Analysis of the Conners Continuous Performance Test for use in ADHD, language -based learning disorders and a comorbid group

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of the Conners Continuous Performance Test (CCPT) in distinguishing between children and adolescents with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Language-Based Learning Disorders (LBLDs), and a mixed group carrying both diagnoses.;The CCPT is a computerized test of attention used by clinicians both in research and diagnosis. Literature has shown that the CCPT can distinguish children and adolescents with ADHD from normal comparison groups and suggests children and adolescents with LBLDs show behavioral characteristics that are similar to those exhibited by children and adolescents with ADHD. Some of the processes used for attentional control are also used in language-based learning, with both disorders sharing effects on executive functions.;The current study used the archival data of 197 children and adolescents who underwent neuropsychological testing for learning difficulties and/or problems with attention at a clinic in New England that specializes in neuropsychological and learning disability assessment. It was originally hypothesized that a discriminant analysis of several measurement scores on the CCPT of these children and adolescents would distinguish between individuals diagnosed with ADHD, a LBLD, or those diagnosed with both. After consultation with my project committee, it was decided that this type of analysis did not fit with the data. Analysis of Variance and Chi Square Analysis were used to answer both the primary question posed in this study and several other secondary questions related to the performances of each group on the CCPT and in the literature.;It was found that clinician diagnosis did not match CCPT Certainty Percentage Index (which indicates the strength of the individual's profile for a clinically significant or non-clinically significant attention problem. However, the CCPT was useful in differentiating the ADHD group from the LBLD and Mixed groups, not only on the Certainty Percentage Index, but also for Hit Reactions Times, Omission error percentages, and Commission error percentages.