ADHD - An Illustrated historical overview

Towards terminology I n the 19 th century, behaviour problems, uncontrollability and impropriety of conduct as medical problems were associated with morbid nervous condi- tions, brain damage and brain dysfunction. This emphasis on biological factors continued in the early 20 th century in the works of George Frederic Still and Alfred Tredgold, who claimed that forms of brain damage were involved, an argument brought forward in the 1930s and 1940s, too, particularly in the publications of Alfred Strauss and co-workers who coined the term "brain-injured child". This terminology reflected the assumption that some injury is the cause of behaviour disturbances, but it was called into question when further research examined the causes of behaviour problems in childhood and a shift towards psychological factors occured.