How does ADHD affect attention?
In the Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, they are conducting a study to examine how ADHD affects children’s ability to pay attention. They are looking for children, aged 10-12 years, who have been diagnosed with ADHD, to participate in this study. If you and your child would like to participate or would like further information,please contact Dr. Laura McAvinue, 01 896 8414, mcavinl@tcd.ie.
Information on Study
For the children and caregivers who agree to participate in the study, it involves attending the Institute of Neuroscience for a single session which lasts approximately two and a half hours. In the first half, we conduct the computer assessment of sustained and selective attention. In the second half, we conduct a neuropsychological assessment, including four IQ subtests from the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children and the Wide Range Achievement Test, which provides estimates of academic achievement in reading, spelling and mathematics. Caregivers are asked to complete a number of questionnaires assessing the child’s behaviour and communication skills. In a separate interview with caregivers, we use the Parental Account of Childhood Symptoms Interview, which enables a research diagnosis of ADHD to be made.
Deficits in attention are a central component of ADHD but the exact nature of these deficits is unclear. Two primary aspects of attention are sustained attention, the ability to maintain one’s own attention over time and selective attention, the ability to focus on important information and ignore distractions. This study is the result of a collaboration between Trinity's research team, led by Professor Ian Robertson, in the Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, and a research team in the University of Copenhagen, led by Professor Claus Bundesen. In the Institute of Neuroscience, they have developed computer tests of sustained attention, which have been found to be very sensitive to deficits of sustained attention in clinical populations, such as those with head injury and ADHD. Following 30 years of research into selective attention, Professor Bundesen and his colleagues in the University of Copenhagen have developed a mathematically based theory of visual selective attention and a specialised computer task, which provides an assessment of a participant’s selective attention ability in terms of the underlying theory. With this study, Trinity and Copenhagen are joining forces in order to provide a thorough assessment of sustained and selective attention in ADHD. They would like to assess 30 children aged 10-12 years, with and without ADHD.
