ABSTRACT
In her book, Toxic Childhood: How the Modern World Is Damaging Our Children and What We Can Do About It, Sue Palmer, the instigator of this call to action, reports an ‘alarming escalation of “developmental disorders” amounting to a “special needs” explosion’ (Palmer 2006: 3). In addition to upsurges of ‘epidemic proportions’ of children diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and diverse forms of learning difficulties, ‘the most recent – and extremely worrying – increase has been in autistic spectrum disorders (ASDs) involving children’s ability to relate to the world and communicate with others.’
