School of Social Work, Psychology & Philosophy
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Browsing School of Social Work, Psychology & Philosophy by Subject "ADHD"
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Item Assessing pragmatic language in children through a brief assessment of idiom comprehension: a pilot study(8/30/2017) Caldwell, Kathryn E.; Johnson, Wendi L.; DeOrnellas, Kathy; Palomares, Ronald S.; Smith, AmandaThe purpose of this study was to assess pragmatic language in children within a clinical population (i.e., children with ASD and ADHD) and nonclinical population (i.e., typically developing children) by using a newly formed Test of Idioms. The total number of participants who participated in the study was 36 with 18 participants in each group (i.e., clinical and nonclinical). Each participant in the study was given a series of 25 idiom phrases and was asked to identify what each phrase meant. If the participant responded incorrectly, they were given a visual cue and asked to guess again. This study aimed to not only demonstrate that the Test of Idioms was a useful tool for identifying pragmatic language difficulties among a clinical group, but may also help differentiate between children with ASD and ADHD. The study examined the relationship between the Test of Idioms and another measure of pragmatic competence (i.e., TOPS 3) through a Spearman’s correlation. Results from the analysis demonstrated that two of the five composite scores on the Test of Idioms (i.e., Food, Home and School) showed significant correlations with the TOPS 3. Next, a Cronbach’s alpha was conducted to measure the inter-item reliability. Three of the five composites (i.e., Food, Animal, Home and School) were just below the threshold of .70, which is considered acceptable reliability. However, the overall score showed strong inter-item reliability. A Mann Whitney – U analysis was employed to examine differences in performance between the clinical and nonclinical group. The results revealed a significant difference between groups on two of the composites (i.e., Animal, Home and School). Furthermore, a Mann Whitney – U was also utilized to examine differences in the obtainment of 1-point and 2-point responses between participants with ASD and ADHD. No significant differences between groups were identified. Overall, the Test of Idioms showed potential in becoming a reliable and valid measure for assessing pragmatic language in children. In addition, it proved to be a quick and user-friendly assessment that most children reported enjoying.Item Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) profiles in children and adolescents from parent and teacher reports on the BASC(1998-12) Wootten, Steven; Illegible; IllegibleAttention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is of one of the most widely researched and hotly debated diagnosis in the field of psychology and society. The purpose of this study was to develop a profile of ADHD children and adolescents using the Behavior Assessment System for Children (BASC); to determine if the Child profile was significantly different from the profile in the BASC manual; to subject the adolescent profile to cluster analysis; to develop a correlation between the parent and teacher report on the BASC and compare them to the BASC manual; and to analyze the data using Configural Frequency Analysis (CFA) for types and antitypes. Subjects (N = 241) were a children (ages 6 to 11) and adolescents (ages 12-18) with a diagnosis of ADHD. Hotelling's T² comparison of the study and BASC ADHD profiles yielded significant differences on the parent and teacher profiles and the BASC manual counterparts. The Adolescent profile was generated and cluster analysis indicated one-factor solution as most appropriate. Correlations on teacher and parent reports of children were in the low to moderate range with significant differences in correlations of attention compared to the BASC correlation. Correlations for the Adolescent teacher and parent report were in the low to very low range with a significant difference in hyperactivity and attention compared to the BASC correlation. Factor analysis supported to the BASC model with a three-factor solution for parents of children and adolescents and a four-factor solution on both groups for teachers. CFA yielded types appropriate to ADHD behavior. Results are discussed in terms of expansion of diagnostic criteria for practitioners working with ADHD children and adolescents.Item Attentional impairment and processing speed in children diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder(8/30/2009) Beadle, Crystal L.; Miller, Daniel C.; DeOrnellas, Kathy; Hart, ChristinaThe behavioral and cognitive symptomology that children with ADHD typically show can have a widespread impact on their overall functioning in everyday life. Children with ADHD may show poor short term memory, poor organizational skills, difficulty with goal directed behavior, difficulty regulating emotions, and difficulty shifting from one task to another. Children with ADHD have shown a higher risk for learning problems, substance abuse, psychopathology, and difficulty with social situations. Children with ADHD are at a significantly increased risk for school failure, and are more likely to repeat at least one