Organization Ability of Children With ADHD

Children With ADHD

Visuospatial development and non-verbal memory skills have usually been evaluated using the Rey-Osterreith Complex Figure, which is one of the widely used neuropsychologic tests. This test is commonly used because it entails copying a multifaceted geometric figure and recreating it from memory, instantly and after a short delay. The Rey-Osterreith Complex Figure is regarded as a very beneficial tool for examining the functioning of the frontal lobe, which is needed for strategic planning and organizing in relation to executive skills. Children apply different approaches to performance of the Rey-Osterreith Complex Figure task, which indicates various aspects including visual perception, quality of attention, motor planning and control, metacognitive skill, and organizing. This neuropsychologic test has been widely used in neuropsychologic evaluation of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). When using this test, the assessment primarily focuses on potentially compromised skills in neuropsychologic domains.

The purpose of the study is to examine the comparability of the different performance between Korean and American children on the Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure. The researchers also sought to determine whether Korean children with ADHD and other cognitive disorders vary in cognitive attributes and deficits on the Rey-Osterreith Complex Figure (Shin et al., 2003, p.837). These researchers conducted the study on the premise that there are discrepancies across studies on the performance of children with ADHD on the Rey-Osterreith Complex Figure.

In order to achieve this purpose, there are several research questions utilized by the researcher to guide the study. Some of the research questions that can be identified in the study include

1. How do Korean children and American children perform on the Rey-Osterreith Complex Figure?

2. Are there differences in cognitive characteristics and deficits among children diagnosed with learning disorder, ADHD, ADHD and learning disorder, and tic disorder on the Rey-Osterreith Complex Figure?

3. Why are there discrepancies in the results of the performance of children with ADHD on the Rey-Osterreith Complex Figure?

Similar to the results of previous studies, the researchers found that children with ADHD have considerably low organization score in comparison with other groups. These findings showed the fundamental problems of children with ADHD in their organization capabilities. The researchers also found that there is a strong link between ADHD and frontal lobe. This is primarily because these children tend to be cognitively undirected and disorganized since the executive function is evident on the Rey-Osterreith Complex Figure as strategic planning and organizing capabilities (Shin et al., 2003, p.840). This study basically demonstrates that children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder have an organizational deficit. This organizational deficit is evident because children with ADHD have considerably lower organization scores than other groups.