Drugs, labels and (p)ill-fitting boxes: ADHD and children who are hard to teach

In offering a critical review of the problem we call 'ADHD' (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), this paper progresses in three stages. The first two parts feature the dominant voices emanating from the literature in medicine and psychology which, when juxtaposed, highlight an interdependency between these otherwise competing interest groups. In Part 3, the nature of the relationship between these groups and the institution of the school is considered, as is the role that the school may play in the psycho- pathologisation of fidgety, distractible, active children who prove hard to teach. In so doing, the author provides an insight as to why the problem we call 'ADHD' has achieved celebrity status in Australia and what the effects of that may be for children who come to be described in these ways.