Objective assessment of motor activity of children with ADHD

In the assessment of ADHD, clinicians rely mainly on subjective evaluation based on behavioral questionnaire. Altered motor activity is a frequent symptom of ADHD. The diagnostic modality enabling a precise and objective assessment of motor activity is actigraphy. Method: Actigraph, a new mini-motion logger, in fact a wrist-worn minicomputer, enables an objective assessment of motor activity and is particularly useful in children due to its small size. Material: Thirty-two boys and 5 girls with a diagnosis of ADHD were included in the study. Children with ADHD underwent actigraphic examination and results obtained were compared with age- and gender-matched controls. Level of activity was objectively measured in children with ADHD subtypes: mixed (n=23) and predominantly inattentive (n=14). Actigraph was worn by 37 children (32 boys and 5 girls) during 3 days and 3 nights non-stop. Level of activity was measured as mean value in 30-minutes’ periods. Results: No differences in level of activity were noticed between both subtypes of ADHD. Results of actigraphic examination did not correlate with clinical assessment. Conclusions: Results obtained did not support distinction of ADHD subtypes (according to DSM-IV classification); children with mixed ADHD subtype were not more active than those with predominantly inattentive ADHD subtype.