Effectiveness of Attention Enhancement Task on Executive Functions in Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder-A Randomized Controlled Trial

Attention Deficit Hyperactive disorder (ADHD) is a developmental disorder that develops in childhood. Inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity are the key characteristics of ADHD. Despite being a developmental disorder, in many cases ADHD is diagnosed in third or fourth grade when academic demands increase, resulting in academic difficulties and, eventually, behavioral issues. 

Many research studies have found that untreated childhood ADHD can be a risk factor for later psychopathology, including suicidal behavior, and social occupational impairment in young adults.

The deficits in executive functions (EFs) like cognitive inflexibility are primary cause for functional impairment and related psychopathology in ADHD.When EFs are impaired, it may be difficult to plan and organize tasks, stay on schedule, and keep concentrate despite distractions. As a result, emerging adults with executive dysfunction who do not meet societal expectations at this time of life are more likely to develop psychopathology. Hence it is important to address executive function along with behavioral symptoms in ADHD.

The executive function is associated with at least one attention domain. As a result, attention is one of the most important components for higher cognitive functioning. Therefore, attention training may strengthen the attention network while also improving performance in untrained tasks such as cognitive function and behavioral symptoms. However, there is inconsistent literature review on transferability in attention training. Furthermore, there is inadequate knowledge regarding how attention-enhancing tasks could help with executive function, which is hampered in ADHD. Thus, the present study has focused to understand the effectiveness of attention enhancement task in improving executive function.