Information processing deficits in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, inattentive type, and children with reading disability.

Full Abstract

We examined the information processing capabilities of children diagnosed with the inattentive subtype of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) who had been characterized as having a sluggish cognitive tempo. Children referred for school-related problems (n = 81) and nonreferred community controls (n = 149) participated. Of the referred children, 24 met criteria for ADHD, 42 met criteria for reading disability (RD), and 9 of these were comorbid for RD and ADHD. Children with ADHD differed from those without ADHD on a visual search task but not on an auditory processing task; the reverse was true for children with RD. Decomposition of the visual search task into component operations demonstrated that children in the ADHD group had a slow processing rate that was not attributable to inattention. The children with ADHD were not globally poor at information processing or inattentive, but they demonstrated diminished speed of visual processing.

Author information

Author/s: Weiler, Michael David (MD); Bernstein, Jane Holmes (JH); Bellinger, David (D); Waber, Deborah P (DP);

Affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Learning Disabilities Research Center, Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA. Weiler_m(-atsign-)tch.harvard.edu

Grants: P30-HD18655 (Agency:NICHD NIH HHS) ; P50-HD33803 (Agency:NICHD NIH HHS)

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

Journal: Journal of learning disabilities (J Learn Disabil), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: -2002 Sep-Oct; vol 35 (issue 5) : pp 448-61

Dates: Created 2004/10/19; Completed 2004/11/02; Revised 2009/11/11;

PMID: 15490541, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 11/11/2009, IMS Date: )

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