Journal of Attention Disorders

This study examined differences in patterns of cognitive functioning, as assessed by the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Third Revision (WISC-III) and Wide Range Assessment of Memory and Learning (WRAML), in 20 boys with ADHD and 20 boys referred for other psychological problems. The two groups were comparable in age (6 to 13 years) and WISC-III Full-Scale IQ. The ADHD group showed significantly lower scores on the WISC-III Freedom from Distractibility Index and the WRAML General Memory Index, Learning Index, and Visual Memory Index. Patterns of index scores and subtest scores, interpreted with relation to Atkinson and Shiffrin's Store Model of Memory, indicated that ADHD children show special problems on tasks requiring attention and processing through initial stages of memory. However, once material gets beyond initial stages to the long-term store, ADHD children tend to retain and apply the information as well as other children.

The present study reports on the prevalence of the DSM-IV symptoms for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in a sample of 720 adults applying for or renewing their driver's licenses in central Massachusetts (ages 17-84 years). Symptoms were assessed using two self- report rating scales: One for current symptoms and a second for retrospective recall of child hood symptoms (ages 5-12 yrs.). Three age groups were created: 17-29, 30-49, and 50+ years. All scores and symptom counts for both scales declined significantly with age for both disorders. Males and females did not differ significantly on scores for current symptoms. However, for recall of childhood symptoms, males obtained higher scores than females. Requiring that DSM-IV diagnostic thresholds be met for both current and childhood symptoms, the prevalence of adult ADHD was found to be 1.3% for the Inattentive Type, 2.5% for the Hyperactive-Impulsive Type, and 0.9% for the Combined Type. The prevalence of all subtypes was below that found in most studies of children. While these results imply that ADHD subtypes may be less prevalent in adults, the lower prevalence could also have been due to DSM-IV diagnostic thresholds being too restrictive (i.e., >99th percentile) for use in the diagnosis of adults with ADHD. Further research is recommended to evaluate whether future DSMs should consider establishing thresholds that are developmentally (age) referenced rather than fixed across the lifespan.

It is widely believed that children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) display a core deficit in their ability to sustain attention. Empirical support is primarily based on tasks which purport to measure this construct (e.g., the Continuous Performance Task; CPT). However, there exists a lack of converging evidence in this research literature. The aim of the present study was to: 1) determine if children with ADHD evidenced a sustained attention deficit as defined by both poorer performance as well as a differential vigilance decrement on a pre-selected CPT; and 2) examine the nature of these sustained attention deficits in relation to a motivation/compliance hypothesis. The results indicated that the ADHD children could be con sidered to display a sustained attention deficit based on the pre-selected CPT (i.e., they evi denced poorer performance and a differential vigilance decrement over time). However, this deficit in sustained attention could not be accounted for by motivational issues.

This study compared the reading comprehension abilities of 21 children with Attention-deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), to 21 carefully matched peers who did not have ADHD. To focus on the effect of ADHD on reading comprehension, variables known to affect this skill were controlled (word identification) or measured (word attack, reading speed, vocabulary, background knowledge). Children with ADHD obtained lower reading comprehension test scores than did peers without this disorder. However, results failed to support the hypotheses that there would be an interaction between group membership (ADHD and non- ADHD) and level of reading comprehension (macroprocessing versus microprocessing), and that children with ADHD would have difficulty monitoring the accuracy of their comprehension. Instructional, assessment, and theoretical implications of these findings were discussed.