Specific Cognitive Deficits in ADHD: A Diagnostic Concern in Differential Diagnosis

Abstract

We present a critical account of existing tools used to diagnose children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and to make a case for the assessment of cognitive impairments as a part of diagnostic system. Surveys have shown that clinicians rely almost entirely upon subjective reports or their own clinical judgment when arriving at diagnostic decisions relating to this prevalent disorder. While information from parents and teachers should always be carefully considered, they are often influenced by a host of emotional and perceptual factors. It increases the possibility for misdiagnosis of a condition like ADHD. Recent experimental literature on ADHD has identified unique underlying cognitive dysfunction, specific to ADHD. Therefore, we propose that there is a need to incorporate information on cognitive mechanisms underlying ADHD and inculcate such information in the diagnostic system, which will provide a more sensitive as well as specific tool in differential diagnosis of ADHD.

Trait Impulsivity Is Independent of Mild Cognitive Impairment in a Parkinson’s Disease Cohort

“…It has been suggested that individuals with lower cognitive abilities may be less likely to comprehend the consequences of reporting their impulsive events, and are therefore more likely to disclose impulse-related behaviors and feelings, and to self-report high impulsivity. This phenomenon has been reported in prison inmates [29], and in children with learning difficulties [30] and ADHD [13]. Alternatively, many individuals with higher cognitive abilities are thought to under-report impulsive behaviors due to embarrassment, or because they are fearful of potential consequences in disclosing impulsive behaviors.…”

“…Although impulsivity and cognitive impairment frequently coexist in PD, it is unclear whether there are any interactive effects between them during the course of the disease. A link between impulsive traits and low cognitive scores has been observed in other cohorts, such as children with attention-deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) [13]. In addition, preliminary evidence suggests that, in PD, cognitive characteristics such as poor executive abilities, as well as poor action control and response inhibition, and certain personality traits such as negative affectivity and high premorbid levels of novelty seeking, may have impact on impulsivity and be risk factors for the development of ICDs [6, 11, 14].…”

Support for Students with Hidden Disabilities in Universities: A Case Study

“…While it may appear, from the discussion above, that students with hidden disabilities are able to be assessed and sorted neatly into a disability-specific category for service provision, the reality is that there are many conditions that can affect cognitive processes (e.g. Boone et al, 2001;Laskera, Mazzocco, & Zee, 2007;Prevatt, Welles, Li, & Proctor, 2010), diagnoses frequently overlap (Fayyad, et al, 2007;Landerl & Moll, 2010), and people attending medical appointments for these kinds of difficulties may receive conflicting and changing reports over time and from different practitioners (see, for example, Gupta, 2010;Robinson, 2002). Two formal approaches to support are possible when addressing the needs of these diverse learners: (a) strategies and supports may be universally offered to all students in the university or college or (b) differentiated, disability specific approaches may be provided to specific groups or individuals.…”

Recognizing Emotions through Facial Expressions: A Largescale Experimental Study

“…This material can also have practical applications in other domains. For example, difficulty recognizing emotions has been associated with various psychological disorders, such as depression [ 7 , 8 , 9 ], attention deficit hyperactivity disorder [ 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 ], bipolar personality disorder [ 15 ], eating disorders [ 16 ], Williams syndrome [ 17 ], schizophrenia [ 18 ], and autism spectrum disorders [ 19 ], amongst others. Again, the aforementioned applications require the development of sets of standardized stimuli and their validation, including normative data for different countries and cultures.…”