Executive dysfunction in school-age children with ADHD.
OBJECTIVE
The study examined executive function deficits (EFD) in school-age children (7 to 14 years) with ADHD.


METHODS
A clinical sample of children diagnosed with ADHD (n = 49) was compared to a population sample (n = 196) on eight executive function (EF) measures. Then, the prevalence of EFD in clinical and non-clinical children was examined at the individual level according to three methods previously applied to define EFD, and a fourth method was included to control for the effect of age on performance.


RESULTS
Children with ADHD were significantly more impaired on measures of EF than children without ADHD at the group level. However, only about 50% of children with ADHD were found to have EFD at the individual level, and results appeared relatively robust across methods applied to define EFD.


CONCLUSIONS
As a group, children with ADHD displayed more problems on neuropsychological measures of EF than non-clinical children; at the individual level, there appeared to be heterogeneity in EF impairment.
Lambek
Rikke
R
University of Aarhus, Denmark. rikkel@psy.au.dk
Tannock
Rosemary
R
Dalsgaard
Soeren
S
Trillingsgaard
Anegen
A
Damm
Dorte
D
Thomsen
Per Hove
PH
D000293:Adolescent; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D056344:Executive Function; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D012720:Severity of Illness Index