Dr. Thomas Armstrong’s Blog

This video – part 11 in my 12-part video series on The Myth of the ADHD Child – introduces the field of neurodiversity as a better way of thinking about children diagnosed with ADHD. It defines neurodiversity and discusses the problem in positing any kind of ”normal brain” in the general population. The video then...Read More

This video (and accompanying transcript below) looks at six ecological factors contributing to a diagnosis of ADHD including:     ultra-processed food, nature deficit disorder, the decline of rough-and-tumble play, the lack of adequate sunshine, the toxic effects of environmental contaminants, and inadequate sleep. It recommends that we not turn a blind eye to these...Read More

In this video (number 10 in my 12-part video series on The Myth of the ADHD Child), I provide a sociological interpretation of the disorder as a strong counterpoint to the usual depiction of ADHD as a medical disorder with a biochemical basis. I explain how the phenomenon of ADHD emerged over the past several...Read More

In 1993, ADHD advocate Thom Hartmann wrote that people diagnosed with ADHD are ”hunters in a farmer’s world.” In this video, I continue his train of thought by focusing on how ADHD may best be represented as a genetic adaptation to conditions during prehistoric times. The video describes Darwin’s theory of natural selection and examines...Read More

I’ll be one of the keynoters at the upcoming Stanford Neurodiversity Summit 2023 that runs from October 1-3, 2023 as a virtual conference. Registration is $20.00 for general admission, $40.00 for educators who need a certificate of completion, and $100.00 for clinicians (psychologists, psychiatrists, MSWs, MFTs etc. with CEU credits available).  You can register here....Read More

Most people think of ADHD as a discrete medical disorder.  However, I’ve suggested that the symptoms associated with ADHD can be accounted for in terms of a wide variety of other influences.  So far in my You Tube video series on The Myth of the ADHD, I’ve talked about the impact of media, all-boy behavior,...Read More

Three times as many boys are diagnosed with ADHD than girls. One of the reasons for this imbalance is that we may be pathologizing normal boy behavior as ADHD symptoms. In this video I compare normal gender differences in free play situations. Boys prefer changing activities more often than girls, they gravitate toward playing with...Read More

This is video 5 in my 12-part video series on The Myth of the ADHD Child.  In this video I focus on the impact that our changing media landscape has had on the increase in the ADHD diagnoses of children and teens over the past many years.  First, I talk about media stimulation, how it’s...Read More

This is video #4 in my 12-part video series on The Myth of the ADHD Child, based on my book of the same name. This video suggests that ADHD symptoms can be better explained by looking at our educational system than by positing a specific medical disorder. ADHD teacher fact sheets typically list recommendations for...Read More