Saturday, April 4, 2009

Cognitive Impairments Found With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Over the past century, the syndrome currently referred to as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has been conceptualized in relation to varying cognitive problems including attention, reward response, executive functioning, and other cognitive processes.1 More recently, it has become clear that whereas ADHD is associated at the group level with a range of cognitive impairments, no single cognitive dysfunction characterizes all children with ADHD.2,3 In other words, ADHD is not a one-size-fits-all phenomenon. Patients with this syndrome do not fit into any one category and present with widely differing co-occurring disorders—including varying cognitive profiles.

Thus, ADHD represents not a single disease entity but a heterogeneous group of patients who require differentiated analysis, assessment, and treatment. This article focuses on the cognitive presentation of children (and, to a lesser extent, adults) with ADHD.

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