The articles presented in this thesis examined issues of identification and perception of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in a sample of 38 boys with ADHD and 43 comparison boys without ADHD. The boys were recruited from local schools in the Montreal area as well as through the community. In Article 1, the positive illusory bias was explored in the area of attention using two different tasks in order to improve our understanding of the self-perceptions of boys with ADHD. Some evidence for positive illusions was found in that boys with ADHD estimated performance at the same level as the comparison group despite performing significantly worse. Additionally, on the Conners' Continuous Performance Test-II (C-CPT-II), significantly more boys with ADHD overestimated their performance than comparison boys. However, because the majority of the boys underestimated their performance, it is suggested that in unfamiliar situations boys with ADHD do not exhibit positive illusions to the same extent as in familiar situations. In Article 2, the perceptions of ADHD reported by others were examined in relation to an objective measure of attention. Through this, the validity of the C-CPT-II was also examined. Parent and teacher ratings of boys with ADHD were compared to boys' performance on the C-CPT-II. Parents completed the Conners' Parent Rating Scale-Revised (CPRS-R) and the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and teachers completed the Conners' Teacher Rating Scale-Revised (CTRS-R). While both parent and teacher ratings on the CPRS-R and the CTRS-R respectively showed significant correlations with performance, teachers' ratings had the highest correlations with the errors of the C-CPT-II. Only the externalizing total T score rating on the CBCL was correlated with performance on the C-CPT-II. Additionally, boys with ADHD performed significantly more poorly than comparison boys on the C-CPT-II. However, there was no significant difference between the performance of boys with ADHD and boys with learning disabilities or between boys with learning disabilities and comparison boys. Using discriminate function analysis, the C-CPT-II was able to correctly classify 72% of the participants into either an ADHD or comparison group. The final discussion centres on this research programme's contribution to the field.

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Recent genetic studies indicate an association between Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and the dopamine transporter gene (DAT1) with possible preferential relation to hyperactivity and impulsivity behaviours. The present study investigated attention-related behaviours in a non-clinical sample to determine whether the modulation of these behaviours is associated with genetic variability of the DAT1 within the normal population. A secondary question explored whether gender was associated with the measured attention-related behaviours. Twenty-six children were observed in the classroom during performance of independent academic work. Motor behaviours during task performance were scored using the Restricted Academic Situation Scale. Major behavioural problems were scored using the Conners' Teacher Rating Scale-Revised: Short Form (CTRS-R:S). All participants were genotyped for the DAT1. The results yielded no significant genotype group differences, although an association was found between oppositional behaviour (CTRS-R:S) and gender. These preliminary results are discussed within the current context of genetics research in ADHD.

Objective. To examine the profile of executive function (EF) performance in children diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) as function of their subtypes and comorbid disorders. Methods. Two hundred and eighteen, 6-12 year old children clinically diagnosed with ADHD were characterised according to their clinical profile. Various EF domains were assessed while children were not on medication. General cognitive performance was assessed using Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children. Results. 54.1% of children were diagnosed with combined subtype, 34.9% with inattentive subtype and 11% with hyperactive subtype. Significant age difference was found in ADHD subtype distribution and significant age and IQ difference was found in EF performance. After controlling for age and IQ no association was found between EF and ADHD subtypes or EF and comorbid disorders. Conclusion. These results indicate that age and IQ play an important role in cognitive task performance.

