A novel task for examining strategic planning: Evidence for impairment in children with ADHD

Abstract

Children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often show poor performance on tasks that require strategic planning. To assess this ability, we developed a paper and pencil task that required consistent use of a simple test-taking strategy to maximize the number of points. The visual discrimination task with minimal cognitive demands required children to maximize their gains by responding only to outlined high-point problems and to skip the low-point problems. The task was administered twice, the second time with explicit instructions on how to implement the strategy. Few of the children in the ADHD or control group, ages 8-13 years, were able to discover the strategy on their own, but after explicit instruction 90% of the children in the control group but only 57.5% of children with ADHD used the strategy to maximize points (p < .005). The ADHD group used the strategy less efficiently, despite the fact that they did not differ on the total number of problems completed. The findings suggest that children with ADHD have impaired ability to implement strategic approaches for tasks similar to school assignments. The task can potentially be developed as a diagnostic aid and as a basis for further research assessing strategic planning in ADHD.

Understanding Executive Control in Autism Spectrum Disorders in the Lab and in the Real World

“…Moreover, the Behavioral Assessment of the Dysexecutive Syndrome, the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function, and the Tests of Everyday Attention all have child versions that provide developmental norms for studying ecologically valid executive control and enable the researcher to investigate most of the same executive control domains across much of the life span. This does not discount the potential contribution of other measures such as the Multiple Errands Shopping Test (Shallice & Burgess, 1991; Alderman et al, 2003), the Cooking Task (Chevignard et al, 2008), or the Test Taking Strategy Task (Kofman et al, 2008); however, additional research is needed to validate and standardize these measures.…”

Improving the Writing Performance of High School Students with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Writing Difficulties

“…Unlike previous research that has shown that individuals with ADHD often have difficulty maintaining the used of a strategy (Kofman et al, 2008), students in this study continued to use the planning and writing strategies through the remaining phases of the study. Curtis, Noah, Christian, and Sarah were not only able to use the strategies consistently, but to use them correctly.…”

“…Finally, Kofman, Larson, and Mostofsky (2008) examined the strategic planning skills of students with ADHD. Students were required to consistently use a simple testtaking strategy to earn points.…”

Prospective Memory, Working Memory, Inhibitory Control and Time Reproduction in Boys with Attention Deficient Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Age Matched Controls

“…The prospective memory task had to be initiated and the child was instructed to switch to all four different tasks at least once. Children with ADHD were less able to remember plans than children without ADHD leading to impaired strategic planning in children with ADHD (Kofman, Larson, & Mostofsky, 2008). Speedy execution of multiple tasks also contributed to frequent errors in children with ADHD (Kliegel, Ropeter, & Mackinlay, 2006).…”