Dear parents,
I am currently a Medical Anthropology graduate student at the University of Amsterdam. Part of our year is doing a small-scale research project and then write our final thesis on this. I have chosen to study ADHD in children in Vancouver, as it is a common behavioural disorder here. I also know that teachers often play a part in identifying children with ADHD in school (perhaps then leading to a diagnosis), which is very uncommon in Holland.
Therefore my main research question is centered around the role a teacher plays in the identification/diagnostic process (something which perhaps could be referred to as medicalisation) and I think that experiences of parents could be an extremely interesting addition to my data.
I would love to chat to parents about when they first understood their child had ADHD and where this ‘identification’ came from. Did their child’s school factor in to it, or was it first recognized elsewhere (at home, by a sports coach)? Also, how has their child’s school coped with it since?
It would be a relaxed, informal conversation, shouldn’t last more than 30 minutes-an hour and you would be helping a very grateful masters student! It goes without saying that all information will remain confidential and anonymous.
If you would like to help out, please contact me at [b][email protected][/b]
Thanks a lot!
Verity