ADHD Subtypes and Co-Occurring Anxiety, Depression, and Oppositional-Defiant Disorder Differences in Gordon Diagnostic System and Wechsler Working Memory and Processing Speed Index Scores

• Published in: Journal of attention disorders Vol. 12; no. 6; pp. 540 - 550
• Main Authors: Mayes, Susan Dickerson, Calhoun, Susan L., Chase, Gary A., Mink, Danielle M., Stagg, Ryan E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01-05-2009
• Subjects: Adolescent; Anxiety; Anxiety Disorders - diagnosis; Anxiety Disorders - epidemiology; Attention; Attention Deficit and Disruptive Behavior Disorders - diagnosis; Attention Deficit and Disruptive Behavior Disorders - epidemiology; Attention Deficit and Disruptive Behavior Disorders - psychology; Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity - diagnosis; Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity - epidemiology; Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity - psychology; Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder; Behavior Disorders; Child; Children; Clinical Diagnosis; Cognitive Processes; Comorbidity; Comparative Analysis; Conceptual Tempo; Depression (Psychology); Depressive Disorder - diagnosis; Depressive Disorder - epidemiology; Depressive Disorder - psychology; Diagnosis, Differential; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; Factor Analysis, Statistical; Female; Gordon Diagnostic System; Humans; Male; Neuropsychological Tests - statistics & numerical data; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales - statistics & numerical data; Psychometrics; Reproducibility of Results; Scores; Short Term Memory; Surveys and Questionnaires; Validity; Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children; Wechsler Scales - statistics & numerical data; WISC-IV; anxiety; Gordon Diagnostic System; depression; oppositional-defiant disorder; ADHD subtypes
• ISSN: 1087-0547; 1557-1246
• DOI: 10.1177/1087054708320402

Objective: Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children Freedom-from-Distractibility/Working Memory Index (FDI/WMI), Processing Speed Index (PSI), and Gordon Diagnostic System (GDS) scores in ADHD children were examined as a function of subtype and coexisting anxiety, depression, and oppositional-defiant disorder. Method: Participants were 587 children with ADHD combined type (alone, with oppositional-defiant disorder, and with anxiety or depression) and ADHD inattentive type (alone and with anxiety or depression). Results: Attention scores (FDI/WMI and GDS Vigilance and Distractibility) were similar and low for all groups. ADHD combined groups had greater impulsivity (GDS Delay) than ADHD inattentive groups, and ADHD inattentive groups had slower processing speed (PSI) than ADHD combined groups. Comorbidity did not affect test performance. Scores differentiated ADHD subtypes with 72% accuracy. Conclusion: Findings support the validity of DSM-IV ADHD combined and inattentive subtypes and the validity of the GDS, FDI/WMI, and PSI in assessing attention, impulsivity, and processing speed in children with ADHD. (J. of Att. Dis. 2009; 12(6) 540-550)