Classification of ADHD throughout History
In the 1950’s these children were classified as having “hyperkinetic impulse disorder”
- Hyperactivity was accepted as a brain damage syndrome
The “Hyperactive Child Syndrome” was described by Stella Chess in 1960
- she emphasized activity as the defining feature
- the concept of a syndrome of hyperactivity was separated from that of a brain damage syndrome
DSM-II first recognized this disorder as Hyperkinetic Reaction of Childhood disorder in 1980
In the 1970’s attention deficits in children with hyperkinesis were argued to be more a factor than hyperactivity