Through employing a two-faceted approach to the sociological study of Attention Deficit- Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), this thesis seeks to further the study of this mental illness and also to elucidate new methodological directions for the sociology of similar phenomena. Past approaches in the sociology of mental disorder have considerable merit, but may also be limited in the type of analyses they offer. One particular limitation concerns sociological accounts of mental illness that portray the meaning of such illnesses as unified and that this unification results from the collusion of special interests. Sociologists who address mental illnesses as social problems, for example, appear wont to portray such illnesses as social constructions which arise from specific agents of labeling. With regard to ADHD, previous sociological accounts often make a case for the rhetorical and political power of government agencies, medical practitioners, and pharmaceutical companies. Though such agents are certainly influential in shaping public conceptions of ADHD, this thesis demonstrates that ADHD is interpreted in various ways. These assertions are supported through the analysis of two different data sources: 1) textual data; and 2) interview data. The textual data for the first part of the thesis comprises the subject matter for a genealogy of ADHD. Through examining past and contemporary texts that frame this disorder, including medical journal articles, medical manuals, popular writings, and parental guidebooks, the author argues that the historical and current discussions of ADHD are replete with differing interpretations of the causes and treatments for ADHD. These ADHD discourses, as they are seen through written accounts, offer a variety of perspectives towards the disorder, drawing from many opposing schools of thought. Most notable in this regard are psychodynamic and neurological approaches to ADHD. I argue that even though the neurological perspective towards ADHD appears to be the most dominant in diagnosing and treating the disorder, it is far from monolithic. ' The second part of the thesis draws upon interview data from sixty-two respondents associated with cases of ADHD: twenty clinicians, twenty parents, and twenty-two teachers. Each of these groups of respondents were asked questions designed to solicit their subjective experiences with the disorder, including how they perceived ADHD children and their sources of ADHD knowledge. The analysis of such data is placed against the backdrop of the genealogical part of the thesis. Responses from participants are examined as reflecting ADHD discourses. Some respondents, for example, demonstrate a commitment to neurological perspectives towards ADHD, while others gravitate towards psychodynamic or combined understandings of the disorder. Through combining these two data sources, this thesis analyzes ADHD discourses that give rise to conceptions of the disorder and shows how these discourses influence attitudes and actions towards ADHD. By giving less salience to the collusive relationships between government agencies, medical practitioners, and pharmaceutical companies, and by putting more focus on the relationship between the three major groupings directly involved in the ADHD experience—clinicians, teachers, and parents—this thesis furthers the sociological study of ADHD. / Arts, Faculty of / Anthropology, Department of / Graduate

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common childhood psychiatric disorder characterized by developmentally inappropriate levels of inattentiveness, impulsivity and hyperactivity. Current theories of ADHD cite evidence from neuropsychological and brain imaging studies suggesting that abnormalities in the structure and function of the frontal lobes and connected brain regions are associated with impaired behavioural inhibition, constituting the primary deficit in ADHD. While most reviewers conclude that neuropsychological studies have failed to find specific deficits in various aspects of attention in ADHD, poor performance on attentional tasks, including the continuous performance task (CPT), is a common finding and previous electrophysiological studies suggest evidence of impaired attentional processing. This study aimed to investigate the cortical activity associated with attentional processes in children with and without ADHD, using steady-state probe topography (SSPT). Seventeen boys diagnosed with ADHD and seventeen age matched control boys participated. Changes in the amplitude and latency of the steady-state visually evoked potential (SSVEP) associated with correct responses to targets in the �X� and �AX� versions of the CPT were examined. At critical time points in both tasks, the control group demonstrated SSVEP changes suggesting increased activation and increased speed of neural processing. These effects occurred predominantly in medial frontal, right prefrontal, right parietal and occipital regions, suggesting enhanced activity in regions previously shown to be involved in attentional processes. The ADHD group demonstrated much smaller increases in activation and processing speed in frontal regions and predominantly reduced activation and slower processing in parieto-occipital regions. Group differences suggesting reduced activity in the ADHD group were observed in response to the presentation of both cues and targets, as well as in the intervals leading up to target presentation, especially in the cued CPT-AX. These results suggest that processing of task relevant stimuli as well as preparatory and motor processes may be associated with dysfunctional activation of brain networks of attention in ADHD, involving deficits in both frontal and parietal cortical regions. These regions may also be involved in the maintenance of information required for correct task performance and the results also suggest possible deficits in these processes in ADHD. The findings are consistent with others of reduced activation and cognitive deficits in ADHD involving these brain regions and networks, and with the idea that ADHD may be associated with a diminished ability to regulate levels of arousal and activation appropriate to task demands.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--West Virginia University, 2001. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains v, 160 p. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 151-160).

Thesis (PhD) - Swinburne University of Technology, Brain Sciences Institute, 2003. / Thesis for Doctor of Philosophy, Brain Sciences Institute, Swinburne University of Technology - 2003. Typescript. Bibliography: p. 191-239.

Thesis (Psy. D.)--Wheaton College Graduate School, 2005. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 39-46).

Thesis (Psy. D.)--Wheaton College Graduate School, 2005. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 39-46).

Thesis PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 1999. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 74-87). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 1999. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 74-87). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (M.A.)--York University, 2008. Graduate Programme in Social Anthropology. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 188-192). Also available on the Internet. MODE OF ACCESS via web browser by entering the following URL: http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&res_dat=xri:pqdiss&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation&rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:MR51541