Attention profiles in autistic children with and without comorbid hyperactivity and attention problems

2008 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 207-215 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judith Sinzig ◽  
Nicole Bruning ◽  
Dagmar Morsch ◽  
Gerd Lehmkuhl
Keyword(s):  
Sustained Attention ◽  
Divided Attention ◽  
Neuropsychological Functioning ◽  
False Alarms ◽  
Adhd Group ◽  
Healthy Children ◽  
Adhd Symptoms ◽  
Autistic Children ◽  
Significant Group ◽  
Comorbid Adhd

Objective:Psychopathological, neuropsychological and genetic findings indicate an association between ASD Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The goal of this study was to compare the neuropsychological profiles of attention functions in children with ADHD and with ASD and without comorbid ADHD. The hypothesis was that either ADHD and autistic children with comorbid ADHD symptoms were more impaired in inhibition and sustained attention performance and that all individuals with ASD show more deficits in divided attention.Method:Children aged 6 to 18 years old with ADHD (n = 30) or ASD with (n = 21) and without comorbid ADHD (n = 20) and 30 healthy children were included consecutively. Psychopathology was evaluated using the KIDDIE-SADS and symptom checklists for ADHD and ASD according to DSM-IV. Assessed neuropsychological functioning included inhibition, sustained as well as divided attention and alertness tasks.Results:Age and IQ-corrected z-scores were used. Statistically significant group effects were found for the variables sustained attention median (F = 3.2, = .02), hits (F = 3.3, p = .02) and false alarms (F = 3.9, p = .01), divided attention hits (F = 3.3, p = .02), errors (F = 3.1, p = .03) and false alarms (F = 3.3, p = .03) and alertness false alarms (F = 2.9, p = .04). Pearson Correlations revealed associations between ADHD symptoms and sustained attention in the ADHD group and between ADHD symptoms and inhibition in the ASD+ group.Conclusion:Our hypothesis was partly confirmed as ADHD children showed more deficits in sustained attention and ASD children in divided attention tasks. However there was no evidence that children with ASD and comorbid ADHD symptoms have a specific profile in comparison to pure ASD children.

scholarly journals Which Factors Influence Attentional Functions? Attention Assessed by KiTAP in 105 6- to 10-Year-Old Children

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marta Tremolada ◽  
Livia Taverna ◽  
Sabrina Bonichini
Keyword(s):  
Primary School ◽  
Sustained Attention ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Hierarchical Regression ◽  
False Alarms ◽  
Healthy Children ◽  
School Grade ◽  
Attentional Difficulties ◽  
Socio Demographic Factors

This research revealed the children with difficulties in attentional functions in healthy children attending primary school and aimed to identify the possible socio-demographic factors such as child’s age, gender and school’s grade that could influence attentive performance. The participants were 105 children aged 6-10 years (M age=8.6; SD=1.04), 57 females, attending primary schools. Family economic condition attested mostly at a medium level (63.5%) and parents had more frequently 13 years of schooling. The computerized test KiTAP was administered to children to assess attentional functions. Results showed higher frequency of omissions and false alarms and a reduced speed in Alertness, Go/No go and Sustained Attention tasks comparing to Italian norms. A series of hierarchical regression analyses were run with school grade, gender and current age as independent variables and mean reaction times (and standard deviation), number of omissions and of false alarms as dependent ones. Results showed male gender and attending a lower primary school grade impacting on lower attentional performance in several subtests. Females showed the best performances in distractibility and impulsive reaction tendencies tests, while higher school grade positively influenced the divided and sustained attention. These results could be useful to identify children with major attentional difficulties and some recommendations for futures studies and implement attention empowerment programmes were proposed.

Quality of Life Among Children and Adolescents With Tourette Disorder and Comorbid ADHD: A Clinical Controlled Study

2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (8) ◽  
pp. 817-827 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seda Erbilgin Gün ◽  
Ayse Kilincaslan
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Family Functioning ◽  
Rating Scale ◽  
Controlled Study ◽  
Adhd Group ◽  
Adhd Symptoms ◽  
Family Assessment Device ◽  
Tic Severity ◽  
Comorbid Adhd

Objective: To examine (a) the quality of life (QOL) in children with Tourette’s disorder (TD) and ADHD (TD + ADHD) compared with ADHD without tics (ADHD alone) and (b) the effects of the severity of tics, ADHD symptoms, comorbid diagnoses, and family functioning on QOL. Method: The assessments included the Kiddie-Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia, Yale Global Tic Severity Scale, ADHD Rating Scale, Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory, and Family Assessment Device. Results: The TD + ADHD group had poorer psychosocial QOL. Agreement between child and parent ratings was higher in the TD + ADHD group, and children reported higher scores than their parents in both groups. Severity of tics and ADHD symptoms had stronger negative associations with parent-reported than child-reported QOL. Significant positive correlations were detected between QOL and family functioning in both groups. Conclusion: Children with TD + ADHD have lower QOL than their peers with ADHD alone. Family functioning seems to affect QOL in both groups.

