This paper is a contribution to the debate on the phenomenon of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). It explores how and why the discourses surrounding the aetiology and interventions are dominated by a bio-medical understanding of ADHD. Competing discourses are examined, particularly those marginalised because they do not support the…

In this paper, the authors highlight features of the social and cultural context which surrounds services to children. Emphasis is given to the point that those who work with children exist within the same cultural landscape occupied by the children, parents and other parents. Whilst this landscape is diverse, it contains certain dominant,…

This paper outlines the findings of a study of young people's and parents' experiences and perspectives of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) from five positions: the 'symptoms' of ADHD and their consequences, the process of diagnosis and treatment, interventions, a personal diagnosis, and participation and voice. It questions the…

Classroom battles are real and not a metaphor. Warfare is a historical and present fact of human life. Life really is a battle and conflict inevitable; injuries to the psyche are just as real as those to the body. Schools cannot step outside society. It is not Foucault but Thomas Hobbes who offers the most perceptive insight into human behaviour…

Young people in trouble can be seen as passive victims of circumstance who are in need of help; as individuals responsible for their own behavior who need to be punished; or as sufferers from medical conditions who require treatment. This paper will examine the history of policy relating to pupils with social, emotional and behavioral difficulties…

The exclusion of pupils from mainstream and special schools remains a serious issue in the UK despite various initiatives to reduce both the number and the impact of such exclusions. Among those who are consistently over-represented in the exclusion statistics for England are pupils with special educational needs (SEN)--particularly, but not…

In today's heterogeneous classrooms, one-method-fits-all-students behavior management approaches are ineffective and often harmful. To succeed with all of their students, teachers should determine whether students have emotional disorders, conduct/behavior disorders, robust male-typical behavior patterns, culturally influenced behavior, learning…

This article explores the issue of missing from and missing out on education. It argues that too little is known with regard to the characteristics of children and young people missing from schooling. It postulates that many of these pupils will have social, emotional and behavioural difficulties which are largely unrecognized and thus not…

This article draws on psychoanalytic concepts to examine the reality of inclusion for three primary grade children with emotional and behavioral difficulties. Observational material illustrates the impact of inclusion policy on the children, their teachers, the behavior support teacher, and their learning support assistants. Problems arising in…

Discussion of findings of a study in Scotland notes that it was possible to prevent disciplinary exclusion from school, that interagency collaboration was central to this, but that strategies to prevent school exclusion often meant young people were not very fully included in the mainstream curriculum. Relevant differences in policy and practice…

This article uses the framework of attachment theory to describe a behavior pattern, the anxious resistant/ambivalent attachment pattern. Examples from educational practice illustrate the condition. Possible intervention approaches are suggested. (Contains references.) (Author/DB)

This article considers how the psychoanalytic concept of transference shapes relationships between teachers and students by integrating narrative case studies with a literature review. It provides an overview of transference concepts as they emerge in the context of clinical psychoanalysis and human development with implications for classroom…

Partially written by a British student with Asperger syndrome, this article recounts the student's experiences of being excluded from a mainstream school due to the school's inability to respond adequately to recurring epileptic seizures. The article suggests that inclusive schools must change to meet students' individual needs and encourage…