The purpose of this study was to determine if attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) subtypes (predominantly hyperactive/impulsive, ADHD-HI; predominantly inattentive, ADHD-IA; combined, ADHD-C) exhibit distinct neuropsychological profiles, using the Attention and Executive Function subtests of the Developmental Neuropsychological Assessment, (NEPSY) and the omission and commission scores obtained on the Conners' Continuous Performance Test-II (CPT-II), a test that assesses attention processes. The sample was selected using archival data collected in a neurodevelopmental clinic over the past decade and consisted of 138 children between the ages of 6 and 12 years old. Using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.) (DSM-IV) criteria, the children were placed in either the ADHD-HI (n = 40), ADHD-IA (n = 35), or ADHD-C (n = 36) group, or a symptom free comparison group (n = 27). It was hypothesized that children with elevations on the impulsivity/ hyperactivity (ADHD-HI and ADHD-C) scale would be impaired on measures of inhibition and those with elevations on the inattention scale (ADHD-IA and ADHD-C) would be impaired on tests of attention, vigilance, and other executive functions. A one-way multivariate analyses of variance (MANOVA) was conducted (Group X Task), with significant results for overall main effect for group on the 7 dependent variables post hoc tests using the Tukey's honestly significant difference (HSD) revealed the following: the ADHD-HI group scored significantly lower on tests that require behavioral inhibition processes (Knock and Tap, Statue and CPT-Commission errors). The ADHD-IA group scored significantly lower on tests of problem-solving and planning (Tower) but not on tests of attention as was expected. The ADHD-C group scored significantly lower on tests of inhibition, attention, and other executive functions (Auditory Attention Response Set, Visual Attention, Tower, Knock and Tap, Statue, and CPT-Omission and CPT-Commission errors). Overall results suggest that the NEPSY Attention and Executive Function subtests are able to differentiate ADHD subtypes. Recommendations for future research are discussed.

The purpose of the study was to explore sensory processing patterns with children ages 5 to 12 years who are diagnosed with two subtypes of ADHD, inattention and hyperactive- impulsive and with children who do not have ADHD. The study delineated children with ADHD from a control group of children without ADHD and how sensory processing issues affect the population with ADHD. The participants were parents or caregivers of children aged 5 to 12 years diagnosed with ADHD and parents or caregivers of children aged 5 to 12 years without a diagnosis of ADHD. The participants totaled 45 with 26 participants in the ADHD group and 19 participants in the non ADHD group. Parents or caregivers completed the SSP Caregiver Questionnaire, the Sensory Processing Measure [SPM], and the Connors Parent Rating Scale-Revised: Short Form. The independent t-test was the statistical procedure used to determine whether the means of the ADHD and non-ADHD groups were statistically different from each other. A Pearson correlation was calculated to measure the degree of association between the children with ADHD and non-ADHD with the types of sensory processing patterns. Finding suggested that children who score high on these ADHD scales have more sensory processing difficulties. Children with hyperactivity ADHD scored a significantly higher mean then children with inattention on an auditory subtest and on a under responsive subtest. Children with inattentive ADHD scored a significantly higher mean than children with hyperactivity on a touch subtest. / Occupational Therapy

No description available.