Barkley’s Model To Explain ADHD
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a childhood-onset disorder. Several have been the explanations that have been given about its origin and development. However, one of them has attracted a lot of attention: the Barkley model.
This disorder has a persistent pattern of inattentive behaviors , over-activity, and difficulty controlling impulses or impulsivity. We are facing one of the most studied disorders in child psychopathology. This is demonstrated by the thousands of articles published on the subject.
Initially, it was based on a medical approach. Later, behavioral, neurocognitive, genetic and social approaches appeared. This has enriched the understanding of this problem. Consider that the dominant approach throughout the first half of the last century was purely medical. ADHD was considered to be caused by a neurological disorder; one alteration was produced by some type of brain injury.
The main symptoms of the disorder were short attention spans, poor concentration, impulsivity, and an inability to delay gratification. All of this used to manifest itself in school problems.
From the medical model to the behavioral model
The lack of evidence for the medical syndrome contributed to the search for a more functional definition of ADHD. Thus, ADHD came to be characterized as a behavioral disorder. According to this approach, excessive activity was the most salient aspect.
However, in 1972 it was argued that the basic deficiency of hyperactive children was not excessive activity. The basic deficiency was his inability to maintain attention and his impulsiveness. Most of the problems children with ADHD experience are the result of insufficient self-regulation.
Current outlook on ADHD
The current perspective on ADHD is reflected in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). It is also reflected in the WHO International Classification of Mental Disorders.
The essential characteristic of this disorder is a persistent pattern of inattention and / or hyperactivity-impulsivity. This pattern is more frequent and severe than that usually seen in people of a similar level of development.
The derived symptoms make adaptation difficult and manifest themselves in specific behavioral characteristics. Its repercussions are negative on cognitive, personal and social development. In addition, they hinder school learning and the daily functioning of the person.
The Barkley model
Research on the origin of ADHD has been predominantly atheoretical, exploratory, and descriptive. Despite the advances, there are still important inconsistencies about the mechanisms that underlie it.
The Barkley model (inhibition model) understands that the basic problem of hyperactive children is a deficit in behavioral inhibition. This deficit would have a negative impact on four neuropsychological functions that depend on behavioral inhibition for their correct execution.
The four executive functions of the Barkley model
These four functions are the following: working memory, self-regulation of motivation and affect, internalization of language and reconstitution (processes of analysis and synthesis). These executive functions in turn influence the motor system, which controls goal-directed behavior.
These functions also affect other neuropsychological systems, such as the sensory, perceptual, linguistic, mnestic, and emotional. Working memory (working memory) allows you to retain information while working on a task, even if the stimulus has disappeared.
The self-regulation deficit of affect, motivation and activation incapacitates children with ADHD to control emotional responses to a specific event. This would cause them to express their emotions in public, on the Barkley model.
The internalization of language is also often delayed in these children. This immaturity in internal language could lead to difficulties for people with ADHD to adopt rule-governed behavior and delayed moral development.
Less mature and less creative game
The deficiency in the reconstitution, analysis and synthesis of behavior would disable the hyperactive child to analyze situations and behaviors, in addition to making it difficult to solve problems. His game is less mature, symbolic and creative. It has been found that they have poorer execution in verbal fluency tasks and that the solutions they contribute to problems are less adequate.
According to Barkley’s model, it would probably also be evident in the execution of non-verbal tasks that require new and complex motor sequences. These four executive functions would in turn influence the motor system.
There are other models developed with the aim of explaining ADHD. Despite the terminological changes and the different emphasis given to specific manifestations of ADHD over time, the fundamental symptoms have hardly changed.
