Diagnosing 'Disorderly' Children: A critique of behaviour disorder discourses

Diagnosing children and young people as "disorderly" "troublesome" or "emotionally disturbed" is becoming increasingly commonplace. Once "diagnosed" these children are then seen as a problem for schools and the education system. Furthermore, the diagnosis often leads to damaging predictions of mental disorders or even criminality and violence in adulthood. Diagnosing Disorderly Children explores the effects of this growing tendency to diagnose children as disorderly, and questions whether what is being done is right for the child and for society. Based on the author's extensive research with children diagnosed with behavioral difficulties, this book provides a thorough critique of today's practices, and examines: The traditional analysis of behavioral disorders and the making of "disorderly" children The influence of "expert knowledge" on behavioral disorders and its influence on schools, communities and a new generation of teachers The effect of discourses of mentaldisorder on children and young people The increasing "medicalization" of children by prescribing drugs such as Ritalin Diagnosing Disorderly Children offers an innovative, accessible and timely analysis of a critical issue facing schools and society today. The book uses Foucaultian notions to pose critical questions of the practices that make children disorderly. Rich in case studies and interviews with children and young people, this will make fascinating reading for students, academics and researchers working in the fields of education, inclusion, educational psychology and youth studies.

Valerie Harwood is Lecturer in Education at the University of Wollongong, Australia.