DIAGNOSIS OF ADHD IN THE FRAMEWORK OF HEALTH, EDUCATION AND JUSTICE: ANALYSIS OF AN EXPERIENCE AT SCHOOL

Abstract

This paper explores the impacts of an early and possibly mistaken diagnosis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in a six-year-old child, based on a case study that occurred in a city in the state of Santa Catarina. The main objective of the research is to critically analyze the process of diagnosis and medical, educational and legal intervention faced by the family, as well as to investigate the pedagogical strategies that allowed the overcoming of the initial learning difficulties without the use of medication. The research details the trajectory of the parents' resistance in the face of a court order that forced them to administer the medication Ritalin, even after verifying its adverse effects on the child's health and well-being. The family appealed to the Public Prosecutor's Office, subsequently obtaining the right to interrupt the treatment. The child was then taught to read and write by the mother, achieving good school performance through appropriate pedagogical interventions. The results point to the importance of family involvement, careful multidisciplinary assessment and school adaptation in the learning process of children with suspected ADHD, highlighting the need for more humane, ethical and coherent practices in dealing with diagnoses in childhood.