Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder has been appointed as the current justification for the scholastic failings of a significant number of children, who are attributed responsibility for not learning and the school and the society in which they find themselves being exempt from analysis. The situation becomes much more alarming as the literature about it points out the difficulty of diagnosing and intervening in this type of disorder due to a lack of clarity about what its clinical symptoms are and the non-existence of consistent studies about the future consequences of the use of stimulants in children. To discuss these issues, the first part of the article presents the hegemonic concept of the disorder and its understanding of the child’s psyche. The second one deals with the way in which historical and cultural psychology analyses the development of attention and the voluntary control of human behavior, by given a new dimension to the understanding of the disorder. Finally, some reflections are offered about the teaching-learning process in children with partial development of superior psychological functions, as well as and the role of psychology and teaching in understanding this phenomenon so that they can provide support for the practical measures to be adopted with regard to the problem.
ATENTION-DEFICIT; HIPERACTIVITY; VYGOTSKY; TEACHING
