Assessment of working memory in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

This research investigated the cognitive abilities and the working memory in children and youngsters with three different types of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): (a) mainly with attention-deficit, (b) hyperactive and impulsive, and (c) combined.

A computerized test called Infant Cognitive Abilities Test, which measures five cognitive abilities based on the Cattell-Horn-Carroll model, was used. Thirty-two children from both sexes, aged 7 to 15 years, from the Hospital das Clínicas, suffering from ADHD and a control group with 30 children from a state elementary school (first through eighth grades) were submitted to the test.

The results showed that there were significant differences with regard to the reaction time of the working memory of the different types of ADHD.

Children suffering from ADHD had high test scores for the visual memory items of the test, when compared with the results in the auditory memory items.