My article "No biological test for ADD" in Education and Living last November 14th, triggered both supportive and defensive reactions. However, I did not write to provoke any particular response. The purpose was to present my own understanding of ADD and ADHD, based on over 20 years of clinical and teaching work with children, adolescents, adults, families, schools and student classes.
What I was attempting to illustrate, albeit in a short article, was a radically different view of human behaviour. I believe that specialisation in education, psychology, psychiatry, medicine and sociology has led many to lose sight of the total picture of what causes individuals to behave in certain difficult ways.
My own clinical experience has taught me that every person who comes to me requires a different therapy and that the causes of their presenting problem are unique to their complex biographical history. I do not find labels clinically therapeutic; indeed they can be extremely detrimental to a person's progress. In all my years as a professional helper I have never been unable to trace the psycho-social causes of distressing conditions, whether these be learning difficulties, hallucinations, delusions, illusions, paranoia, depression, anxiety, psychosomatic diseases, marital turmoil and so on.
In tracing the origins of any problem there is no intention to blame parents or teachers or other significant adults involved in people's early lives. On the contrary, parents and teachers always do their best within the limits of their own vulnerability. The pity of it is that parenting still remains the invisible profession.
There are none of us who do not have personal, interpersonal and educational difficulties. In regard to educational problems, among all the thousands of people I have lectured to in Ireland and abroad, only one person put up her hand in response to my question "how many people here can honestly say that they embrace failure?"
The fear of failure, the fear of success or addiction to success are but some of the major influences on children's educational development and these coupled with other psychosocial complexes subconsciously affect every aspect of children's development.
I have no difficulty with people having their own theory on ADD. What I do take issue with is the stating of a theory as a fact and the failure to inform distressed parents, teachers and the children themselves that there are other practitioners who view these behaviours in a different way.
My own understanding of ADD and other educational, psychological, psychiatric, social and psychosomatic conditions is that all human behaviour makes sense, no matter how bizarre, difficult or outrageous it may be, and that an expansive exploration is required in order to comprehend the problem fully and propose an intervention.
I also hold that the parents and teachers who are at the receiving end of children's difficult responses need constructive help and support to care with what can be extremely trying circumstances.
My current approach to understanding and helping children and adults in distress has emerged from working with thousands of individuals and hundreds of different groups for many years. I feel duty bound to share my experiences with others. However, individuals are quite free to agree or disagree, once there is no attempt to impose silence.
Dr Tony Humphreys is a consultant clinical and research psychologist and author of several books including Self-Esteem the Key to Your Child's Education.
