To find if video enjoyment was deeper for people with ADHD (attention deficit/hyperactive disorder) than for their non-ADHD peers, subjects with ADHD, and without, had their eye movement tracked during video exposure to determine average saccade rates. I interviewed subjects using pre-tested statements to establish periods of flow state (a measure of enjoyment). Results indicate that there is a deeper sense of enjoyment for people with ADHD, as subjects with ADHD passed a greater average time in flow state during video consumption (27% compared to 21%). Furthermore, the effects of flow state on the eye movement of those with ADHD was much greater than the effects of flow state on the eye movement of the non-ADHD control group. Average saccade rates jumped up 0.15 saccades per second when comparing out-of-flow to in-flow states for the ADHD group, while the average saccade rate for the non-ADHD group increased only 0.03 saccades per second when comparing out-of-flow to in-flow states. This helps further understanding of why people with ADHD consume more screen time than their non-ADHD peers; they may be more inclined to choose video consumption as an activity since the enjoyment they receive from video consumption is deeper and more frequent.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by difficulty paying attention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity. Diagnosis of ADHD rose 42% from 2003–2004 to 2011–2012. In 2011, 3.5 million children were treated with drugs. Optimizing therapy can take a year, and may not be completely effective. A clinical trial is currently being conducted of a device/drug combination using the computer game Minecraft, to determine how certain activities affect executive function, working memory, and restraint in patients diagnosed with ADHD. The human subjects’ responses are being modeled using artificial neural networks (ANNs), an artificial intelligence method that can be utilized to interpret highly complex data. We propose using ANNs to optimize drug and Minecraft therapy for individual patients based on the initial NICHQ Vanderbilt assessment scores. We are applying ANNs in the development of computational models for executive function deficiencies in ADHD. These models will then be used to develop a therapeutic video game as a drug/device combination with stimulants for the treatment of ADHD symptoms in Fragile X Syndrome. As a first step towards the design of virtual subjects with executive function deficits, computational models of the core executive functions working memory and fluid intelligence were constructed. These models were combined to create healthy control and executive function-deficient virtual subjects, who performed a Time Management task simulation that required the use of their executive functions to complete. The preliminary working memory model utilized a convolutional neural network to identify handwritten digits from the MNIST dataset, and the fluid intelligence model utilized a basic recurrent neural network to produce sequences of integers in the range 1-9 that can be multiplied together to produce the number 12. A simplified Impulsivity function was also included in the virtual subject as a first step towards the future inclusion of the core executive function inhibition.

Multisensory environments facilitate behavioral functioning in humans. The redundant signal effect (RSE) refers to the observation that individuals respond more quickly to stimuli when information is presented as multisensory, redundant stimuli rather than as a single stimulus presented to either modality alone. Our studies show that the disinhibiting effects of alcohol are attenuated when stop signals are multisensory versus unisensory. The present study expanded on this research to test the degree to which multisensory stop signals could also attenuate the disinhibiting effects of alcohol in those with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a clinical population characterized by poor impulse control. The study compared young adults with ADHD with healthy controls and examined the acute impairing effect of alcohol on response inhibition to stop signals that were presented as a unisensory stimulus or a multisensory stimulus. For controls, results showed alcohol impaired response inhibition to unisensory stop signals but not to multisensory stop signals. Response inhibition of those with ADHD was impaired by alcohol regardless of whether stop signals were unisensory or multisensory. The failure of multisensory stimuli to attenuate alcohol impairment in those with ADHD highlights a specific vulnerability that could account for heightened sensitivity to the disruptive effects of alcohol.

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), the most commonly diagnosed childhood neurobehavioral disorder, is increasing annually at about 5% per year. ADHD has been diagnosed in approximately 6.4 billion children in the U.S., and it is estimated that 66% of those afflicted have 1 or more comorbid conditions. Children with ADHD are often from socioeconomically challenged households. What is unclear from the literature is the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES), defined as education, employment, and income and the reporting of comorbidities with ADHD. The problem is that children with ADHD from low SES households may be reporting a higher prevalence of comorbid conditions, which can lead to misdiagnosis, improper treatment, and greater financial burden for families and the public health system. The purpose of this quantitative, descriptive, nonexperimental study was to examine the relationship between household SES and the reporting of a comorbidity (anxiety, depression, behavioral issues) in children with ADHD by analyzing secondary data from the National Survey of Children's Health (N = 99,677). Ecological systems theory guided this study which is based on the premise that individuals encounter many environments in their lives and these environments can impact health and well-being. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that parental education level, employment, and household income were significantly associated with the reporting of comorbidities for children with ADHD. This research may lead to positive social change by allowing resources to be allocated to low SES households of children with ADHD to decrease the number of children developing comorbid conditions.

Theses (M.A.) (Clinical Psychology) --University of Limpopo, 2008 / Background: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders (ADHD) is a common neurodevelopmental behavioural disorder among school–age children, which in most cases continues into adolescence and adulthood and is mainly characterized by inattentiveness, hyperactivity and impulsiveness. The aim of the study was to establish the relationship between ADHD symptoms and risk taking behaviours (safety, alcohol use, tobacco use, dagga use, drug use, and sexual activity) in adolescents. Method: A total of 100 male participants (without a clinical diagnosis) participated in the study. The participants were assessed on a battery consisting of the BSSA (Barkley‟s Symptoms Scale for Adolescents), YRBS (Youth Risk Behaviour Scale) and neuropsychological tests which measure response inhibition (GoStop Task) and executive function (Wisconsin Card Sorting Test). The ADHD scores on BSSA have been correlated with scores on the YRBS as well as with the scores obtained on the WCST and the Go-Stop Task. The results were analysed using the Pearson-r to show a relationship between ADHD symptoms and risk taking behaviours. Result:: Conclusion: There is a significant although weak relationship between ADHD symptoms and most risk taking behaviours in a population of non- impaired adolescents.

