Comparison of Selective Attention and Problem Solving among male students with Attention Deficit- Hyperactivity Disorder and Oppositional Defiant Disorder

The Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) have common and different aspects that is important to diagnosis and treatment of these disorders. The purpose of this study was to compare selective attention and problem solving among male students with these two disorders. The research design was a comparative study and the statistical population of this study was all students of the elementary school who were diagnosed with ADHD and ODD in Shahrekord city in the academic year of 2017-2018. The study sample consisted of 32 students with ODD and 47 students with ADHD who were selected by convenient sampling method. The research tools included simple Stroop test (Stroup, 1935) and London Tower test (Shays, 1982), which were performed individually. The data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of variance and Mann-Whitney U test. The results showed that students with ADHD in the Stroop selective attention test had significantly higher scores in the i indexes of incongruent reaction, without congruent reaction, correct number of consonant and correct number of disparate of selective attention test compared to students with ODD (p <0.05), but there was no significant difference in problem solving indices (P< 0.05). Lower scores of selective attention of students with ADHD in comparison with students with ODD can be an important diagnostic feature of these two disorder and due to neurological failure these children.