On a widely read NY Times article, Richard A. Friedman advocates for a "natural" fix for ADHD (http://nyti.ms/1t88b8b). The diagnosis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder has been on the rise and coincides with the development of a more sedentary way of life. The development of ubiquitous technological tools seems to contribute to sedentary children spending more time on the couch than running outdoors. That and the fear of the outdoors (where children can be hit by a car, kidnapped, or other many real and overestimated risks).
The article, overall, exposes the disconnection between the "solutions" that we find for the "problems" we diagnose. The previous quotes are meant to signal that perhaps we are viewing the whole issue the wrong way. For decades environmental psychology has advocated for the de-clinicalization of mental issues and for the consideration of the intricate and dynamic interaction between people and environment. The most popular solution for ADHD has been at the individual level, medicating and modifying certain ways in which the child might be not performing well at school. This is the classic medical model that psychology uses. However, if the issue of ADHD is viewed from an ecological perspective, in which we do not consider only the individual but also the different settings in which his/her behavior takes place, then the "treatments" could be multiple. This is what Friedman proposes in his article. This position would force us to think about what needs to be modified at school, at home, in our neighborhoods. The routines of children (and adults as well!) would have to be redesigned to allow for exploration, manipulation, and creation. The benefit of this approach -I believe- outweigh its potential impracticality. We would have to consider what some theoreticians call "equifinality" and accept that there might be more than one way to achieve similar outcomes. If our desire as a society is to create new generations that pursue their own interests and make use of their diverse skills, then we would have to figure out ways to relax our expectations of performance in cookie-cutter tasks or tests. And of course, I am not saying that children learn in "different ways" because we know that we all use skills like memorization and rehearsal to learn. However, many of us might activate those learning skills in different ways. This poses a challenge to those of us who teach and want to create rich learning environments. We would have to come up with pedagogical experiences that present opportunities to all. But it also means that we would have to look at how educational monies are spent. Perhaps we need less test and testing materials and more playgrounds and outdoor classrooms. Perhaps.
The article, overall, exposes the disconnection between the "solutions" that we find for the "problems" we diagnose. The previous quotes are meant to signal that perhaps we are viewing the whole issue the wrong way. For decades environmental psychology has advocated for the de-clinicalization of mental issues and for the consideration of the intricate and dynamic interaction between people and environment. The most popular solution for ADHD has been at the individual level, medicating and modifying certain ways in which the child might be not performing well at school. This is the classic medical model that psychology uses. However, if the issue of ADHD is viewed from an ecological perspective, in which we do not consider only the individual but also the different settings in which his/her behavior takes place, then the "treatments" could be multiple. This is what Friedman proposes in his article. This position would force us to think about what needs to be modified at school, at home, in our neighborhoods. The routines of children (and adults as well!) would have to be redesigned to allow for exploration, manipulation, and creation. The benefit of this approach -I believe- outweigh its potential impracticality. We would have to consider what some theoreticians call "equifinality" and accept that there might be more than one way to achieve similar outcomes. If our desire as a society is to create new generations that pursue their own interests and make use of their diverse skills, then we would have to figure out ways to relax our expectations of performance in cookie-cutter tasks or tests. And of course, I am not saying that children learn in "different ways" because we know that we all use skills like memorization and rehearsal to learn. However, many of us might activate those learning skills in different ways. This poses a challenge to those of us who teach and want to create rich learning environments. We would have to come up with pedagogical experiences that present opportunities to all. But it also means that we would have to look at how educational monies are spent. Perhaps we need less test and testing materials and more playgrounds and outdoor classrooms. Perhaps.
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