Children's Color Trail Test for Objective Assessment of Attention in Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Diagnostic Accuracy Study.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To compare the Children's Color Trail Test scores in children with and without Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder to assess its diagnostic performance in assessing attention-deficit. METHODS: 50 children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (diagnosed as per Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, 5th edition) and 50 age- and sex-matched children underwent Test 1 and Test 2 of the Children's Color Trail Test. A Receiver Operating Characteristics curve was constructed for the diagnostic accuracy of Children's Color Trail Test in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. RESULTS: The Receiver Operating Characteristics curve showed a score ≤32 for Children's Color Trail Test 1 [AUC 0.8 (0.71 to 0.87); P<0.001] and score ≤40 for Children's Color Trail Test 2 [AUC 0.85 (0.77 to 0.92); P<0.001] as the best cut-off for diagnosing Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. CONCLUSIONS: Children's Color Trail Test is a promising tool for diagnosing attention deficit, and could be used in settings where parent or teacher reports are not available.