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Time perception: modality and duration effects in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, Oct, 2005 by Maggie E. Toplak, Rosemary Tannock

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Fourteen of our participants used stimulant medication (30%), eight had previously used stimulant medication (17%), five used a non-stimulant medication (11%), and 20 had never used psychoactive medication (43%). All adolescents were asked to stop taking any medication 24 hr prior to the assessment, except for two participants who used antidepressants, but participants were otherwise medication free during testing.

Comparison Sample

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Parents and adolescents confirmed on the Conners' questionnaire that the adolescent did not have any Axis I diagnosis other than a specific phobia, or any history or current complaints of problems in attention, behavior, mood disturbances, or learning. Adolescents in the comparison sample were also excluded if they had psychosis, pervasive developmental disorder, a serious medical condition or an estimated IQ below 80. Initially, the KSADS-PL was given to all participants in the comparison sample, but was discontinued after the first 21 participants as the instrument did not serve a diagnostic purpose. However, if any concerns were raised on the Conners' questionnaires, a complete K-SADS-PL interview was done to rule out any of these difficulties. A total of four K-SADS-PL were conducted to follow up on issues raised on the Conners' questionnaires in the comparison control group.

Standardized Measures

Additional components of the adolescent assessment included measures of intellectual ability, accuracy and efficiency of single-word reading and reading-related skills, math computational ability, and oral language ability. The Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence (WASI; Wechsler, 1999), which comprised four subtests (Vocabulary, Block Design, Similarities, and Matrices), was used to provide an estimate of intellectual ability. The reading measures included the Reading subtest from the Wide Range Achievement Test-3 (WRAT-3; Wilkinson, 1993), the Elision and Blending subtests from the Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing (CTOPP; Wagner, Torgesen, & Rashotte, 1999), and the Test of Word Reading Efficiency (TOWRE; Torgesen, Wagner, & Rashotte, 1999). Math ability was assessed with the Arithmetic subtest from the WRAT-3. Oral language ability was assessed with the Recalling Sentences subtest from the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals--3rd Edition (CELF-3; Semel, Wiig, & Secord, 1995), and the Nonword Repetition subtest from the CTOPP, as nonword repetition is believed to be a marker of generic forms of language impairment (Briscoe, Bishop, & Norbury, 2001).

Group Differences on Standardized Measures

Table I displays the diagnostic characteristics of the ADHD and comparison groups of adolescents. Overall, as might be expected, the individuals with ADHD exhibited lower scores compared to controls on virtually all of the standardized measures, including intellectual ability, memory span and working memory, reading, language, math, and higher scores on the behavioral features of ADHD. Notably, all the scores were within the average range.

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Time perception: modality and duration effects in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, Oct, 2005 by Maggie E. Toplak, Rosemary Tannock

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