Browsing by Author "Puhakka, Jasmin"

Objectives. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a developmental neuropsychiatric disorder with childhood-onset, characterized by inattentiveness, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. In the diagnosis of ADHD, rating scales and neuropsychological testing serve to make inferences about the impact of a given patient’s symptoms, cognitive deficits, and abilities on everyday functioning. These traditional assessment methods have their limitations, as rating scales have been criticized by the lack of objectivity, and neuropsychological testing due to the limited ecological validity. For these reasons, new objective and ecologically valid assessment methods are needed. The aim of the current study was to examine the utility of Epeli, a new virtual reality-based assessment method that simulates everyday tasks, in the assessment of ADHD in children. Methods. ADHD symptoms were assessed with Epeli by comparing the differences in gross motor activity between 37 children diagnosed with ADHD and 42 typically developing children, aged between 9 and 12 years. Linear mixed models were used to examine how the children’s gross motor activity and distractors presented in the virtual environment affected groups performance in Epeli. Furthermore, it was investigated whether the motor activity variables of Epeli were correlated with the scores in traditional ADHD assessment methods: the continuous performance test (CPT), and ADHD Rating Scale IV (ADHD-RS-IV). Results and conclusions. Children diagnosed with ADHD made more movements of the hand using the game controller and controller clicks than the control group, and thus expressed more gross motor activity during Epeli. This gross motor activity measured from controller movements and clicks was associated with Epeli performance along with the distractors, weakening the performance in children with ADHD more than in typically developing children. Furthermore, the motor activity correlated with ADHD symptoms assessed with ADHD-RS-IV but only marginally with CPT measures. Head movements during Epeli did not reveal differences between the groups and were not associated with Epeli performance. The results suggest that Epeli offers new possibilities to assess children’s ADHD in an objective and ecologically valid way.