ERIC Number: EJ1292913
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2021
Pages: 15
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1750-8487
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Reconstructing Truth, Deconstructing ADHD: Badiou, Onto-Epistemological Violence and the Diagnosis of ADHD[strikethrough]
Critical Studies in Education, v62 n2 p243-257 2021
Psychiatric/neurodevelopmental diagnoses have expanded in number and scale with increased influence over matters of education and upbringing. One of the most common psychiatric diagnoses among children and adolescents is attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The dominant perspective of ADHD is biomedical, where ADHD is defined as a neurogenetic dysfunction and disorder of the brain. Due to the absence of biological markers, the diagnosis is legitimized on the basis of a humanitarian principle: as an ideology. Through the diagnosis, which is construed in the article as a form of onto-epistemological violence, the unique subject is forced into an object and a second-class citizen who undergoes instrumental techniques of behaviour modification. The overall leitmotif of the article is to shift the focus from 'chemical imbalances' to 'power imbalances' to counteract reductionism, disempowerment and medical behaviourism. Theoretically, the article draws upon the French philosopher Alain Badiou's ontological examination of being "qua" being, wherein the aim is to critically examine the onto-epistemological violence following the diagnosis of ADHD and to seek out a less violent pedagogy.
Descriptors: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Clinical Diagnosis, Social Bias, Philosophy, Power Structure, Educational Practices, Ethics, Knowledge Level, Etiology, Mental Disorders, Behavior Disorders, Children, Adolescents, Neurology, Biology
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
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Language: English
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