"Ingen människa är bara en diagnos" : ADHD-diagnosens betydelse inom familjehemsvård ur socialsekreterares perspektiv.

Sammanfattning: The aim of this study is to examine social workers’ experiences of how the ADHD-diagnosis affects their work with children and youths living in foster care and how it affects the individuals and families themselves. The study is built upon five qualitative interviews and the results are analyzed through a theoretical framework that constitutes ADHD as not only the symptoms and the medical disorder but also as a social phenomenon where the disorder is socially constructed by the current society, norms, and knowledge. The study shows that the social workers’ do not rely on the sole ADHD-diagnosis in the understanding and guidance of the children and their foster parents, but rather see the individual needs of each children. The social workers’ experiences shows that the diagnosis can act as a relief and explanation for both children and their foster parents but can also be a stigma. My overall conclusions are that the diagnosis seems to have only minor significance for these social workers’ daily work and is rather more relevant for obtaining medical treatment or extra support in school for the children.