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European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
Published in: European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry 7/2016

01-07-2016 | Review

The clinical utility of the continuous performance test and objective measures of activity for diagnosing and monitoring ADHD in children: a systematic review

Authors: Charlotte L. Hall, Althea Z. Valentine, Madeleine J. Groom, Gemma M. Walker, Kapil Sayal, David Daley, Chris Hollis

Published in: European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry | Issue 7/2016

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Abstract

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is typically diagnosed using clinical observation and subjective informant reports. Once children commence ADHD medication, robust monitoring is required to detect partial or non-responses. The extent to which neuropsychological continuous performance tests (CPTs) and objective measures of activity can clinically aid the assessment and titration process in ADHD is not fully understood. This review describes the current evidence base for the use of CPTs and objectively measured activity to support the diagnostic procedure and medication management for children with ADHD. Four databases (PsycINFO, Medline, Allied and Complementary Medicine (AMED), and PsycARTICLES) were systematically searched to understand the current evidence base for (1) the use of CPTs to aid clinical assessment of ADHD; (2) the use of CPTs to aid medication management; and (3) the clinical utility of objective measures of activity in ADHD. Sixty relevant articles were identified. The search revealed six commercially available CPTs that had been reported on for their clinical use. There were mixed findings with regard to the use of CPTs to assess and manage medication, with contrasting evidence on their ability to support clinical decision-making. There was a strong evidence base for the use of objective measures of activity to aid ADHD/non-ADHD group differentiation, which appears sensitive to medication effects and would also benefit from further research on their clinical utility. The findings suggest that combining CPTs and an objective measure of activity may be particularly useful as a clinical tool and worthy of further pursuit.
Appendix
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Footnotes
1
Excluding an erratum to the Rielly et al. article [27], the correct specificity figures were obtained from the Rielly et al. erratum [28].
 
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Metadata
Title
The clinical utility of the continuous performance test and objective measures of activity for diagnosing and monitoring ADHD in children: a systematic review
Authors
Charlotte L. Hall
Althea Z. Valentine
Madeleine J. Groom
Gemma M. Walker
Kapil Sayal
David Daley
Chris Hollis
Publication date
01-07-2016
Publisher
Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Published in
European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry / Issue 7/2016
Print ISSN: 1018-8827
Electronic ISSN: 1435-165X
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-015-0798-x

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