scholarly journals Which Factors Influence Attentional Functions? Attention Assessed by KiTAP in 105 6-to-10-Year-Old Children

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marta Tremolada ◽  
Livia Taverna ◽  
Sabrina Bonichini
Keyword(s):  
Sustained Attention ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Sociodemographic Factors ◽  
Hierarchical Regression ◽  
False Alarms ◽  
Lower Grade ◽  
Healthy Children ◽  
School Grade ◽  
Attentional Difficulties

This research revealed the children with difficulties in attentional functions among healthy children attending primary school and aimed to identify the possible sociodemographic factors, such as the child’s age, gender, and school grade, that could influence attentive performance. The participants were 105 children aged 6–10 years (M age = 8.6; SD = 1.04), attending primary schools. Family economic condition was mostly at a medium level (63.5%), and parents most frequently had 13 years of schooling. The computerized test KiTAP was administered to children to assess their attentional functions. Results showed a higher frequency of omissions and false alarms and a reduced speed in alertness, go/no-go, and sustained attention tasks compared to Italian norms. Hierarchical regression analyses were run with school grade, gender, and current age as independent variables and mean reaction times (and standard deviation), number of omissions, and false alarms as dependent ones. The results showed that male gender and attending a lower grade impacted on lower attentional performance in several subtests. Girls showed the best performances in tests of distractibility and impulsive reaction tendencies, while higher school grade positively influenced divided and sustained attention. These results could be useful to identify children with major attentional difficulties, and some recommendations for future studies and the implementation of attention empowerment programmes are proposed.

Developmental changes of neuropsychological functioning in individuals with and without childhood ADHD from early adolescence to young adulthood: a 7-year follow-up study

2018 ◽  
Vol 49 (6) ◽  
pp. 940-951 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu-Ju Lin ◽  
Susan Shur-Fen Gau
Keyword(s):  
Young Adulthood ◽  
Early Adolescence ◽  
Neuropsychological Functioning ◽  
Adhd Group ◽  
Adhd Symptoms ◽  
Time Points ◽  
Neuropsychological Functions ◽  
Neuropsychological Tasks ◽  
Prospective Longitudinal

AbstractBackgroundOur knowledge about the developmental change of neuropsychological functioning in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is limited. This prospective longitudinal study examined the changes in neuropsychological functions and their associations with the changes of ADHD symptoms across the developmental stages from early adolescence to young adulthood.MethodsWe followed up 53 individuals diagnosed with the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) ADHD during childhood (mean age 12.77 years at time 1, 19.81 years at time 2) and 50 non-ADHD controls (mean age 12.80 years at time 1, 19.36 years at time 2) with repeated psychiatric interviews at two time points to confirm ADHD and other psychiatric diagnoses. Neuropsychological functions with high- and low-executive demands, measured by the Cambridge Neuropsychological Testing Automated Battery (CANTAB) at two time points, were compared.ResultsBoth groups showed improvements in all neuropsychological tasks except reaction time in the ADHD group. Despite having a greater improvement in spatial working memory (SWM) than controls, individuals with ADHD still performed worse in various neuropsychological tasks than controls at follow-up. Better baseline intra-dimension/extra-dimension shift and parental occupation predicted fewer ADHD symptoms at follow-up independent of baseline ADHD symptoms. The degree of ADHD symptom reduction was not significantly linearly correlated to the magnitude of neuropsychological function improvement.ConclusionIndividuals with ADHD and controls had parallel developments in neuropsychological functioning, except a catch-up in SWM in ADHD. Almost all neuropsychological functions herein were still impaired in ADHD at late adolescence/young adulthood. There may be a threshold (i.e. non-linear) relationship between neuropsychological functioning and ADHD symptoms.

scholarly journals Facial emotion recognition impairment predicts social and emotional problems in children with (subthreshold) ADHD

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anouck I. Staff ◽  
Marjolein Luman ◽  
Saskia van der Oord ◽  
Catharina E. Bergwerff ◽  
Barbara J. van den Hoofdakker ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Emotion Recognition ◽  
Recognition Accuracy ◽  
Emotional Problems ◽  
Facial Emotion Recognition ◽  
Facial Emotion ◽  
Adhd Group ◽  
Adhd Symptoms ◽  
Significant Group ◽  
Expression Intensity ◽  
Social And Emotional

