Sensitivity of the Test of Memory and Learning to Attention and Memory Deficits in Children with ADHD

Abstract

Children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) exhibit a number of cognitive deficits. The current study compared patterns of attention, learning, and memory impairment on the Test of Memory and Learning (TOMAL) between 80 children with ADHD and 80 normal comparisons who were matched for age and gender. Results demonstrated that children with ADHD performed significantly worse than matched controls on the Attention/Concentration Index and the Sequential Recall Index. ROC analysis indicated that these two indexes had good classification accuracy with AUCs of.76 and.77 respectively. There were also group differences on the other index scores except the Associative Recall Index. Factor analysis of the ADHD sample extracted five factors, including an Attention factor that significantly correlated with performance on nonverbal memory tasks. Significant correlations between the TOMAL Index scores and tests of intelligence and visuomotor integration supported the convergent and discriminant validity of the test. These results provide support for the criterion validity of the TOMAL in assessing neurocognitive deficits in children with ADHD.