This study examined three areas related to attention in primary school-aged children to answer the following questions: Are there a distinct neuropsychological differences for young children referred by teachers as lacking in attention compared to those not lacking in attention? Are there advantages to using neuropsychological measures of attention over behaviour rating scales and observations in preschool or early grade school population? Can these same neuropsychological tools evaluate the effectiveness of music with children that have attention problems? / There were 24 participants in this study, 12 children rated as having attention problems by their teacher and 12 children in the control group. Participants age ranged from 5 years 0 months to 6 years 11 months. All the children were of average intelligence, and were attending an English school or preschool within the greater Montreal Area. Participants served as their own controls for the music conditions. Participants were nested within group and order for the four treatment conditions. / Findings indicated that attention difficulties not only affect behaviour, attention, and inhibition, but also influence cognitive processes in language, memory, and visual perceptual abilities especially visual motor precision. Neuropsychological tests were useful in the assessment of children's attention difficulties and could be used to differentiate attention problems that are strictly behavioural from those that are more likely the result of neuropsychological deficits. For children with attention problems environment and music had limited effects on neuropsychological variables. Rock and roll increased children's ability to sustain visual attention if they were classified as having an attention problem. It did not have this effect for children without attention problems. Gross motor inhibition is also affected by rock and roll, but only for boys who have attention problems. Higher level interactions with gender were found in overall neuropsychological functioning and with respect to music. School based interventions must be based not only on behaviour but also on cognitive deficits; early intervention is important to this process.

Although the behavioral phenotype of disorders such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and reading disability (RD) are well established, to date, few studies have assessed the association between the core cognitive characteristics implicated in each disorder. And fewer yet have addressed this in a sample of typically developing preschool and young school age children when such skills are developing and maturing. The present study focused on providing a typical trajectory of attentional and inhibitory performance alongside delay aversion and their association with naming speed, a basic cognitive process involved in the acquisition of later reading skills. Alongside the developmental characteristics of these cognitive domains, the results indicate an association between rapid naming deficits and poor attentional and inhibitory control. The results further suggest distinct association between attentional control, inhibitory control, naming speed and poor attention ratings. These findings have implications for pedagogical planning for children with ADHD and RD.

Bakgrund: Personer med Attention- Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) har ofta svårigheter att hantera sin vardag på många olika plan. Arbetsterapeutisk behandling syftar till att underlätta det dagliga livet och därmed minska svårigheterna som personer med ADHD upplever i sin vardag. Syfte: Syftet med denna studie är att beskriva arbetsterapeutiska åtgärder samt dess effekt och betydelse för personer med personer med ADHD. Metod: Studien är en litteraturöversikt där både kvalitativ och kvantitativ forskning ingår. Sökningen efter aktuell forskning utfördes i databaserna Cinahl och PsycInfo. Totalt 11 artiklar uppfyllde urvalskriterierna. Interventionerna i studierna kategoriserades efter liknande innehåll. Resultat: Interventionskategorierna syftade på att förbättra den sociala och motoriska färdigheten, anpassa miljön, förändra aktivitetsutförandet och att ge psykoeduktiv behandling till omgivningen. Den främst använda interventionskategorin är social färdighetsträning och känslokontroll. Ett flertal av de arbetsterapeutiska interventionerna riktas samtidigt mot en eller flera kategorier, som en del av den arbetsterapeutiska behandlingen. Resultatet av denna studie visar att arbetsterapeutisk behandling kan minska svårigheterna från ADHD och hjälper klienterna i det dagliga livet. Slutsats: Betydelsen av en flerdimensionell arbetsterapeutisk behandling framkommer tydligt i denna studie. Även en enskild arbetsterapeutisk intervention har effekt och påverkan inom flera aktivitetsområden.

Some children exhibit inattentive, and perhaps also hyperactive and Impulsive behaviour In the classroom at a very frequent and severe level. These behavioural characteristics are reflected in the criteria for the diagnosis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Children with ADHD have been found to achieve lower grades at school than their peers. This study investigated the extent to which pupils with severe ADHD symptoms, but not necessarily diagnosed with the condition, were at risk of similar academic outcomes. The effect of different teaching and classroom management strategies on the concentration and attention of these children were also explored. The reading and mathematics achievements of a large sample of pupils were assessed at the start of reception, the end of reception and then again at the end of key stage 1. Class teachers assessed the behaviour of these pupils at the end of reception using a rating scale based upon the diagnostic criteria for ADHD in Version 4 of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders (American Psychiatric Association, 1994).The proportion of children with severe ADHD symptoms was found to be similar to previous estimates of the prevalence of children with each sub-type of ADHD derived from teacher assessments, but higher than the rates of prevalence of ADHD published by the American Psychiatric Association (1994).The reading and mathematics attainment and value-added of children with severe ADHD symptoms were found to be educationally and statistically significantly lower than their peers. The data replicated previous studies that had investigated the achievement of children with ADHD.

