Assessing sustained attention of children with ADHD in a class flow video task

Abstract

Objective

The aim of the study was to evaluate sustained attention performance of children with ADHD and effect of distractors on sustained attention through an eye-tracking during a class-flow video task.

Method

Data were collected using an eye-tracking during a class-flow task conducted with 60 children (ADHD and control groups). Two areas of interest were determined in the task, these are relevant (teacher and whiteboard) and irrelevant (any regions outside the relevant area) areas. The task also included distractors in relevant and irrelevant areas, comprising a brief conversation and dropping of a pencil, respectively. Proportion of total fixation duration on areas of interest (PFDAOI) was used to assess sustained attention.

Results

Children with ADHD had lower PFDAOI in the relevant area during the whole class than children in the control group. After the relevant area distractor, PFDAOI increased in relevant area in ADHD group, indicating these children may have better attention after the distractor. However, children with ADHD also showed increased PFDAOI in the irrelevant area following the irrelevant area distractor, indicating that it negatively affected them. There was no significant change in the control group following the distractors.

Conclusion

These findings indicate that children with ADHD have poor sustained attention performance during the whole class. Moreover, distractors in distinct areas could affect children with ADHD differently. Thus, students with ADHD could benefit from increased stimuli in the relevant area and this can be a guide for classroom arrangements to improve the academic functionality of these children.

Keywords:

• ADHD
• sustained attention
• distractor
• eye tracking
• learning

Acknowledgments

The authors thank all at the Atatürk University distance education application team and the research center team.

Disclosure statement

The authors declare no potential conflicts of interest concerning the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Esen Yıldırım Demirdöğen

Esen Yıldırım Demirdöğen MD, is an assistant professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Atatürk University. Her research focuses on neurodevelopmental disorders and neurophysiologic tools.

İbrahim Selçuk Esin

İbrahim Selçuk Esin MD, is an associate professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Health Science University. His research focuses on neurodevelopmental disorders, neuroimaging and neurophysiologic tools.

Bahadır Turan

Bahadır Turan MD, is an assistant professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Karadeniz Technical University and a Ph.D. candidate in Interdisciplinary Artificial Intelligence at Ankara University. His research focuses on neurodevelopmental disorders, parenting, and neurophysiologic tools.

Onur Burak Dursun

Onur Burak Dursun MD, is a professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Health Science University and Head of the Autism, Mental Special Needs, and Rare Diseases Department in the Turkish Ministry of Health, General Directorate of Health Services. His research focuses on autism spectrum disorder, neurodevelopmental disorders, molecular biology and genetics, and national health politics.