Thirty years of ADHD and WISC in scientific research: A systematic review of cognitive profile and index discrepancies
Open accessAbstract
Several decades have passed since the initial exploration of the cognitive profile of ADHD using the WISC.Since then, the scientific evidence on the topic has grown and evolved, at times being contradictory.Therefore, it is considered valuable to collect, analyze, compare, and synthesize the findings from the past 30 years.A systematic review was conducted following the PRISMA guidelines.The sources of information included the WoS, Scopus, PsycInfo, and MedLine databases, and the search terms applied were: (ADHD OR 'attention deficit' OR hyperactive*) AND (WISC*).Some of the inclusion criteria were: Participants were males and/or females aged between 6 and 16 years, formally diagnosed with ADHD, and assessed using the WISC-IV and/or the WISC-III.A total of 27 high-quality studies, with 6,486 participants across them, published up to September 2024, were analyzed.The systematic review, supported by a simple complementary statistical approach, suggests a cognitive profile characterized by higher scores on VC and PR/PO and lower scores on WM/FFD and PS.The index discrepancies that arise from comparing VC and PR/PO scores with WM/FFD and PS scores range from five to ten points.For the assessment of ADHD, as a complementary tool to the observation scales, it could be useful to use the WISC, examine the cognitive profile and index discrepancies, always with careful interpretation by an experienced professional in the field of psychology, psychopedagogy, psychiatry or neuropsychology.
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The characteristic cognitive pattern (VCI ≈ VSI ≈ FRI > WMI ≈ PSI) replicates accumulated evidence for the WISC-V and earlier editions and aligns with the systematic review by Lavigne-Cerván et al.
“Accordingly, the characteristic cognitive pattern (VCI ≈ VSI ≈ FRI > WMI ≈ PSI) replicates the accumulated evidence reported for the WISC-V [48] as well as for earlier editions of the scale [52, 53] and aligns with the systematic review by Lavigne-Cerván et al. [15].”
From ADHD, Subtypes and Cognitive Performance: WISC-V as a Support Tool for Diagnostic Assessment (2026) · cites this paper as [15]
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ADHD, Subtypes and Cognitive Performance: WISC-V as a Support Tool for Diagnostic Assessment
Lavigne-Cerván, R., Collado-Valero, J., Navarro-Soria, I., Rosales-Gómez, M., & Torrecillas-Martínez, M. (2026) · Actas Espanolas de Psiquiatria · doi:10.62641/aep.v54i3.2122 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
“Although isolated WISC results should not be considered a diagnostic tool for neurodevelopmental disorders such as ADHD [ 33], they can nevertheless provide valuable complementary information [15].”
InfluentialSelf-citationAlimoğlu, E. B., Karakaya, E., Okur, M., Alp, Z. A., & Aksoy, V. (2026) · Developmental Neuropsychology · doi:10.1080/87565641.2026.2715553
“This pattern partially aligns with the systematic review by Lavigne-Cerván et al. (2026), which identified relatively stronger verbal comprehension and perceptual reasoning alongside weaker working memory and processing speed as a recurring group-level configuration in ADHD.”
- Authors
- Lavigne-Cerván, R., Collado-Valero, J. A., Martínez-González, A. E., & Navarro-Soria, I. N.-S.
- Affiliations
- Universidad de Málaga (ES)
- Venue
- Revista de Psicología Clínica Con Niños y Adolescentes
- Published
- 2026-01-01
- Volume
- 13
- Issue
- 1
- ISSN
- 2340-8340 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W7116920322
- Cited by
- 1
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1
- FWCI
- 0.18
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- diamond
- doi.org
- Licence
- cc-by-nc-nd
- Locations
- Revista de Psicología Clínica con Niños y Adolescentes (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- Dialnet (Universidad de la Rioja) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Universidad de Alicante (GRE21-15A)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Neuropsychology and Physiological Psychology › Developmental and Educational Neuropsychology
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
- Keywords
- attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, WISC-IV, WISC-III, cognitive profile, verbal comprehension, processing speed, working memory, fluid intelligence, performance IQ, children and adolescents
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