Thesis (M.A. (Clinical Psychology)) --University of Limpopo (Turfloop Campus), 2005 / The aim of this study was to establish whether children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity show deficits in cognitive impulsiveness and motor functions, caused by a hypofunctioning dopamine system. A group of 84 primary school children, 42 classified as ADHD and 42 controls, matched for age, gender and SES, with children without ADHD symptomatology, were compared on their performance on neuropsychological tests which test the functions of the cortical areas supplied by two dopamine branches, the meso-cortical and nigrostriatal branches. The battery consisted of the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, the Grooved Pegboard, and the Maze Coordination Task. The results of the tests were analysed as a function of gender and ADHD-subtypes. In the majority of tests the clinical groups performed worse than the control groups. This was the case for both genders. The Hyperactive/Impulsive and Combined subtypes consistently performed poorer than the other groups. The results indicate that children with ADHD are more impulsive (deficient executive functions) and have poorer motor control than their control counterparts, which may be an indication of dopamine dysfunction.

Orientador: Regina de Cássia Rondina / Banca: Raul Aragão Martins / Banca: Associada Rita Melissa Lepre / Resumo: O Transtorno de Déficit de Atenção e Hiperatividade (TDAH) é um tema atual que pode interferir no ambiente escolar, principalmente pelos efeitos que pode ocasionar. Quando suas características não são devidamente conhecidas e identificadas, a criança pode sofrer prejuízos, afetando seu desempenho cognitivo, emocional e social, na escola, na família e com seus pares. As transformações do mundo moderno expõem as crianças a uma grande variedade de estímulos. E ao se depararem com o ambiente escolar, muitos comportamentos ou características infantis podem ser confundidos com o real diagnóstico de TDAH. O grande aumento de diagnósticos desse transtorno em crianças em idade escolar resultou no aumento considerável de medicalização nos últimos anos. Nessa perspectiva de mudanças socioculturais, destaca-se a importância da família na formação afetiva e moral da criança, pois a estrutura familiar proporciona melhorias no desenvolvimento psicológico, como segurança, controle emocional e autoestima. O objetivo deste trabalho foi conhecer as concepções dos docentes de uma escola da Rede Municipal de Educação em São José do Rio Preto-SP sobre as características comportamentais de crianças que indicam a presença do transtorno e sobre a medicalização em alunos na instituição. Foi realizado um levantamento do número de diagnósticos de TDAH e o registro de medicalização utilizada pelas crianças em idade escolar na instituição. Como fundamento para a pesquisa, foi realizado um levantamento... / Abstract: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a current topic that can interfere with the school environment, mainly due to its effects. When their characteristics are not properly known and identified, the child can suffer damages, affecting their cognitive, emotional and social performance, at school, in the family and with their peers. The transformations of the modern world expose children to a wide variety of stimuli. And when faced with the school environment, many behaviors or characteristics of children may be confused with the actual diagnosis of ADHD. The large increase in diagnoses of this disorder in school-aged children results in a considerable increase in medicalization recently. In this perspective of sociocultural changes, the importance of the family in the affective and moral formation of the child stands out, since the family structure provides improvements in the psychological development, as security, emotional control and self-esteem. The objective of this work was to know the conceptions of the teachers of a school of the Municipal Education Network in São José do Rio Preto-SP on behavioral characteristics of children that indicate the presence of the disorder and on the medicalization in students in the institution. A survey was made of the number of ADHD diagnoses and the medical record used by school-age children at the institution. As a basis for this research, a bibliographic survey of authors in the areas of education and psychology was ... / Mestre

Extensive research on Theory of Mind (ToM) development in various clinical groups has shown that the ToM deficits evidenced in individuals with autism is variable and not specific to this population. With the often noted positive associations between ToM and ; a/.executive functioning, b/.social relationships, and c/.language development, a clinical group requiring investigation of the ToM development is children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD), as they generally experience significant difficulties in these areas. Currently, however there is only a very limited and generally disparate body of knowledge about these children’s ToM functioning gleaned from small sample sizes with broad age ranges, typically consisting of unidentified AD/HD Subtypes and mainly utilising traditional ToM tasks. The purpose of this study was to address these issues by a/. examining Tom development in young children diagnosed with AD/HD Predominantly Hyperactive-Impulsive Type (AD/HD-HI) or AD/HD Combined Type (AD/HD-C) only; b/. utilising a larger sample size than previous research in this area, specifically around the critical age periods of first and second order ToM development; c/. examining the developmental progression of ToM development in young children with AD/HD; and d/. utilising a comprehensive range of traditional first and second order tasks and ToM related narrative tasks. Strengths and limitations of the present study are identified, the clinical implications coming from the present study’s findings are discussed, and directions for future research are proposed. / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Thesis (M.A. (Human Movement Science))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007.

Thesis (M.Ed.)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2005.