AbstractChildren with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms often experience social and emotional problems. Impaired facial emotion recognition has been suggested as a possible underlying mechanism, although impairments may depend on the type and intensity of emotions. We investigated facial emotion recognition in children with (subthreshold) ADHD and controls using a novel task with children’s faces of emotional expressions varying in type and intensity. We further investigated associations between emotion recognition accuracy and social and emotional problems in the ADHD group. 83 children displaying ADHD symptoms and 30 controls (6–12 years) completed the Morphed Facial Emotion Recognition Task (MFERT). The MFERT assesses emotion recognition accuracy on four emotions using five expression intensity levels. Teachers and parents rated social and emotional problems on the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Repeated measures analysis of variance revealed that the ADHD group showed poorer emotion recognition accuracy compared to controls across emotions (small effect). The significant group by expression intensity interaction (small effect) showed that the increase in accuracy with increasing expression intensity was smaller in the ADHD group compared to controls. Multiple regression analyses within the ADHD group showed that emotion recognition accuracy was inversely related to social and emotional problems, but not prosocial behavior. Not only children with an ADHD diagnosis, but also children with subthreshold ADHD experience impairments in facial emotion recognition. This impairment is predictive for social and emotional problems, which may suggest that emotion recognition may contribute to the development of social and emotional problems in these children.

scholarly journals The Role of Self- and Informant-Reports on Symptoms and Impairments in the Clinical Evaluation of Adult ADHD

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 4564
Author(s):  
Nana Guo ◽  
Anselm B. M. Fuermaier ◽  
Janneke Koerts ◽  
Bernhard W. Mueller ◽  
Christian Mette ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Evaluation ◽  
Test Performance ◽  
Adult Adhd ◽  
Comparison Group ◽  
Neuropsychological Test ◽  
Neuropsychological Testing ◽  
Adhd Group ◽  
Adhd Symptoms ◽  
Clinical Comparison

Little is known about which clinical features may aid the differentiation between attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and other clinical conditions. This study seeks to determine the role of self- and informant reports on symptoms and impairments in the clinical evaluation of adult ADHD and explore their association with objective neuropsychological test performance by examining data of 169 outpatients referred for a diagnostic evaluation of adult ADHD. Participants were assigned either to an ADHD group (ADHD, n = 73) or one of two clinical comparison groups, depending on whether they show indications (Clinical Comparison Group, CCG, n = 53) or no indications (Clinical Comparison Group—Not Diagnosed, CCG-ND, n = 43) of psychiatric disorders other than ADHD. All participants and their informants completed a set of questionnaires. Compared to the CCG-ND, the ADHD group obtained significantly higher scores on ADHD symptoms, impulsivity, cognitive deficits, and anxiety. Compared to the CCG, the ADHD group scored significantly higher on ADHD symptoms but lower on depression. Further regression analyses revealed that self- and informant reports failed to predict neuropsychological test performance. Self- and informant reported information may be distinct features and do not correspond to results of objective neuropsychological testing.

scholarly journals Altered intrinsic functional connectivity of the cingulate cortex in children with severe temper outbursts

2017 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 571-579 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy Krain Roy ◽  
Randi Bennett ◽  
Jonathan Posner ◽  
Leslie Hulvershorn ◽  
F. Xavier Castellanos ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Emotion Dysregulation ◽  
Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Emotional Dysregulation ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Adhd Group ◽  
Healthy Children ◽  
Intrinsic Functional Connectivity ◽  
Midcingulate Cortex ◽  
Temper Outbursts

AbstractSevere temper outbursts (STO) in children are associated with impaired school and family functioning and may contribute to negative outcomes. These outbursts can be conceptualized as excessive frustration responses reflecting reduced emotion regulation capacity. The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) has been implicated in negative affect as well as emotional control, and exhibits disrupted function in children with elevated irritability and outbursts. This study examined the intrinsic functional connectivity (iFC) of a region of the ACC, the anterior midcingulate cortex (aMCC), in 5- to 9-year-old children with STO (n = 20), comparing them to children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) without outbursts (ADHD; n = 18). Additional analyses compared results to a sample of healthy children (HC; n = 18) and examined specific associations with behavioral and emotional dysregulation. Compared to the ADHD group, STO children exhibited reduced iFC between the aMCC and surrounding regions of the ACC, and increased iFC between the aMCC and precuneus. These differences were also seen between the STO and HC groups; ADHD and HC groups did not differ. Specificity analyses found associations between aMCC–ACC connectivity and hyperactivity, and between aMCC–precuneus iFC and emotion dysregulation. Disruption in aMCC networks may underlie the behavioral and emotional dysregulation characteristic of children with STO.

