Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and executive dysfunction

Abstract

To evaluate the relationship between attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and executive functioning (EF) a sample of ADHD children (N = 48) with above average IQs (median = 117.5) was administered a battery of standardized norm‐referenced tests sensitive to EF. Below average performance was found on the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test and continuous performance test (Test of Variables of Attention, TOVA) but not on Word Fluency or the Rey Complex Figure. Significant intraindividual discrepancies were found for a selected pair of content‐matched tests that differed in EF task demands. Pennington, Groisser, and Welsh's (1993) “double dissociation” of ADHD and reading disability (RD) was tested by examining the EF performance of ADHD with and without RD. No significant differences between ADHD/No‐RD and ADHD/RD were found on any of the EF measures.