An Investigation of Executive Processes in the Problem-Solving of Attention Deficit Disorder-Hyperactive Children

The attentional deficits of hyperactive children have been extensively examined on tasks of vigilance and field dependence. However, there has been little investigation of the impact of such deficits on the cognitive functions of hyperactive children on more complex problem-solving tasks. The present study compared the “executive” cognitive processes of normal children and children with a DSM-III diagnosis of “attention deficit disorder with hyperac tivity” (ADD-H). A memory task requiring organization and self-monitoring was employed for this purpose in conjunction with a social communication task to examine the production and coordination of problem-solving strategies. While ADD-H and control children did not differ on card-sorting time, the former manifested somewhat poorer recall and significantly poorer executive processing as evident in the quality of their verbalized instructions and strategies. In addition, ADD-H children demonstrated significantly greater difficulty in communicating strategy and task information in comparison to control children. No performance djfferences were noted in a subset of ADD-H children when on and off medication. The implications of these findings for therapeutic intervention are discussed.