Attentional and neuromotor deficits in ADHD

Abstract

In order to classify attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in 11-year-old children, the role of specific attentional and motor deficits was examined. Participants comprised 22 children with ADHD (19 male, 3 female; median age 11 years, range 8.8 to 13.5 years) and 20 control children (17 male, 3 female; median age 10.6 years, range 8.2 to 12.6 years). Neuromotor assessment indicated that while both groups needed more time to complete finger compared to hand movements, this increase was more pronounced in children with ADHD. Reaction-time testing with continuous-force recording identified both motor and attentional deficits in children with ADHD. Longer intervals between force onset and force peak, and higher rate of responses with multiple force peaks (particularly in the bilateral condition) revealed specific deficits in the speed and quality of their motor output. Increase in errors and variability of force onsets indicated attentional deficits. Prediction analysis indicated that force-onset variability contributed significantly to group classification which was 85.7% correct. Neither neuromotor assessment nor specific motor deficits contributed significantly to classification, indicating that pure motor-speed measures play a minor role in characterizing ADHD in this age range.

Deficits in motor control processes involved in production of graphic movements of children with attention‐deficit‐hyperactivity disorder

“…No deficits in parameter setting were reported for children with ADHD as a single diagnosis in both studies. Results for children with ADHD only are in line with those of Steger et al (2001), who obtained no greater peak force for the ADHD group in a task where children had to press their thumb against their index finger whenever a particular stimulus appeared on a video screen.…”

“…The fine motor problems were not due to a general motor deficit, as none of the children with ADHD were diagnosed as having DCD. Notwithstanding the absence of a general motor deficit, other studies also report poor fine motor skills in children with ADHD (Carte et al 1996, Piek et al 1999, Steger et al 2001). The question is how to explain these results.…”

Motor Skills in Children with ADHD: Comparative Study from the Farmacological Treatment

“…Some studies that have compared the fine motor skills of individuals with ADHD to a control group have found that the first ones showed less motor skill ability than the latter and the type of difficulties observed differed by the subtypes of the disorder Steger et al, 2001). In this sense, the authors found that men affected by attention deficit and corresponding to the combined type (ADHD amd Hyperactivity ) displayed less skill than those attached to the hyperactive-impulsive type and the control group.…”

EUNETHYDIS ? Searching for valid aetiological candidates of Attention?Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder or Hyperkinetic Disorder

“…SonugaBarke [87] found in two studies that AD/HD children exhibited a quadratic performance function as predicted by the cognitive-energetic model of AD/HD. Steger et al [92] found that in long intervals in a motor task revealed increased errors and onset variability. Using the Flanker task, Crone, Jennings and van der Molen [15] reported that ADHD children responded less accurately under the threat of punishment.…”