title: Differences in Performance of ADHD Children on a Visual and Auditory Continuous Performance Test according to IQ.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Continuous performance tests (CPTs) are frequently used in clinical practice to assess the attentiveness of ADHD children. Although most CPTs do not categorize T scores by intelligence, there is great diversity of opinion regarding the interrelation between intelligence and CPT performance. This study aimed to determine if ADHD children with superior IQs would perform better than ADHD children with average IQs. Additionally, we aimed to examine the need for CPTs' to categorize according to IQ.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants were 326 outpatients, aged 5-15 years, diagnosed with ADHD. All participants completed the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised and a CPT. After excluding those who meet exclusion criteria, we had 266 patients for our analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The "Highly Intelligent Group" (HIG), patients with IQs 120 and above, performed superiorly to the "Normally Intelligent Group" (NIG) patients, with IQs between 70 and 120, with regard to omission and commission errors on the visual-auditory CPT, even after controlling for age and gender. The HIG had higher ratios of subjects with T scores <65 on the visual and auditory CPT variables than the NIG did.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of this study suggest this CPT is not sensitive for discerning ADHD in children with superior IQs; thus, there is a need to standardize the variables based on IQ, as well as on age and gender. Moreover, clinicians need to pay attention to the effect of IQ in interpreting CPT scores; that is, a "normal" score does not rule out a diagnosis of ADHD.
authors: Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Neuropsychiatry, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors: Min-Hyeon
authors: MH
authors: Park
authors: Yong Sil
authors: YS
authors: Kweon
authors: Soo Jung
authors: SJ
authors: Lee
authors: E-Jin
authors: EJ
authors: Park
authors: Chul
authors: C
authors: Lee
authors: Chang-Uk
authors: CU
authors: Lee