The purpose of the study was to examine the use of the Bender Gestalt Test Second Edition (BGT-II) with children diagnosed with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Previous research has examined the relationship of ADHD and visual-motor functioning based on overall developmental scores or specific "emotional indicators." Although several of these studies have examined the relationship of the previous edition of the BGT and ADHD symptoms, methodological problems, a lack of a clear theoretical rationale, and psychometric problems associated with the original edition, limit the validity and generalizability of these results.This study sought to examine the utility of the revised edition of the BGT, the BGT-II, in the assessment of behaviors associated with ADHD. Based upon a broad theory of ADHD (Barkley, 1997b), several hypotheses were made regarding how areas of deficit (e.g., self-regulation, planning, working memory, motor control) were expected to he manifested in BGT-I1 performance. An ADHD group (N = 67) was compared to a control group of normal subjects (N = 100) and a group of subjects diagnosed with mental retardation (N = 59). Additionally, the performances of children diagnosed with subtypes of ADHD were compared in an attempt to clarify the nature of the disorder.The results of the study do not support the use of the BGT-11 in the assessment of ADHD. Although those with ADHD tended to perform more poorly than controls on the BGT-II, these differences disappeared when intellectual level was controlled. Traditional emotional indicators purporting to reflect impulsivity and attention problems also failed to demonstrate their efficacy. With the exception of the indicator Confused Order, they were no more indicative of individuals diagnosed with ADHD than those with no knowndisabilities. The proposed ADHD-related indicators also failed to demonstrate the ability to differentiate between the ADHD group and controls. / Department of Educational Psychology
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:BSU/oai:cardinalscholar.bsu.edu:handle/174776 |
| Date | January 2004 |
| Creators | Allen, Ryan A. |
| Contributors | Gridley, Betty E. |
| Source Sets | Ball State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Format | ix, 136 leaves : ill. ; 28 cm. |
| Source | Virtual Press |
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