Identifying Cognitive Profiles in Children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders Using Online Cognitive Testing
Abstract
Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs), including autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), are characterized by diverse cognitive deficits. Early identification of cognitive deficits is fundamental to improving academic and emotional/behavioural outcomes in children. Creyos has pioneered online cognitive testing which assesses working memory, attention, reasoning and verbal abilities. We developed audiovisual instructions for the task battery and implemented them in an online sample of children ages 4-16 with ADHD (n = 83), ASD (n = 37), and typically developing children (TD) (n = 86), to determine whether unique cognitive profiles would emerge. Four tasks reflective of working memory, reasoning, and attentional processes correctly classified ~53-60% of each diagnostic group. The ADHD group had lower scores on attentional tasks, while the ASD group had lower scores on reasoning and more attempts across all tasks, compared to TD. Results suggest that the battery is feasible to implement in these populations.