Abstract
The purpose of this article is to examine current theories and concepts concerning children with concentration difficulties and hyper‐activity from a perspective of the sociology of knowledge. The material on which the study is based is popular science writing on the subject. The examination reveals theories and concepts, which carry definite traits of socio‐pathological thought. The danger of social pathology becoming an ideology furthering conformity is discussed. Finally a sketch of a model of understanding, which has as its starting point deviant behavior as a carrier of social meaning, is drawn.