A fraught parent–child relationship is a common factor in many childhood developmental disorders, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is no exception. Children with ADHD suffer frequent mood swings, display aggressive behaviour and have difficulty managing their impulses – symptoms that can be difficult to distinguish from ‘normal’ misbehaviour. This is exacerbated by the fact that this patient group displays a 30% maturity lag, on average, compared with their peers.