Sarah O'Neill

Dr. Sarah O'Neill is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at the City College of New York, where she leads the Attention & Neuropsychological Development (ATTEND!) Lab. Her work focuses on Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), particularly examining how neuropsychological and environmental factors influence symptom trajectories and adaptive functioning across childhood and adulthood. She investigates predictors of ADHD persistence, develops non-pharmacological interventions, and studies the interplay between executive functioning, temperament, and psychosocial outcomes.

Her research emphasizes longitudinal studies, combining clinical and developmental perspectives to address disparities in ADHD diagnosis and intervention efficacy. Key areas include prenatal stress impacts on child behavior, school-entry age effects on ADHD trajectories, and music training’s role in emotion regulation among adults with ADHD. Dr. O'Neill’s work bridges basic science and applied interventions, aiming to improve early detection and evidence-based care for neurodevelopmental disorders.

Her team’s projects highlight innovative methods such as meta-analyses of prospective data and randomized clinical trials for preschool ADHD interventions. Despite no explicitly listed awards, her contributions are evident through high-impact publications addressing understudied populations like urban and ethnically diverse groups. She collaborates on interdisciplinary projects spanning environmental health, epigenetics, and educational policy to inform preventive strategies for neurodevelopmental challenges.