Abstract
Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, predominantly inattentive subtype (AD/HD-I) is one of subtypes of AD/HD. Previous studies found that poor academic performance was the most common problem of children with AD/HD-I. Moreover a higher prevalence of substance dependence/abuse disorders and higher percentage experienced neurological disorders were reported in adults with this disorder. However AD/HD-I has a high risk of being overlooked due to the lack of objective measurement. To avoid these problems, it is necessary to find out children with AD/HD-I and start to intervene them early in life. AD/HD is reported to have deficits in executive function (EF), however, there have been no consistent findings regarding the presence and the characteristics of EDF in ADHD-I to date. To clarify EDF of AD/HD-I, we analyzed EF in children with AD/HD-I by using two tests designed to evaluate inhibition and working memory from CANTAB together with the BRIEF, a parent-rated scale. We found significant differences in many outcome measures of these CANTAB tests and most scales of the BRIEF between AD/HD-I and control children, indicating the presence of EDF in AD/HD-I. In addition, correlations between these tools were identified, especially in scales for working memory. We also examined predictors that distinguish AD/HD-I from controls by using discriminant analysis. In summary, outcome measures of CANTAB and the BRIEF are considered to be useful for determining AD/HD-I in young children. Short title as a running head: Assessment of executive function in children with AD/HD-I
