Gender Differences in Auditory and Visual Attentional Performance in Children with and without ADHD

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Developmental Psychology
• Child Psychiatry

Background:

• Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is prevalent but often underestimated in women due to gender-specific symptom presentation.
• Traditional diagnostic criteria may overlook ADHD symptoms in girls, leading to underdiagnosis and delayed treatment.
• Understanding gender's role in ADHD is crucial for closing the diagnostic and treatment gap.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the influence of gender on auditory and visual attention in children with and without ADHD.
• To identify specific gender-based differences in attention performance within ADHD and typically developing populations.

Main Methods:

• A cohort of 220 children, both with and without ADHD, participated in the study.
• Computerized auditory and visual subtests were employed to assess attention performance.
• Comparative analysis was conducted to evaluate gender-based variations in attention.

Main Results:

• Gender significantly affected auditory and visual attention in children with and without ADHD.
• Typically developing (TD) boys outperformed TD girls in visual target discrimination, with TD girls showing cautious responses versus TD boys' positive responses.
• ADHD girls experienced more severe auditory inattention, while ADHD boys displayed greater auditory and visual impulsivity.
• Female ADHD children exhibited broader and more severe internal attention deficits, particularly in auditory omission and response acuity, compared to their male counterparts.

Conclusions:

• Children with ADHD demonstrated significant auditory and visual attention deficits compared to TD children.
• The study confirms that gender plays a critical role in shaping auditory and visual attention performance in children, both with and without ADHD.