Attention, Attention Rating and Cognitive Assessment: A Review and a Study.

We begin with the suggestion that the definition of Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) still faces some challenges. Conceptually, inhibition of the Pavlovian kind preexisted the “behavioral inhibition” popular in the USA; the difference between them has to be understood in order to understand ADHD. The present project examines the relationship between a teacher rating scale for student attention and the Cognitive Assessment System’s measure of Attention in contrast to Planning. The participants were 82 Grade 3 and Grade 4 children from the First Nations community (Cree). Students were administered the Planning and Attention tests of the Cognitive Assessment System (CAS), while teachers rated their own students by using the Attention Checklist (ACL). Correlations between the ACL and the CAS Attention and Planning scores were positive and significant. However, based on the ACL, groups of low‐ and high‐ attention participants were contrasted on Attention and Planning scores; tests showed significant differences between the low‐ and high‐ attention participants in the Attention score but not in Planning.