The Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function and Continuous Performance Test in Preschoolers with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to examine performance-based measures and behavioral ratings of executive functions (EF) as a component of preschool attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). METHODS: Twenty-one 4-to-6-year-old children with ADHD and 52 children with no psychopathology, matched on age, gender, socioeconomic status, and parental education, were enrolled. Parents were interviewed with the use of The Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children Present and Lifetime version. The Conners' Kiddie Continuous Performance Test (K-CPT) was administered to the children, and the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function-Preschool version (BRIEF-P) and the Conners' Parent Rating Scale-Revised/Short Form (CPRS-R/S) were filled out by the parents. RESULTS: All BRIEF-P and CPRS-R/S scores, the K-CPT measures of inattention and impulsivity were higher in the ADHD group. The CPRS-R/S ADHD index was strongly correlated with inhibition and related indexes in the BRIEF-P and was moderately correlated with inattention measures in the K-CPT. CONCLUSION: The current study is one of the few to investigate the features of preschool ADHD with the use of behavioral ratings of EF and a performance-based measure. Our results suggest that the BRIEF-P was able to identify behavioral difficulties in inhibition and working memory and that the K-CPT identified difficulties indicating inattention. The findings of this study support the use of a combination of methods for a complete evaluation of preschoolers with inattentive and hyperactive/impulsive behavior, the application of rating scales for screening ADHD symptoms, and the measurement of behavioral correlates of EF, along with performance-based measures.