In 1957 Gottfried Mueller founded Salem International in Stuttgart, Germany, an international humanitarian organization actively working for peace throughout the world.

In 1979, Thom and Louise Hartmann founded the New England Salem Children’s Village (NESCV) in New Hampshire, and continued to spread the Salem message of peace and environmental respect.  Since that time, NESCV has served over 250 children here in Rumney, and the village continues to be a leader in treating children with behavioral challenges.

Thom Hartmann introduced the theory of hunters and farmers in his groundbreaking book, Attention Deficit Disorder: A Different Perception, which was first published in the early 1990's.  In its introduction, Thom Hartmann states, "This book is the first I know of to present the idea that ADHD is not always a disorder -- but instead may be a trait of personality and metabolism; that ADHD comes from a specific evolutionary need in the history of humankind; that ADHD can actually be an advantage (depending on the circumstances); and that, through an understanding of the mechanism which led to ADHD's presence in our gene pool, we can recreate our schools and workplaces to not only accommodate ADHD individuals, but allow them to again become the powers behind the cultural, political, and scientific change which they so often historically represented."

The theory of ADHD children is the idea that they are the "hunters" who are able to take in continuous stimuli and react quickly to changing circumstances. Whereas, non-ADHD children are the "farmers" who are patient, methodical, and focused over long periods of time.  Unfortunately for ADHD children, traditional schools teach for the patient "farmers", and not the alert and quick reacting "hunters."

BOOKS BY THOM HARTMANN (click on the image to read more)