Executive Dysfunction in Children and adolescents with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Objective: The purpose of this study is to compare the executive functions in children and adolescents who suffer from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) with normal children. Method: Twenty children with ADHD were compared to 19 healthy children in terms of some executive functions using the computerized version of Tower of London, Continuous Performance Test (CPT), and Stroop Color Test. Results: In “Tower of London”, the performance of children with ADHD was worse than normal children (p<0.05). In Continuous Performance Test, the commission errors in children with ADHD were significantly more than the normal group (p<0.01). In Stroop Test, the time spent to name the colors was significantly higher in ADHD group. A significant correlation was also found between the performance of children on Tower of London and CPT (P<0.05). Conclusions: This study demonstrates that children and adolescents who suffer from ADHD have some impairment of executive functions, particularly planning and inhibition to response, but not in attention.