Specific strategic control (executive) processes were investigated in 17 boys with ADHD and 18 normal control boys, ages 9--13 years, using a paradigm combining the Warned Reaction Time and Stimulus-Response Compatibility tasks. The length and constancy of the preparatory interval (PI) were manipulated in order to study preparatory processes associated with prediction and temporal adjustment. Compared to control boys, boys with ADHD had particular difficulty with long, fixed, and short, variable preparatory intervals, suggesting problems with the strategic control of response preparation and adaptation to temporal changes. Heart rate deceleratory patterns recorded during the PI indicated that impaired active, accurate, prediction played a major role in the preparatory deficit. The study also manipulated compatibility and predictability of response demands in order to assess inhibitory processes and the ability to shift flexibly between changing response demands. Boys with ADHD had particular difficulty shifting flexibly between compatible and incompatible responding, indicating a problem with strategic response adjustment. Findings also suggested possible difficulties with the allocation of consistent, effortful attention and the inhibition of inappropriate responding. In addition, interactions were also observed in the ADHD group between the strategic and inhibitory measures. Overall, the findings supported Douglas's (1988; 1999) conceptualization of ADHD as involving a self-regulatory deficiency consisting of interacting strategic, effortful, and inhibitory components. The study also addressed the question of whether Sanders' (1983) cognitive-energetic model, which has been used widely in studies of ADHD, can deal adequately with the cognitive difficulties associated with ADHD. The findings indicated that the model has not been developed adequately to deal with the kinds of higher level processing deficits that were identified in the ADHD group. In addition, in

The research examines the relationship between the two variables Attention- Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (A-D/HD) and Locus of Control in boys identified with A- D/HD.The major issues addressed are: the extent to which attentional deficit predicts external Locus of Control and the effect of a cognitive-behavioural intervention on boys with A- D/HD and a highly externalised Locus of Control. Reducing the externality of Locus of Control is seen as an innovative means of addressing some behavioural aspects of A-D/HD.The study involved 77 A-D/HD boys with A-D/HD and 23 boys who were not A-D/HD, but who demonstrated similar levels of disruptive behaviours, from schools in Western Australia. Australian norms were established for the Locus of Control instrument (CNS-IE) using 300 male classmates of the participants.Each boy was assessed by parents and teachers on established measures of A-D/HD (the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and the Attention Deficit Disorders Evaluation Scale (ADDES)). The boys completed the CNS-IE both before and after the intervention. The boys with A-D/HD were medicated with Dexamphetamine or Ritalin, as prescribed by an appropriate medical practitioner.The association of A-D/HD diagnostic subtypes, (Predominantly Inattentive Type, Predominantly Hyperactive Type, Combined Type) with Locus of Control was also investigated.The results demonstrate that a significant (p < 0.001) correlation exists between attention deficit (assessed by the two parallel measures, CBCL and ADDES) and Locus of Control. The Locus of Control of boys with A-D/HD was significantly (p < 0.001) more external than that of the non-A-D/HD boys. This finding held true for each of the three A-D/HD subtypes when they were compared to the non-A-D/HD group.Participation in the cognitive behavioural intervention (the Stop, Think, Do program) significantly (p < 0.001) reduced the level ++ / of externality of Locus of Control in all groups of subjects.The research also examined the relationship between parents and teachers ratings of the same individual's behaviour. Ratings were found to be highly consistent between both groups. Parent ratings of inattention appear to be particularly salient both in identifying boys with an associated external Locus of Control and as an indicator of A-D/HD.The results of the research support the use of appropriate cognitive behavioural interventions in addressing self-regulation and responsibility, the central issues put forward in the Behavioural Disinhibition model of A-D/HD.Implications for the management of A-D/HD in the long term are also addressed. A multi- modal model involving medication and two stages of cognitive-behavioural intervention is recommended, where a cognitive behavioural intervention is used initially to develop a more internal Locus of Control, this being followed by a reframing program to sustain and develop more adaptive perceptions and behaviours.