Evaluación de la memoria auditiva y visual en niños hiperactivos

Abstract

Los objetivos del presente trabajo son: 1) explorar la memoria auditiva y visual en niños con y sin comportamiento hiperactivo y 2) analizar la habilidad para la integración intra e intersensorial en ambos grupos de niños. Los sujetos examinados fueron 78 niños entre 7 y 9 años de edad, de ambos sexos: 42 varones y 36 niñas, de nivel socioeconómico bajo. Todos los niños concurrían a escuelas urbanomarginales de la Provincia de Mendoza (Argentina). Se dividió a la muestra total de niños en dos subgrupos: con conducta hiperactiva (n = 39) 23 varones y 16 mujeres y 2) sin conductas hiperactiva (n = 39) 19 varones y 20 mujeres. Los resultados obtenidos revelan que: 1) Los niños con conducta hiperactiva en comparación con aquellos que no la presentaron, obtuvieron puntuaciones significativamente menores en la capacidad para evocar una secuencia de estímulos, tanto auditivos como visuales. 2) Al explorar la Integración intrasensorial, Integración intersensorial, Expresión Oral y Expresión Escrita, los niños con conducta hiperactiva en comparación con aquellos que no la presentaron, obtuvieron puntuaciones significativamente menores. 3) En el subtest de Dígitos del WISC III (Wechsler, 1997) los niños con conducta hiperactiva presentaron puntajes menores con respecto a los niños sin este trastorno. En el subtest Aritmética no se observaron diferencias significativas entre ambos grupos. Los resultados obtenidos en este trabajo muestran que los niños con conducta hiperactiva exhiben un rendimiento más bajo en las funciones cognltlvas - conductuales evaluadas: Memoria auditiva - visual de dígitos e integración intra e intersensorial. Ambas pruebas están ligadas a la capacidad de secuenciación y de concentración en tareas sencillas. Este trabajo sugiere la implementación en el ámbito escolar de programas de entrenamiento para desarrollar estrategias cognitivas conductuales, tendientes a atenuar las conductas desorganizadas e impulsivas, mejorando la ejecución y el rendimiento en las diferentes tareas.

Attention Defteit Hyperaetivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of behavioral disorders most frequently diagnosed in childhood, according to the National Institutes of Health Consensus Development scientific committee in their conference held in November 1998 (USA, National Institutes of Health, 2000). This becomes evident when consulting databases on the subject. The investigations carried out so far have tried to enlighten this complex clinical entity characterized by an inadequate development of attention-concentration levels (attention defieit), of the motor activity (hiperaetivity), and of the self-control ability (impulsiveness) (Cabanyes & PolainoLorente,1977). In spite of the progress reached regarding evaluation, diagnosis and treatment of children and adults with ADHD, there is still controversy concening the reliability of the diagnosis and, therefore, of the effectiviness of the different treatments. Diagnosis criteria are based upon three evaluation axes: neurological examination, information provided by significant adults, and information provided by the child himself. The last one includes mainly behavior evaluation techniques. Hence, the cognitive side of the evaluation of attention processes,information storing and retrieving, as wel! as sight-movement integration and cognitive styles are usual!y left aside. The objectives of the present work are: 1) to explore auditory and visual memory in children with and without hyperactive behavior, and 2) to analyze intra and intersensorial integration abilities in both groups. The subjects were 78 children between 7-9 years old: 42 males and 36 females, al! from low social-culturallevel, and al! attending schools located in poor neighborhoods of the province of Mendoza (Argentina). The total sample was divided into two subgroups: 1) with hyperactive behavior (n = 39), 23 boys and 16 girls, and 2) without hyperactive behavior (n = 39), 19 boys and 20 girls. Conners' Rating Scale for Teachers (1990) was used for selecting children with or without hyperactive behavior. Afterwards, the attention abilities in both groups were evaluated using Koppitz' VADS Test and Arithmetic and Digit Span subtests ofWISC III (Wechsler, 1997). The results show that: 1) children with hyperactive behavior, compared to those without it, scored significantly lower regarding their ability to evoke a sequence of auditory as wel! as visual stimuli; 2) children with hyperactive behavior, compared to those without hyperactive behavior, scored significantly lower in Intrasensorial Integration, Intersensorial Integration, Verbal Expression, and Written Expression. Sex was not a significant variable, and 3) children with hyperactive behavior scored lower than children without that behavior in the Digit Span Subtest of WISC III (Wechsler, 1997). No differences were observed between both groups in the Arithmetic Subtest. Results indicate that children with hyperactive behavior, compared to those without it, show low performance regarding the cognitive-behavioral functions evaluated. Hyperactive children have deficient performance regarding Auditory Memory and Visual Digits, which is a test related to the ability of making sequences and concentrating on, easy tasks. The cognition effort necessary to process information from different sensorial sources requires from the child to interrupt irrelevant thoughts in order to focus on the new task. This implies to focus and maintain the attention for aperiod (sustained attention), and to ignore the stimuli not necessary to accomplish the task. This function can also be altered by anxiety in tasks that require determined mental operations. It can be observed that children with hyperactive behavior exhibit low performance regarding registration, analysis and synthesis of simultaneous information and that they tend to respond rapidly and imprecisely to the task required. The results of this work allow us to recommend the development, within the schools, of training programs aimed to attenuate children's impulsive and disorganized behaviors, thus improving their school performance, and preventing further school desertion and social maladjustment.