A rating measure of ADHD-related neuropsychological impairment in children and adolescents: Data from the Cognition and Motivation in Everyday Life (CAMEL) Scale from population and clinical samples.
A new parent-completed questionnaire, the Cognition and Motivation in Everyday Life (CAMEL) scale, was developed to provide a comprehensive assessment of neuropsychological impairment in children related to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) across diverse cognitive, motivational and energetic domains. Its psychometric properties were investigated. A total of 60 items were generated to cover a wide range of putative ADHD-related neuropsychological processes. A clinical (n = 142) and community (n = 810) sample of parents with children between 6 and 16 years of age completed the questionnaire. Data on ADHD symptoms were also collected with a commonly-used, validated parent rating scale to explore the associations between CAMEL scores and dimensional measures of child ADHD and conduct problems. Factor analysis identified six factors which we labeled (i) Cognition, (ii) Self-Direction and Organization, (iii) Effort Engagement, (iv) Arousal Regulation, (v) Motivational Responsiveness, and (vi) Cautiousness. Self-Direction and Organization and Arousal Regulation were the strongest predictors for ADHD symptomatology. Self-Direction and Organization was strongly associated with inattention and Arousal Regulation with hyperactivity-impulsivity symptoms. Parents distinguished between broad neuropsychological domains in reliable and plausible ways, making distinctions between key aspects of functioning. However, the boundaries between these domains did not map directly onto the distinctions drawn within traditional models of ADHD deficits. Further research is required to examine the predictive validity and cost-effectiveness of the CAMEL scale compared to direct objective testing using laboratory measures in predicting prognosis and treatment outcome.
a Research Group Clinical Psychology , Katholieke Universiteit Leuven , Leuven , Belgium.
Dagmar
D
Van Liefferinge
b Institute for Disorders of Impulse and Attention , University of Southampton , Southampton , UK.|c Department of Experimental Clinical and Health Psychology , Ghent University , Ghent , Belgium.
Edmund
E
Sonuga-Barke
a Research Group Clinical Psychology , Katholieke Universiteit Leuven , Leuven , Belgium.
Nady
N
Van Broeck
a Research Group Clinical Psychology , Katholieke Universiteit Leuven , Leuven , Belgium.|f Developmental Psychology , University of Amsterdam , Amsterdam the Netherlands.|g Centre for Cognitive Science , University of Amsterdam , Amsterdam , the Netherlands.
Saskia
S
Van Der Oord
d Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Neurosciences , Katholieke Universiteit Leuven , Leuven , Belgium.|e University Psychiatric Centre, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven , Leuven , Belgium.
Jurgen
J
Lemiere
d Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Neurosciences , Katholieke Universiteit Leuven , Leuven , Belgium.|e University Psychiatric Centre, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven , Leuven , Belgium.
Marina
M
Danckaerts
D000293:Adolescent; D000818:Animals; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D003625:Data Collection; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation / Q000502:physiology*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
Arousal; Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder; CAMEL; Causal heterogeneity; Delay aversion; Effort; Executive function; Memory; Neuropsychological assessment; Reinforcement