Attention-Deficit Disorder With (ADD/H) and Without (ADD/WO) Hyperactivity: Behavioral and Neuropsychological Differentiation

Abstract

Reviewed behavioral and neuropsychological studies addressing attention-deficit disorder with (ADD/H) and: without (ADD/WO) hyperactivity. Review of the behavioral studies suggests that children with ADD/H have more behavior problems, are less popular, are more self-destructive, and are more likely to have a codiagnosis of conduct disorder. Children with ADD/WO seem more socially withdrawn, have a slower cognitive tempo, are more self-conscious, and have a higher incidence of developmental learning disorders. Neuropsychological studies suggest that children with ADD/H or ADD/WO may differ electrophysiologically and that ADD/WO children may have deficits in automaticity similar to children with learning disabilities. The literature provides more support for the diagnostic nomenclature found in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (3rd ed.; DSM-III; American Psychiatric Association, 1980) than for the polythetic approach characterizing the diagnosis of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (3rd ed., rev.; DSM-III-R; American Psychiatric Association, 1987).