Objective measurement of hyperactivity and attentional problems in ADHD.
OBJECTIVE
To precisely describe movement abnormalities in seated children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) while they were engaged in a continuous performance task (CPT).


METHODS
Diagnoses were made by using structured interviews (Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children-Epidemiologic Version) and DSM-IV criteria. Movement patterns of 18 boys with ADHD (9.3 +/- 2.4 years) and 11 normal controls (8.6 +/- 1.8 years) were recorded using an infrared motion analysis system that tracked the position of four markers 50 times per second to a resolution of 0.04 mm.


RESULTS
Boys with ADHD moved their head 2.3 times more often than normal children (p < .002), moved 3.4 times as far (p < .01), covered a 3.8-fold greater area (p < .001), and had a more linear and less complex movement pattern (p < .00004). They responded more slowly and with greater variability on the CPT. Complexity of head movement and variability in response latency significantly correlated with teacher ratings. A predefined composite of movement and attention discriminated 16 of 18 patients from 11 of 11 controls.


CONCLUSIONS
The relative inability of boys with ADHD to sit still can be objectively verified, and "fidgeting" appears to consist of more frequent, larger amplitude, whole body movements.
Teicher
M H
MH
Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
Ito
Y
Y
Glod
C A
CA
Barber
N I
NI
D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002648:Child; D006801:Humans; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D008124:Locomotion; D008297:Male; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis