The Cognitive Performance, Emotional and Behavioral Problems of the Children with ADHD Showing the Difference between Visual and Auditory Attention

Son, Jung Woo

Abstract

OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to investigate the differences of the cognitive performance, emotional and behavioral problems among the attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder(ADHD) groups that show the difference between visual and auditory attention. METHOD: Using'ADHD Diagnostic System(ADS)', visual attention and auditory attention of 98 children diagnosed as ADHD were measured. According to the omission and commission error of ADS, they were divided into three groups; 1) the group whose each visual omission and commission error scores were higher than each auditory omission and commission error scores(VV group), 2) the group whose each auditory omission and commission error scores were higher than each visual omission and commission error scores(AA group), 3) the group that was the rest of VV and AA group(M group). And the results of both the subscales of Korean Educational Development Institute-Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children(KEDI-WISC) and the subscales of Korean Child Behavior Checklist(K-CBCL) among three groups were compared. Finally, the correlation between the visual omission, visual commission, auditory omission, auditory commission error and the results of KEDI-WISC, K-CBCL were investigated.
RESULTS
The results were as follows; 1) In 98 ADHD children, the number of VV group(N=56) was higher than that of AA (N=10) and M group (N=32). 2) All mean scores of the subscales of KEDI-WISC of VV group were higher than those of M and AA group. The score of verbal IQ(p=.039) of VV group was significantly higher than that of AA group and the scores of block design(p=.015), Kaufman's factor 2(p=.045), performance IQ(p=.004) were significantly higher than those of M group. The score of full IQ(p=.004) were significantly higher than that of M and AA group. 3) The mean scores of all K-CBCL subscales of VV group were higher than those of M and AA group, except the score of Somatic complaint subscale. The score of Social subscale(p=.041) of VV group was significantly higher than that of AA group. The score of Withdrawn subscale(p=.021) of AA group was significantly higher than that of VV group. 4) There were no significant correlation between the scores of visual omission/commission error and those of each subscale of KEDI-WISC. But, there were many significant correlations between the scores of auditory omission/commission error and those of each subscale of KEDI-WISC. 5) There were significant correlation between the score of the visual omission error and that of Thought problem subscale(r=.205, p=.043) of K-CBCL. There were significant correlation between the scores of the auditory omission error and those of Social subscale(r=-.319, p=.001), Social problems subscale(r=.206, p=.042), Thought problem subscale(r=.235, p=.021). Finally, there were significant correlation between the scores of auditory commission error and those of Social subscale(r=-.241, p=.017), Thought problem subscale(r=.235, p=.020).
CONCLUSION
The ADHD children whose auditory attention ability were higher than visual attention ability had relatively better cognitive performance and less emotional/behavioral problems than the others. The more comprehensive experiment will be needed about the cognitive performance, emotion and behavior problems of the ADHD children showing the difference between visual and auditory attention.