A conceptual model has recently been hypothesized in which parallel but correlated
developmental pathways exist for attention deficit behaviors and conduct problems. An
important component of this model suggests that attention deficit behaviors are related to
later scholastic underachievement, whereas conduct problems are unrelated to scholastic
underachievement except by their common correlation with attention deficit and intelligence.
The present study replicated the general model using a cross-sectional sample of 325
children, and examined whether hypothesized dual pathways (behavioral and cognitive)
better account for the relationship between attention deficit, intelligence, and later scholastic
achievement. Results of the structural equation modeling analysis were consistent with the
hypothesized dual pathway model and suggest that school behavior and select cognitive
abilities serve as important mediators between attention deficit, intelligence, and later
scholastic achievement. Implications of these results for understanding the developmental
trajectory of children with attention deficit and general theoretical models of ADHD are
discussed.