A-34 Comparison of BRIEF, SRS Relationships among Children with Autism and Comorbid ADHD

2021 ◽  
Vol 36 (6) ◽  
pp. 1075-1075
Author(s):  
Haley M Bednarz ◽  
Rajesh K Kana ◽  
Julie A Trapani
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Social Responsiveness ◽  
Adhd Group ◽  
Behavioral Regulation ◽  
Adhd Diagnosis ◽  
Final Sample ◽  
Behavior Rating Inventory ◽  
Comorbid Adhd ◽  
Future Work ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Objective Recent investigations have found specific relationships between subscales of the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) and the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Functioning (BRIEF) among individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Aim: Examine whether Social-Executive relationships differ among individuals with ASD versus comorbid autism and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ASD + ADHD). Method Parent ratings on the SRS and BRIEF were obtained from the ABIDE-II database. Final sample: 25 ASD, 37 ASD + ADHD (5–12 years). T-tests examined group differences in BRIEF and SRS T-scores. Hierarchical multiple regressions examined the effect of BRIEF Index T-scores (Metacognition, MI; Behavioral Regulation, BRI) on SRS total and subscale T-scores, as well as the potential moderating effect of comorbid ADHD diagnosis. Results T-tests revealed that the ASD + ADHD group had higher severity T-scores on the BRIEF MI (T = 3.70, p < 0.01) and SRS Awareness (T = 4.00, p < 0.001) scales. ADHD diagnosis was associated with less severe deficits in social cognition (B = −6.33, p = 0.02). However, ADHD diagnosis did not significantly moderate the relationship between BRIEF and SRS scores. The relationship between BRIEF BRI and SRS Motivation was marginally significant and stronger among children with ADHD (B = 0.81, p = 0.0513). Conclusions Overall, similar profile of social-executive relationships were observed among participants with ASD and ASD + ADHD. ADHD diagnosis was associated with better understanding of social situations and ability to interpret social cues appropriately. There is some indication that ADHD diagnosis may be associated with a stronger relationship between behavior regulation and social motivation. Future work should replicate these findings with a larger sample size.

Behavioural Vigilance in Schizophrenia

1996 ◽  
Vol 169 (6) ◽  
pp. 781-789 ◽  
Author(s):  
Corinne M. Mar ◽  
David A. Smith ◽  
Martin Sarter
Keyword(s):  
Sustained Attention ◽  
Testing Procedure ◽  
False Alarms ◽  
Vigilance Decrement ◽  
Monetary Rewards ◽  
Schizophrenic Patients ◽  
Behavioural Test ◽  
Signal Detectability ◽  
And Gender ◽  
And Control

BackgroundDespite 30 years of research, some surprisingly fundamental gaps remain in our understanding of schizophrenic input dysfunctions.MethodIn a provisional test of a ‘hyperattention’ hypothesis, schizophrenic patients and control subjects performed a behavioural test that was adapted from a paradigm originally developed for characterising vigilance or sustained attention in animals. On this computerised operant testing procedure, subjects discriminated between signals of various salience and non-signal presentations. Hits and correct rejections resulted in monetary rewards while misses and false alarms entailed monetary costs.ResultsData from in-patients with schizophrenia and age, education and gender-matched controls support hypotheses not only about hyperattentional dysfunctions in schizophrenia with respect to overall signal detectability but also in terms of resistance to the vigilance decrement that normally occurs over trials.ConclusionsThe theoretical importance of impairments of this sort are discussed with respect to the cognitive and perceptual consequences of hypervigilance and ‘input dysfunction’.

scholarly journals Cognitive Rehabilitation and Exposure/Sorting Therapy for Late-Life Hoarding: Effects on Neuropsychological Performance

2019 ◽  
Vol 75 (6) ◽  
pp. 1193-1198 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine R Ayers ◽  
Eliza J Davidson ◽  
Mary E Dozier ◽  
Elizabeth W Twamley
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Executive Functioning ◽  
Cognitive Rehabilitation ◽  
Care Management ◽  
Neuropsychological Functioning ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Management Control ◽  
Significant Group ◽  
Time Interaction ◽  
Executive Functioning Deficits

Abstract Objectives Hoarding disorder (HD) is characterized by urges to save items, difficulty discarding possessions, and excessive clutter and has been associated with executive functioning deficits. A randomized controlled trial comparing Cognitive Rehabilitation and Exposure/Sorting Therapy (CREST) with a care management control condition demonstrated the efficacy of CREST in reducing hoarding symptoms in older adults. The purpose of the current study was to assess whether CREST may also lead to improved executive functioning. Method All participants were administered a neurocognitive battery at baseline and posttreatment. Linear mixed models with random intercepts were used to evaluate change in global neuropsychological functioning as well as change in individual executive functioning variables. Results There was no significant group by time interaction for the Global Deficit score; however, there were significant group by time interactions on two of the executive functioning variables examined, such that participants in the CREST condition demonstrated significant improvement in cognitive flexibility and inhibition over time compared with the participants in the care management condition. Discussion Our initial findings support the notion that CREST may be able to improve task switching, an important component of executive functioning, in older adults with HD.

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