Neuropsychological functioning in subgroups of children with and without social perception deficits and/or hyperactivity--impulsivity.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study is to ascertain whether there are differences among groups of children based on their social perception skills in visual perception and fluid reasoning to assist in more effective intervention planning. METHOD A total of 80 children were grouped on the basis of their performance on a social perception measure (Child and Adolescent Social Perception) and the presence or absence of hyperactive-impulsive behaviors. They were administered a battery of tests to determine whether the groups differed in their visual perceptual skills and fluid reasoning abilities. RESULTS The groups with poor social perception significantly differed from groups with intact social perception on the Rey-O and Fluid Reasoning but not on the Judgment of Line Orientation or the Developmental Test of Visual Motor Integration. CONCLUSION A subgroup of children with ADHD demonstrates poor social perception skills and accompanying deficits in complex visual perception and fluid reasoning.