Characteristics of the sensory-motor, verbal and cognitive abilities of preschool boys with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder combined type

The purpose of this study is to clarify the characteristics of sensory-motor, verbal and cognitive abilities of preschool boys with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in order to provide information for their treatment and education at preschool age by teachers and professionals. For this purpose, 46 Japanese boys with ADHD-combined type (ADHD-C) whose ages ranged from 45 to 72 months were examined using the Japanese version of the Miller Assessment for Preschoolers (JMAP), and were compared with 46 Japanese boys matched for age and gender in the normative samples that served as the standardizations for the JMAP. The results showed that the ADHD-C group was significantly lower than the normative sample group both on the Total score and on each Index score (P < 0.01) with the exception of the Non-verbal Index. In particular, the number of boys with ADHD-C scoring below the 5th percentile on the Foundation Index (i.e. fundamental sensory-motor tests) was the highest among all index scores. The ADHD-C group had significantly lower scores than the normative sample group in equilibrium, postural control, fine motor of hand and tongue, motor praxis, articulation, memory related to the comprehension of long sentences, and visual construction. Because fundamental sensory-motor abilities were notably lower in the ADHD-C group than in the normative sample group, it is suggested that preschool boys with ADHD-C should be examined and treated for sensory-motor disabilities.