Young people with attention-deficit  hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in the 15-17 age group show a high level of auditory attention

Jovens com transtorno de déficit de atenção e hiperatividade (TDAH) na faixa etária entre 15 e 17 anos apresentam um alto nível de atenção  auditiva.

Jeane Marta Guedes Aguiar1*, Valdenilson Ribeiro Ribas2, Rosângela Nieto de Albuquerque3, Severino Marcos de Oliveira Carneiro4,  Diego Firmino dos  Santos Costa5,  Manoel Aldo  da  Silva6,  Valéria Ribeiro  Ribas7, Tereza Veronica dos Santos8, Luciano da Fonseca Lins9, Raul Manhães de Castro10.

ABSTRACT

Young people  with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder  (ADHD)  are  frequently labeled  as  problematic, undisciplined and  agitated.  The level of attention in 156  subjects in the 15-17 age  group  was evaluated  in this  work,  being  40   young  females  without  ADHD  (CONTROLS 1), 40   young  males  without  ADHD (CONTROLS 2), 39  young females with ADHD (FYo-ADHD) and  37  young males with ADHD (MYo-ADHD). The data  were analyzed  by ANOVA, p<0.05, expressed  in mean  ± SEM. MYo-ADHD  presented  reduced focused attention when compared  to the FYo-ADHD and the Controls. MYo-ADHD and FYo-ADHD presented reduced  sustained  attention¸  mental  manipulation  and resistance  to the interference when compared  to the Controls.  MYo-ADHD and  FYo-ADHD presented   increasedauditory  attention  compared  to  the  Controls. Young males and females with ADHD present reduced  focused and sustained attention, mental manipulation and resistance to the interference, but increased auditory attention.

Key Words: Young, attention, ADHD.