Pilot study to explore poor visual searching capabilities in children with ADHD: a tablet-based computerized test battery study

Abstract

Aim: The frequent visual attention deficiency reported in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) could represent a relevant biomarker but robust estimates of such cognitive impairment in clinical populations remained challenging. To assess visual attention impairment in children ADHD using a new design tablet-based computerized test battery which allowed objective recording of visual search performances.

Methods: Forty-nine children with ADHD and their IQ- and age-matched typically developmental (TD) children were enrolled in the study. Visual attention abilities were estimated by using the computerized modified barrage test developed by Metrisquare. We analyzed the time spent to achieve the whole battery and, the errors and omissions done by each child during each of the three sub-tasks.

Results: We observed a significant association between the load of sustained attention requested to perform a sub-task and the numbers of errors and omissions made by the children whatever the group considered. During the most stringent sub-task in term of visual attention engagement, children with ADHD displayed more significant errors and omissions when compared to IQ- and age-matched controls. This effect was not mediated by the time spent to perform the task since we did not report any significant difference between groups.

Conclusion: The different performance of the most stringent sub-task observed in children with ADHD could be due to their deficient neural activity in frontal areas responsible of visual endogenous attention needed for difficult visual searching tasks. This cognitive battery could be a useful instrument to estimate visual attention impairment in children with ADHD.

HIGHLIGHTS

• We assessed if a new design tablet-based computerized test battery would allow objective recording of visual search performances.

• We observed that children with ADHD made significantly more errors and omissions with respect to age-, sex- matched controls during the most stringent sub-task in terms of visual attention engagement

• The tablet-based computerized test battery could be a promising tool to objectively estimate abnormal attention search impairment in ADHD.

Keywords:

• Visual attention
• children
• ADHD
• neurodevelopmental disorder

Acknowledgments

The authors thank the children who participated in the study and Ben Vaessen for lending the Metrisquare software.

Author contributions

Conceptualization: MPB; Selection of patients: EA, AM, RD; Measure & Data analysis: JA, SC; Investigation: MPB; Writing original draft: JA, SC and MPB; Review and editing: EA, AM, RD. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Disclosure statement

The authors have no financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations that could inappropriately influence or bias their work in this study. No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

MP Bucci was supported by the Académie des Sciences, Institut de France/Fondation NRJ.

Notes on contributors

Joanna Aflalo

Joanna Aflalo: PhD student specialist is moving analysis.

Simona Caldani

Simona Caldani: psychologist and post-doc. She is specialist in eye and postural body movement.

Eric Acquaviva

Eric Acquaviva: he is medical doctor, specialist in ADHD patients.

Ana Moscoso

Ana Moscoso: she is medical doctor, specialist in ADHD children.

Richard Delorme

Richard Delorme: he is head of hospital children department (pedopsychiatric section).

Maria Pia Bucci

Maria Pia Bucci: researcher. She is specialist in studying children with neurodevelopmental deficits.