A conceptual model of child psychopathology: Implications for understanding attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and treatment efficacy

Highlights the desirability of using a theoretical framework for guiding th e design and evaluation of therapeutic interventions for children with atte ntion deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). A general conceptual model is introduced and used to evaluate ADHD treatment outcome research. Treatments designed to target the substrate level (pharmacological interventions) res ult in broad, robust improvement in both core and peripheral areas of funct ioning. Those targeting hypothesized core features of the disorder (i. e., attention, impulsivity-hyperactivity) produce corresponding improvement in core and peripheral outcome measures with the exception of studies employin g cognitive-behavior therapy. Those targeting peripheral features of the di sorder effect change only in corresponding peripheral areas of functioning. Implications for clinical practice are discussed, and an alternative conce ptual model of ADHD is introduced and compared with existing models.