADHD
What is one critique on ADHD and the Pharma companies?
ADHD emerged due to aggressive pharmaceutical marketing to parents and school admins struggling with ‘problem’ children… they had stimulant meds before disorder so they had interest to repurpose them for children
What are some explanations about autism?
- genetic? environmental? psychoanalytic? behavioural? dietary? social?
- parenting may be a cause?? cold parenting/refrigerator mothers?
- food allergies
- mmr vaccines
What is the critique on the theory of cold parenting?
- discredited due to questionable credentials
- poor research
- plagiarism
- abuse in research…
What was wrong with the Wakefield paper in the lancet?
- false claims about methods and ethics approval
- small sample size and recruitment problems (selection bias)
still influential and source of disinformation… disease reemergence from anti vax
