Heterogeneity in Clinical Symptoms and Cognitive Functioning of Children with Hyperactivity-Impulsivity and Inattention: Dimensional and Person-Centered Perspectives

The goal of this study was to investigate heterogeneity in clinical symptoms and cognitive functioning among children with hyperactivity-impulsivity and inattention using a novel approach that combined dimensional and person-centered perspectives. Executive, verbal and visuo-spatial functioning, hyperactivity-impulsivity, inattention, externalizing and internalizing symptoms were examined in 102 children (37 girls and 65 boys) at risk for ADHD and 62 children (31 girls and 31 boys) not at risk for ADHD in the age range of 8–10 years. We extracted seven groups with various profiles of psychopathological symptoms and cognitive functioning. We propose that symptoms of inattention and hyperactivity-impulsivity in these groups are related to different cognitive and affective-motivational problems.