The Child’s Body as a Disorder: discursive approaches towards ADHD

Abstract

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is the most frequent neurological diagnosis of the Chilean primary health care system for elementary school students. New norms and regulations now define which professionals can diagnose and treat this disorder. In this study, we approach to the construction of ADHD from a discursive perspective, through the analyses of interviews with parents, and professionals from health and school systems, in charge of ADHD detection and treatment. The analyses focused on the discursive positions evidenced in the interpretative repertoires (IR) of these actors, and on the effects they generate. Findings show three IR: the construction of the infant body as dysfunctional, as corrigible, and as medicable. These findings are discussed in relation to the conception of childhood, the asymmetry in the child-adult construction of the disorder, as well as to the notion of child wellbeing as being limited to ensuring the child's subsistence in the school system.