ABSTRACT
Cognitive research on individuals with AD/HD has produced a number of theories about the precise nature of the psychological impairment involved in AD/HD. Most of these theories tend to agree on the view that, of the three core features of AD/HD (attentional problems, impulsiveness and hyperactivity), the overriding problem is that of impulse control. It is not the case that children with AD/HD do not want to conform to rules and behave in orderly, organised and co-operative ways. Neither is it the case, necessarily, that they do not know what the desirable form of behaviour is in a given situation (though this should never be taken for granted). Rather, the problem resides in the psychological (cognitive) mechanism of self-regulation. This means that the psychological machinery that we all rely on to stop ourselves from doing things that are not in our best interests can be said to be malfunctioning for the person with AD/HD. In psychological terms people with AD/HD are characterised as experiencing significantly greater problems than most in inhibiting or delaying a behavioural response.
