This paper presents my own personal perspective on the challenging behaviour of my son, and my attempt to theorise about that behaviour using the work on ‘temperament’. The history of ‘attention and behaviour problems’ is briefly outlined, culminating in the most recent work on neuropsychological factors. The paper then considers the ways that various approaches assign the blame/responsibility for ‘problems’ to different locations, including the individual child, the family, and the wider social context. Consideration is given also to the connections between ADHD and gender.
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