ABSTRACT
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and attention deficit disorder (ADD) first appeared in the Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 2nd edition in 1968 (American Psychiatric Association, 1968). Just like the term SEMH, ADHD has also had other names. It was originally termed ‘hyperkinetic reaction of childhood’ before being characterised as a mental disorder in the 1960s by the American Psychiatric Association before the change to the more familiar ‘attention deficit disorder with or without hyperactivity’. Now, ADHD is classified within neurodevelopmental disorders, that being a condition which emanates from the development of the brain and how it functions. As such, the key features that form the diagnosis need to be present before the age of 12 years old, so it is particularly pertinent for a book aimed towards teachers of younger children.
