The relationship between continuous performance tasks and neuropsychological tests in children with attention-deficit...

We examined the relationship between measures of sustained attention and impulsivity, as obtained by computerized continuous performance tasks of the Gordon Diagnostic System and a battery of intellectual, achievement, and neuropsychological tests. Subjects were 119 boys (between the ages of 6 yr., 0 mo. and 12 yr., 11 mo.), diagnosed with Attention-deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, using DSM-III or DSM-III--R criteria. Only two measures, the number of correct responses for Vigilance and Distractibility tasks, correlated consistently with other measures (e.g., intellectual measures, the WRAT--R Arithmetic subtest, Beery Test of Visual and Motor Integration, and various sensory-motor variables from the Halstead-Reitan Neuropsychological Battery). The results suggest a unique contribution of continuous performance tasks in the measurement of attention, in a population of children with ADHD, which is not assessed by more traditional tests.