Ejs. Sonugabarke, CATEGORICAL MODELS OF CHILDHOOD DISORDER - A CONCEPTUAL AND EMPIRICAL-ANALYSIS, Journal of child psychology and psychiatry and allied disciplines, 39(1), 1998, pp. 115-133
In this review we explore the clinical and scientific status of catego
rical models of childhood disorder. Three themes are developed. First,
the practical origins of standardised category-based diagnostic schem
es are examined along with their contemporary philosophical and psycho
logical significance. Next, the impact that these systems have had on
the science of child psychopathology is explored. We look at their lin
k to the medical model and the assumption that childhood disorders are
categorical, endogenous, and dysfunctional in nature. We argue that t
hese assumptions underpin the dominant paradigm in child psychopatholo
gy and so constrain empirical study and theory development. In the fin
al section, the different ways in which researchers have responded to
this link and its impact on science are presented. We present the sort
of scientific realism associated with Meehl (1995) as the most approp
riate basis for a philosophically respectable child psychopathology. F
ollowing this approach means unpacking the paradigmatic assumptions, i
ncluding the assumption of the categorical structure of disorder, into
hypotheses that are then put to empirical test. The sorts of data tha
t would allow us to test the categorical hypothesis are identified. We
conclude by discussing the results from three recent studies using be
haviour genetic analysis of twin data that, in fact, lead us toward a
rejection of this hypothesis. The implications for diagnostic and clin
ical practice of such a rejection are discussed.