school grade, and are at-risk for dropping out of school in adolescence. The present study compared children diagnosed with ADHD Primarily Inattentive Type to children diagnosed with ADHD Combined Type and to children without a diagnosis of ADHD. Additionally, this study examined the Attentional Impairment Index for use in the diagnosis of ADHD in children and the differentiation of its subtype. Furthermore, the impact of processing speed and working memory as predictors of ADHD subtype was studied. Participants in the current study were approximately 283 children between the ages of7 and 19 years of age. Separate MANOVAs were conducted to see if there were differences between Processing Speed and Working Memory Index scores, and scores from a battery of neuropsychological assessments. Results indicated that neither index score was a significant predictor of ADHD subtype in children. However, it was found that children without ADHD performed better on the neuropsychological assessments than did the children with ADHD. Finally, an ANOVA was conducted to see if there were differences between the Attentional Impairment Index score among diagnostic groups. No statistically significant differences were found. The results provides evidence that the neuropsychological profile of children diagnosed with ADHD differs from that of children without a diagnosis of ADHD and that the profiles of children diagnosed with ADHD-I differ from that of children diagnosed with ADHDC. The current study demonstrated that the battery of assessment instruments used has the potential to differentiate between ADHD subtypes in an objective way, as opposed to the rather subjective method of diagnosis currently in use.Item Attentional impairment in relation to number and type of psychiatric diagnoses in children(1998-08) Hill, Susan; Miller, Dan; Graham, Dinah; Hamilton, BasilThe purpose of this study was to investigate the use of an attentional impairment (AI) index with children for measuring the overall severity of impairment in relation to types of diagnoses as well as to number of diagnoses. Four neuropsychological measures were used to examine different aspects of attention (shift, sustain, select, focus) in order to obtain an overall index of impairment. Comparisons were made with 127 children between the ages of 7 and 16 years of age who either had no diagnosis or were diagnosed with a type of ADHD, depressive disorder, or anxiety disorder prior to the study. Four groups were compared on the AI index based on diagnosis: No Diagnosis (ND), ADHD, Other Psychiatric (OP) disorder, and ADHD plus OP. In addition, children were compared on the basis of zero, one, two, or three-plus diagnoses. Age differences were also examined in relation to the AI index. Overall, the ND group was found to receive significantly lower (better) AI scores than the ADHD and ADHD+OP groups. Groups with a diagnosis did not significantly vary from one another. When grouped by number of diagnoses, the ND group received significantly lower scores than the multiple diagnoses (3+) group, with a linear trend of AI scores increasing, or becoming worse, as the number of diagnoses increased. In addition, a negative correlation was found between age and Al; children received scores that suggested less impairment of attention as they became older. The AI index appears to be a promising tool to help determine the magnitude of impairment in attention, although further research is needed to examine patterns among diagnostic groups.Item A confirmatory factor analytic comparison of the Test of Everyday Attention for Children(2011-05) Belloni, Kristen Cline; Miller, Daniel; Mitchell, Angela; DeOrnellas, Kathy; Noah, NancyAttention problems are prevalent worldwide and the prevalence of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) continues to rise. In the school and community settings, many tests are used to assess for attention difficulties. The Test of Everyday Attention for Children (TEA-Ch) is one such test. However, the test was standardized on an Australian population, putting its generalizability to the U.S. population in question. This study included a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) of the TEA-Ch on a U.S. sample of 158 children without identified attention problems and comparisons of demographic data. Analysis of the data revealed significant differences in TEA-Ch performance between age groups. However, there were no significant differences based on ethnicity, sex, or parents' education level. While several factor subtests did not correlate as expected, results of the latent factor structure of the test were consistent with those of previous studies and produced a three-factor structure model consisting of selective attention, sustained attention, and attentional control/shifting attention (χ2 (24) = 10.70, p > .05). Additional fit indices also supported the model. These results follow the theoretical models on which the TEA-Ch was based, including those of Posner and Peterson (1990) and Mirsky, Anthony, Duncan, Ahearn, and Kellam (1991). Similar results were found in a Chinese study supporting cross validity of the TEA-Ch in cultures very different from one another. The TEA-Ch serves as a useful tool in the assessment of attention and its unique format offers many advantages over