Assessment of attention in children

Abstract

A continuous performance test of attention (SCAT; Seidel Continuous Attention Test) was administered to 128 normative subjects and 22 subjects diagnosed with attention deficit disorder with hyperactivity (ADDH), who ranged in age between 6 and 11 years. Overall performance was related to age, while reaction time was also significantly related to gender. Significant correlations were obtained between performance on the SCAT and (1) teacher ratings of school performance, (2) those subtests of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) that have been reported to load on an attention factor, and (3) particular factor scales obtained from the Conners Parent and Teacher Questionnaires. Significant differences in performance were revealed between ADDH and matched control groups on the SCAT. Preliminary evidence is presented on the validity and reliability of the SCAT as a measure of attention.