MICROCOMPUTER ATTENTION BATTERY FOR SCHOOL AGE CHILDREN

IT IS WIDELY ACCEPTED THAT CHILDREN WHO FULFILL THE DSM-III-R CRITERIA FOR ATTENTION DEFICIT-HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER (ADHD) ARE A HETEROGENEOUS GROUP. HOWEVER, RELIABLE METHODS DO NOT EXIST FOR DEFINING IDENTIFIABLE HOMOGENOUS SUBGROUPS. THE RESEARCH WILL DEVELOP A MICROCOMPUTER-BASED BATTERY OF TASKA WHICH WILL ASSESS SEVERAL ASPECTS OF AUDITORY AND VISUAL ATTENTION IN CHILDREN BETWEEN THE AGES OF 5 AND 14. THE BATTERY'S PRIMARY OBJECTIVE IS TO IDENTIFY THOSE ADHD CHILDREN WHOSE FUNCTIONING OF NEUROPSYCHOLOGIC MECHANISMS OF ATTENTION IS SIGNIFICANTLY IMPAIRED IN COMPARISON WITH A NORMAL POPULATION. SECONDARILY, ITS AIM IS TO IDENTIFY THOSE CHILDREN RECOGNIZED AS NEUROPSYCHOLOGICALLY DEFICIENT. THAT WAY NEARLY HOMOGENEOUS SUBGROUPS MAY BE IDENTIFIED IN A WAY THAT IS BOTH STATISTICALLY AND CLINICALLY SIGNIFICANT. FURTHERMORE, THE DIAGNOSTIC SHOULD BE INTRINSICALLY MOTIVATING, SEPARATING CHILDREN WHO MAY LACK INTERST IN PERFORMING DIAGNOSTIC TESTS FROM CHILDREN WHO ARE NEUROPSYCHOLOGICALLY DEFICIENT. EXPERTS IN EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY, PSYCHOLOGICAL MEASUREMENTS AND BIOSTATISTICS WILL PARTICIPATE IN THE DESIGN AND FINAL CRITICAL ASSESSMENT OF THE ATTENTION BATTERY. AN INFORMAL TRIAL INVOLVING APPROXIMATELY 40 CHILDREN IN PHASE I WILL ASSESS THE FEASIBILITY OF NORMING AND VALIDATING THE ATTENTION BATTERY WITH CONTROLLED POPULATIONS IN PHASE II STUDY.