Is there a developmental gap in visual search for children with reported attention problems?

• Published in: Journal of applied developmental psychology Vol. 56; pp. 42 - 51
• Main Authors: Quiroga, M.A., Santacreu, J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Norwood Elsevier Inc 01.05.2018; Elsevier Science Ltd
• Subjects: Academic achievement; Attention; Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder; Attention problems; Child psychology; Children; Computerization; Developmental delay; Developmental disabilities; Developmental psychology; Elementary school students; School-age children; Teachers; Typically developing children; Visual perception; Visual search; Attention problems; School-age children; Visual search; Developmental delay; Typically developing children
• ISSN: 0193-3973; 1873-7900
• DOI: 10.1016/j.appdev.2018.02.004

We report an analysis of developmental patterns in visual search for 6 to 12-year-old children. A typically developing sample of 1442 children is compared with two samples (N = 1160 and N = 947) of children with teacher-reported attentional problems. Inclusion criteria for these two groups are low academic achievement and probable attention problems as the reason for the low achievement. The three groups completed DiViSA, a computerized visual search test. Obtained data show two patterns of visual search development. Children with teacher-reported attentional problems show hastiness, inaccuracy and slowness. Children with attention problems perform as if they were younger, in terms of visual search. Data show a performance lag in visual search of about two to three years at every tested grade for the children with attentional difficulties. However the development patterns of children with and without attention problems are parallel, showing improvement with age in both groups. •Developmental patterns for children with and without teacher-reported attentional problems have been compared in visual search.•Second to sixth grade is the age range considered for both groups of children.•Obtained developmental patterns from the two groups are parallel to one another.•Results show a performance lag of about three to five years for the two groups with attentional problems, at every tested school grade.