Eye test to detect hyperactive children
Last updated at 12:05 17 January 2005
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) affects up to 7% of school-age children in the UK and the condition can prove hard to diagnose.
Now researchers from Brunel University in west London have come up with a 10-minute test which can pick out children likely to need special attention because of ADHD.
The Pavlidis Test involves children looking at a spot of light on a computer screen and following it with their eyes as it moves in different patterns.
Until now diagnosis of ADHD has been achieved through subjective questionnaires.
The Brunel team now believes it has found the world's first objective and biological test for the condition.
Professor George Pavlidis and Panagiotis Samaras, from the university's School of Sport and Education, looked at whether there was a significant link between the eye movements of youngsters aged four to six and the symptoms of ADHD.
They also looked at whether eye movements could be used to identify pre-school children at a high risk of ADHD.
The researchers found significant differences in the eye movement of ADHD children and other youngsters without the condition.
The ADHD group had much more erratic patterns of eye movement than the other children.
The computerised test correctly identified 93% of children as either ADHD or normal.
Professor Pavlidis said: "This biological test proved to be objective, and highly accurate, and can be used at pre-school age.
"The discovery is also important internationally as the test operates equally effectively regardless of language, race, culture and IQ."
Professor Pavlidis said early diagnosis of ADHD would allow children to have proper treatment which would reduce learning, behavioural and painful secondary psychological problems for youngsters.
ADHD, an inherited problem in the workings of the brain, can cause severe disruption to school and family life.
Children are often treated with medication, such as Ritalin, to control their symptoms to help them lead a more normal life, but these drugs can have some side effects.
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