Tactile Discrimination, Praxis and Cognitive Impulsivity in ADHD Children: A Cross-Sectional Study

Dulce Romero-Ayuso, Donald Maciver, Janet Richmond, Sara Jorquera-Cabrera, Luis Garra-Palud, Carmen Zabala-Baños, Abel Toledano-González and José-Matías Triviño-Juárez
Additional contact information
Dulce Romero-Ayuso: Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Granada, Occupational Therapy Division, Avda de la Ilustración n 60, 18016 Granada, Spain
Donald Maciver: School of Health Sciences, Queen Margaret University Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland EH21 6UU, UK
Janet Richmond: School of Medical and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, 270 Joondalup Drive, Joondalup, WA 6027, Australia
Sara Jorquera-Cabrera: Centro de Terapia Infantil-AYTONA, C/Virgen de las Viñas n 16, 28031 Madrid, Spain
Luis Garra-Palud: Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Castilla-La Mancha, Avda de la Real Fábrica de la Seda s/n., 45600 Talavera de la Reina, Spain
Carmen Zabala-Baños: Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Castilla-La Mancha, Avda de la Real Fábrica de la Seda s/n., 45600 Talavera de la Reina, Spain
Abel Toledano-González: Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Castilla-La Mancha, Avda de la Real Fábrica de la Seda s/n., 45600 Talavera de la Reina, Spain
José-Matías Triviño-Juárez: Sistema Andaluz de Salud, Centro de Salud Zaidín Sur, C/ Poeta Gracián n 7, 18007 Granada, Spain

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 6, 1-13

Abstract: Background: The study of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has traditionally focused on deficit of inhibitory control and cognitive impulsivity. However, the pathophysiology of ADHD has also been associated with the somatosensory cortex. The aim of this study was to explore if there were differences in tactile discrimination and praxis between neurotypical and ADHD children and whether these differences could be explained by cognitive impulsivity. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted. The sample comprised 74 children aged 7 to 11 years divided in two groups: 43 with neurotypical development, 31 with ADHD. To assess tactile discrimination, the finger localization and the graphestesia tests were used. Praxis was assessed with the Kaufman Assesment Battery for Children (K-ABC) hand movement subtest, the action program and the Zoo Map subtests of the Behavioral Assessment of Dysexecutive Syndrome, and the complex figure of Rey–Osterrieth test (ROCF). Cognitive impulsivity was assessed using the Magallanes Computerized Impulsivity Scale test (EMIC). Results: Children with ADHD showed greater cognitive impulsivity ( p = 0.038) and scored lower in Zoo Map ( p = 0.023) and hand-movement subtests ( p = 0.002), and in ROCF test ( p = 0.004). Differences in praxis skills still remained after controlling by gender and cognitive impulsivity. Conclusion: Praxis deficit might have repercussions not only on the characterization of ADHD but also on its treatment.

Keywords: attention deficit hyperactivity disorder; tactile discrimination; cognitive impulsivity; praxis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/6/1897/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/6/1897/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:17:y:2020:i:6:p:1897-:d:332556

Access Statistics for this article

IJERPH is currently edited by Ms. Jenna Liu

More articles in IJERPH from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().