TOVA
Attention deficit disorder (ADHD) is prevalent in the general population (Polanczyk et al. 2014). Estimates range from approximately 5.29% in children (Polanczyk et al. 2007), 7.1% in adolescents (Willcutt 2012), and 7.1% in adults (Fayyad et al. 2007). The disorder is characterized by inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity (APA 2013). Distinguishing between ADHD and other externalizing problems such as Conduct Disorder or Oppositional Defiant Disorder is the primary objective of the clinician. However, there is considerable overlap between these disorders, which highlight the importance of measures that can be reliable to distinguish between them.
Developed by Dr. Laurence Greenberg and colleagues in the 1960s, the Tests of Variables of Attention (TOVA) are objective and standardized, computerized continuous performance tests (CPTs) that are now widely used to inform the diagnosis of ADHD/ADD (Forbes 1998). Specifically, these CPTs consist of the TOVA®, which assess the...
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References
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM-5®). Arlington: American Psychiatric Pub.
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Polanczyk, G., de Lima, M. S., Horta, B. L., Biederman, J., & Rohde, L. A. (2007). The worldwide prevalence of ADHD: A systematic review and metaregression analysis. American Journal of Psychiatry, 164, 942–948.
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O’Shea, D.M., Woods, A.J. (2018). Tests of Variables of Attention. In: Kreutzer, J.S., DeLuca, J., Caplan, B. (eds) Encyclopedia of Clinical Neuropsychology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-57111-9_9092
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