Researchers from Brunel University's School of Sport and Education have discovered, after three years of international research, that attention deficit, impulsivity and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can be diagnosed in preschool children using a simple but sophisticated biological test. To date, the diagnosis of the condition is made subjectively by the use of questionnaires. This is the first time that such a n objective and biological test- discovery has been made, worldwide.

The fully automated, inexpensive test can be completed within ten minutes. The children just have to look at a spot of light on a computer screen and follow it with their eyes as it moves across the screen.

ADHD is a common disorder, estimated to affect approximately three to seven per cent of school-age children. The diagnosis of ADHD is difficult in preschool ages, as many normally active children are overactive and exuberant.

Professor George Th. Pavlidis and Panagiotis Samaras from Brunel University examined whether there was a significant correlation between the eye movements of preschool children (4-6 year olds) and ADHD symptomatology. They also examined whether eye movements could be used to objectively identify preschool children at high-risk for ADHD, by the use of a reliable biological test ( Pavlidis Test ).

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