Attentional impairments in children occur in the context of both
developmental and acquired disorders involving the central nervous system
(CNS) and may have implications for ongoing development, potentially
impeding cognitive, educational, and behavioral functions. Using a
continuous performance paradigm (CPT), this study compared attentional
profiles of children with developmental and acquired conditions impacting
on the CNS: (i) attention deficit–hyperactivity disorder (ADHD:
n = 27); (ii) moderate traumatic brain injury (TBI: n =
41); (iii) acute lymphoblastic leukemia (n = 31); and (iv)
insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (n = 39). A healthy control
group (n = 46) was also examined. Groups were compared on
measures of sustained attention, selective attention, and response
inhibition. In addition, measures of performance variability and
deterioration and processing speed were examined. Results showed that
children with ADHD exhibited global and severe attentional impairments in
contrast to all other groups. Children with moderate TBI displayed mild
attentional difficulties, restricted to selective and sustained attention
domains. In conclusion, although CPT parameters differentiated the ADHD
group from all others, a disorder-specific profile was not observed.
(JINS, 2006, 12, 519–531.)