other more commonly used assessments of attention. The results of this study can serve as preliminary standardization data for the use of the TEA-Ch in the U.S.Item A nationwide survey of disability support personnel regarding transition and services for postsecondary students with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder(2013-05) Weed, Valerie; DeOrnellas, Kathy; Scott, Shannon R.; Waggoner, CheriThe purpose of this exploratory study was to analyze the perceptions (through survey data) of Disability Support Services (DSS) personnel regarding the transition process for students with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) from secondary to postsecondary institutions. Participants from 408 postsecondary institutions completed the survey with 60.4% from public and 39.5% from private institutions, and 66.8% from four-year and 33.2% from 2-year institutions. This study attempted to determine the availability of mental health services, social skills services, academic supports, and activities of daily living services for students with ADHD. Comparisons were made between public versus private institutions, 2-year versus four-year institutions, and across the regions of the United States (e.g., Northeast, West, Midwest, and South). Significantly more four-year and public institutions conducted mental health services at a counseling center. More four-year institutions were likely to provide social skills services. Private institutions were more likely to provide job coaching and peer-mentorship services as social skills services. There were no significant differences between the overall numbers of social skills, academic, and activities of daily living services offered between the various regions in the United States. These results provide information regarding the perceptions of ADHD by DSS personnel and the availability of services for students with ADHD in colleges and universities across the United States.Item Neurodevelopmental profiles for a sample of children originally diagnosed with ADHD(8/30/2004) Strahan, Laurel Lee; Miller, Daniel; Vitro, Frank; Hamilton, BasilAttention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a commonly diagnosed childhood psychological disorder. The diagnosis of this disorder is ideally based upon clinical evaluation rather than a singular test or measurement. As the etiology and pathology of ADHD are not fully agreed upon by the medical and psychological professions, appropriate diagnosis and treatment are often difficult to attain. Further confounding this situation is the knowledge that many disorders have symptoms that overlap with ADHD or exist concurrently, creating a comorbid condition. These issues lead to frequent misdiagnosis and the inappropriate medication of children who may benefit from non-chemical interventions. The current study examines select NEPSY subtest score profiles of children who had originally been diagnosed with ADHD. Standardized assessment yielded 3 subgroups within the sample: children meeting criteria for ADHD, children meeting criteria for another clinical diagnosis, and children who present with neither ADHD nor other clinical disorders. It was hypothesized that although these children do not present with a diagnosable disorder, a mosaic of neurocognitve deficits may mimic ADHD symptomatology. Results indicate no significant effects for age or gender. Examination of sample score profiles on the NEPSY indicate a similar pattern of neurodevelopmental weaknesses within each of the three groups. These patterns of weaknesses may manifest as behaviors that mimic those of ADHD, and may be the impetus for a misdiagnosis of the child as such. This may also support, however, the theory that ADHD exists along a continuum, with varying degrees of manifested airment.Item Utility of the RBANS with adolescents from the ADHD population: An examination of neuropsychological assessment measures of executive attention(May-23) Pearson-Allen, Jessica K. 1984-; Herbstrith, Julie; Rosen, Lisa; Swisher, MeganThe purpose of this study was to contribute to the current literature surrounding evaluation protocols for the diagnosis of ADHD. While the need for the early and accurate diagnosis of ADHD has been empirically established (Franke et al., 2018; Quintero et al., 2019), there is currently no agreed upon assessment battery or specific assessments to be included in such an evaluation (Wolraich et al, 2019).The current research sought to identify the pattern of performance exhibited by adolescents with ADHD on the RBANS when compared to the normative population. It also sought to determine whether the RBANS, a neuropsychological screener, provides valuable diagnostic data in excess of what is typically gathered for a psychological evaluation. Finally, the proposed study sought to identify whether the IVA-2, a computerized CPT, provides data that is correlated with, or predicted by, performance on the RBANS. Results revealed individuals from the ADHD sample scored higher on several subtests and indexes of the RBANS and also scored lower on several subtests, compared to the normative group. There was no evidence of a correlation between the RBANS and the IVA-2. Results were limited by a small sample size that potentially suppressed relationships that would have otherwise been observed.