During the 1960s and 1970s, children displaying high levels of impulsivity and physical restlessness were often classified as having 'Minimal Brain Dysfunction' or 'Hyperkinetic Reaction of Childhood'. Initial therapeutic interventions relied heavily on strict behavioural control and early stimulant pharmaceuticals to make children more compliant in school settings.
When the DSM-III was published in 1980, the condition was renamed 'Attention Deficit Disorder' (ADD), with or without hyperactivity. Successive revisions of the manual expanded the diagnostic criteria. By the time DSM-5 was released in 2013, the onset age criteria were raised from 7 to 12, leading to a substantial rise in diagnoses and medication rates globally.
Modern critics argue that the diagnosis pathologises normal childhood energy, driven by school systems under pressure to meet academic performance targets, while proponents point to clear neurobiological markers.
This shift demonstrates how definitions of neurodevelopmental and mental disorders can change rapidly alongside educational standards and socio-economic expectations.
Evaluate the suggestions you have made in part (d) [for designing a classroom-based behaviour management strategy] with reference to issues and debates you have studied in psychology.
