Neuropsychological functioning in children with ADHD: Symptom persistence is linked to poorer performance on measures of executive and nonexecutive function

Abstract

The present study compared the current intellectual and neuropsychological functioning of 55 children diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD group) 4 years earlier with that of an age- and sex-matched control sample. The children in the ADHD group performed less well than the control group on measures of intellectual function, design fluency, spatial organization, and visual memory. Those children who continued to meet DSM-IV criteria for ADHD (persistent ADHD, n=32) evidenced greater impairment than those showing some symptom remission (ADHD in partial remission, n=23). These data confirm the presence of neuropsychological deficits in late childhood/early adolescence among those previously diagnosed with ADHD. The data also suggest that greater cognitive impairment is a feature of persistent ADHD. © 2013 Japanese Psychological Association.