Attentional performance in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder with or without comorbid learning disabilities on neuropsychological tests

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a developmental disorder characterized by inattention, overactivity, and impulsivity. Children with ADHD are often also diagnosed with learning disabilities. This study investigated whether the attentional abilities of children with ADHD are similar to those of children with both ADHD and learning disabilities. Attention is a multidimensional construct, and "inattention" can refer to a number of problems. Using the attentional model of Mirsky (1987, 1991) to assess performance, we found that the two clinical groups had unique attentional profiles. Children in both clinical groups had deficits in the ability to shift attention flexibly from one aspect of a task to another. Children with ADHD showed deficits in the areas of sustained attention, while the children with both ADHD and learning disabilities performed slower on timed tasks. Overall, children with both ADHD and learning disabilities performed better on the attention tasks than children with only ADHD.