Thomas Armstrong's Blog, page 7

6 Environmental Factors Contributing to ADHD Symptoms

This video (and accompanying transcript below) looks at six ecological factors contributing to a diagnosis of ADHD including:     ultra-processed food, nature deficit disorder, the decline of rough-and-tumble play, the lack of adequate sunshine, the toxic effects of environmental contaminants, and inadequate sleep. It recommends that we not turn a blind eye to these […]

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ADHD as a Social Construction

In this video (number 10 in my 12-part video series on The Myth of the ADHD Child), I provide a sociological interpretation of the disorder as a strong counterpoint to the usual depiction of ADHD as a medical disorder with a biochemical basis. I explain how the phenomenon of ADHD emerged over the past several […]

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ADHD as an Evolutionary Advantage in Prehistoric Times (and Today)

In 1993, ADHD advocate Thom Hartmann wrote that people diagnosed with ADHD are ”hunters in a farmer’s world.” In this video, I continue his train of thought by focusing on how ADHD may best be represented as a genetic adaptation to conditions during prehistoric times. The video describes Darwin’s theory of natural selection and examines […]

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Register for Stanford Neurodiversity Summit 2023

I’ll be one of the keynoters at the upcoming Stanford Neurodiversity Summit 2023 that runs from October 1-3, 2023 as a virtual conference. Registration is $20.00 for general admission, $40.00 for educators who need a certificate of completion, and $100.00 for clinicians (psychologists, psychiatrists, MSWs, MFTs etc. with CEU credits available).  You can register here. […]

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Is It ADHD, or Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)?

Most people think of ADHD as a discrete medical disorder.  However, I’ve suggested that the symptoms associated with ADHD can be accounted for in terms of a wide variety of other influences.  So far in my You Tube video series on The Myth of the ADHD, I’ve talked about the impact of media, all-boy behavior, […]

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Is It ADHD or Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)?

Most people think of ADHD as a discrete medical disorder.  However, I’ve suggested that the symptoms associated with ADHD can be accounted for in terms of a wide variety of other influences.  So far in my You Tube video series on The Myth of the ADHD, I’ve talked about the impact of media, all-boy behavior, […]

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Is It ADHD, Or All-Boy Behavior?

Three times as many boys are diagnosed with ADHD than girls. One of the reasons for this imbalance is that we may be pathologizing normal boy behavior as ADHD symptoms. In this video I compare normal gender differences in free play situations. Boys prefer changing activities more often than girls, they gravitate toward playing with […]

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For Many Kids ADHD Isn’t a Medical Disorder: It’s a Media Disorder

This is video 5 in my 12-part video series on The Myth of the ADHD Child.  In this video I focus on the impact that our changing media landscape has had on the increase in the ADHD diagnoses of children and teens over the past many years.  First, I talk about media stimulation, how it’s […]

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Most Schools Are Brain-Hostile to Kids Diagnosed with ADHD

This is video #4 in my 12-part video series on The Myth of the ADHD Child, based on my book of the same name. This video suggests that ADHD symptoms can be better explained by looking at our educational system than by positing a specific medical disorder. ADHD teacher fact sheets typically list recommendations for […]

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ADHD Diagnosed Kids Actually Excel at Certain Types of Attention

This video, part of a multi-video series on my book The Myth of the ADHD Child, suggests that there are different types of attention, and kids diagnosed with ADHD, while often having difficulty with central task attention, actually excel in other forms of attention such as diffused or incidental attention, hyperfocus (flow), novelty-seeking, and creative […]

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