ERIC Number: EJ1464204
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025-Apr
Pages: 12
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0162-3257
EISSN: EISSN-1573-3432
Available Date: 2024-03-13
Assessing the Contribution of Measures of Attention and Executive Function to Diagnosis of ADHD or Autism
Kelsey Harkness1,2,3; Signe Bray2,3,5; Chelsea M. Durber4; Deborah Dewey2,3,5; Kara Murias2,3,5
Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, v55 n4 p1353-1364 2025
Attention and executive function (EF) dysregulation are common in a number of disorders including autism and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Better understanding of the relationship between indirect and direct measures of attention and EF and common neurodevelopmental diagnoses may contribute to more efficient and effective diagnostic assessment in childhood. We obtained cognitive (NIH Toolbox, Little Man Task, Matrix Reasoning Task, and Rey Delayed Recall) and symptom (CBCL, and BPMT) assessment data from the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development (ABCD) database for three groups, autistic (N = 110), ADHD (N = 878), and control without autism or ADHD diagnoses (N = 9130) and used ridge regression to determine which attention and EF assessments were most strongly associated with autism or ADHD. More variance was accounted for in the model for the ADHD group (31%) compared to the autism group (2.7%). Finally, we ran odds ratios (using clinical cutoffs where available and 2 standard deviations below the mean when not) for each assessment measure, which generally demonstrated a greater significance within the indirect measures when compared to the direct measures. These results add to the growing literature of symptom variably across diagnostic groups allowing for better understanding of presentations in autism and ADHD and how best to assess diagnosis. It also highlights the increased difficulty in differentiating autism and controls when compared to ADHD and controls and the importance of indirect measures of attention and EF in this differentiation.
Descriptors: Adolescents, Autism Spectrum Disorders, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Executive Function, Attention Control, Diagnostic Tests, Disability Identification, Cognitive Tests, Symptoms (Individual Disorders), Error of Measurement, Measurement Techniques, Comparative Testing, Evaluation Criteria, Evaluation Methods, Evaluation Problems
Springer. Available from: Springer Nature. One New York Plaza, Suite 4600, New York, NY 10004. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-460-1700; e-mail: customerservice@springernature.com; Web site: https://link-springer-com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: 1University of Calgary, Faculty of Graduate Studies, Calgary, Canada; 2Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute, Calgary, Canada; 3Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Calgary, Canada; 4Alberta Health Services, Calgary, Canada; 5University of Calgary, Cumming School of Medicine, Calgary, Canada