Attention please! Why we pay attention to attention

Abstract

When attention is impaired in children and adolescents, this often leads to difficulties in everyday life; for example, integration at school may be severely hampered. Well-known disorders include attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and attention-deficit disorder without hyperactivity (ADD). Attention disorders resulting from primary organic brain disorders have so far received substantially less consideration. However, the latter are becoming increasingly important because of rising survival rates. The literature contains countless models and definitions of attention. This diversity frequently leads to terminological confusion. The present article therefore proposes a taxonomy of attention that combines components from different models. It also describes behavioral observation, informant ratings, and neuropsychological test procedures, which represent relevant levels of assessment in child neuropsychological diagnostics of attention disorders.