Visual Orienting Deficits Among Boys With ADHD-Inattentive Type

Author(s): Raymond D. Collings, Alan Kwasman

DOI: https://doi.org/10.65030/idr.04011

Abstract: The current study examines differences between the ADHD-Inattentive and ADHD-Combined Types related to visual orienting. Posner's exogenous Visual Orienting Task (VOT) was administered to 71 school-aged boys, (ages 8 to 10), including groups of 12 boys meeting DSM-IV criteria for ADHD-Inattentive Type (IA), 34 for ADHD-Combined Type (C), and 25 non-ADHD controls. Two competing models, one predicting general orienting deficits, and one predicting vigilance-related deficits were examined. Participants with symptoms of ADHD-IA exhibited orienting deficits only when vigilance demands were increased. No significant differences between the ADHD-C Type and control groups were found. Our findings suggest that deficits in the ability to remain alert for peripheral information may underlie the problems associated with the ADHD-IA type.

Keywords: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder; Inattentive type; Combined type; Visual attention; Orienting response; Vigilance; School-age children

Pages: 111-122

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