Open AccessDiscrepancies in Wechsler Adult Intelligent Scale III profile in adult with and without attention‐deficit hyperactivity disorder
Author(s) -
Takeda Toshinobu,
Nakashima Youta,
Tsuji Yui
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
neuropsychopharmacology reports
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.661
H-Index - 13
ISSN - 2574-173X
DOI - 10.1002/npr2.12106
Subject(s) - wechsler adult intelligence scale , psychology , intelligence quotient , autism spectrum disorder , attention deficit hyperactivity disorder , clinical psychology , beck depression inventory , autism , depression (economics) , cognition , audiology , psychiatry , developmental psychology , medicine , anxiety , economics , macroeconomics
Aim The Wechsler Adult Intelligent Scale (WAIS) is the most frequently administered cognitive assessment for adult Attention‐deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD); therefore, identifying discrepancies in WAIS profile in patients and comparing with matched controls would be clinically and diagnostically beneficial. Methods The WAIS‐III profiles of 50 adults with ADHD were compared to an age‐matched typical development (TD) group. Results The adult ADHD group exhibited significantly lower WAIS‐III working memory (WM) and processing speed (PS) indices. However, these differences disappeared when intelligence quotient (IQ), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) score, or Autism Quotient (AQ) score was included as a covariate. The adult ADHD group also demonstrated significantly lower scores in several WM‐ and PS‐domain subscales, while crystallized abilities were comparatively preserved. Additionally, only a small portion of participants in both groups lacked any significant gaps between WAIS‐III verbal and performance IQ scores (VIQ–PIQ) or associated indices. Discussion This study confirms previous findings that adult ADHD patients have deficits in WM and PS. However, it is highly likely that comorbidities such as depression and autism spectrum disorder contribute to lower WM and PS scores in adult ADHD. Unexpectedly, a “flat profile” is uncommon even in TD adults. Therefore, clinician should assess how WAIS deficits affect daily life rather than merely considering an uneven WAIS profile when diagnosing and treating adult ADHD.