This study analyzes the discursive construction of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and self in relation to a socioculturally shared understanding of moral norms. Thirteen Finnish youth aged 11 to 16 diagnosed with ADHD were interviewed during this discourse analysis study. The youth accounted for their culturally undesirable behavior, performance and traits through three different types of accounts: (1) externalizing personal responsibility due to a compelling medical condition, (2) internalizing personal responsibility through moral self-condemnation, and (3) distancing oneself from the socially imposed stereotypes and stigmas related to ADHD. This study challenges dominant understanding of young people with a diagnosis of ADHD and contributes to our understanding of how ADHD is constructed in their lives.

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In this paper, we report the findings of a critical discourse analysis of the diagnostic criteria for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Hyperkinetic Disorder (HD) in two clinical manuals-the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5 th edition and International Classification of Diseases, 10 th edition. We examine the actions (behaviors) that are said to indicate the presence of ADHD/HD and analyze what the inclusion of these actions reveals about the relationship between ADHD/HD, cultural knowledge and values. Our analysis reveals that both manuals use subjective, value-laden language to construct a mentally ill individual in opposition to an unseen, supposedly 'normal' person. We argue that the current criteria draw into question whether ADHD/HD meets the manuals' own definitions of a disorder and further, that the discourse of the manuals are intertwined with the everyday practices of schools and serve to legitimize status quo educational practices.

Power struggle, submission and partnership: Agency constructions of mothers of children with ADHD diagnosis in their narrated school involvement Honkasilta, Juho; Vehkakoski, Tanja; Vehmas, Simo Honkasilta, J., Vehkakoski, T., & Vehmas, S. (2015). Power struggle, submission and partnership: Agency constructions of mothers of children with ADHD diagnosis in their narrated school involvement. Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research, 59 (6), 674-690. doi:10.1080Research, 59 (6), 674-690. doi:10. /00313831.2014 AbstractThe contemporary education paradigm highlights the interdependency of home and school expertise, yet the school institution possesses and exercises power over parental involvement. This discourse analysis study examines the narrated agentive possibilities of 18 Finnish mothers of children diagnosed with ADHD to influence and be involved in their child's schooling. The results show that the mothers exhibited a strong, yet forced, will to participate, mainly due to lack of confidence in teachers' knowledge of ADHD and ability to treat their children as other than 'disorderly'. Additionally, our analysis reveals a gap between the mothers' narrated potential agency as a 'good mother' fighting for her child's well-being and their actual capability to be involved as intended due to unequal institutional power relations between home and school. This study sheds light on the shared educational responsibilities of the home and school, and the role the ADHD label plays in educational social practices.