Slobodin O, Cassuto H, Berger I. Age-Related Changes in Distractibility: Developmental Trajectory of Sustained Attention in ADHD.
J Atten Disord 2018;
22:1333-1343. [PMID:
25791438 DOI:
10.1177/1087054715575066]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE
This study investigated age-related changes in sustained attention in children with ADHD and in their typically developed peers.
METHOD
The study used a Continuous Performance Test (CPT) that includes visual and auditory stimuli serving as distractors. The rate of omission errors was used as a measurement of difficulty in sustained attention. Participants were children and adolescents aged 7 to 18 years (478 with ADHD and 361 without ADHD).
RESULTS
Both groups of adolescents (with and without ADHD) showed reduced distractibility than younger children from the same group. However, distractibility tended to diminish in non-ADHD adolescents, but not in adolescents with ADHD.
CONCLUSION
Although part of the difficulties in ADHD could be explained by developmental delay that improves with time, other deficits, such as increased distractibility causing more omission errors, do not show a clear developmental trajectory. The results suggest that deficits in inhibitory control might be the core of ADHD.
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