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Background: There are high comorbidity rates between sensory modulation disorder (SMD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Knowledge regarding the objective neuropsychological differentiation between them is scarce., Aim: This study examines the effects of SMD and ADHD on a sustained attention task with and without aversive auditory conditions., Method: Sixty six young adult females were tested on the Conjunctive - Continuous Performance Task-Visual (CCPT-V) measuring sustained attention, under two conditions: 1) aversive condition (with the three most aversive sounds chosen by the participant), and 2) non-aversive condition (without sounds)., Results: Both the SMD and ADHD factors exhibited performance deficits in the sustained attention task. All study participants performed worse on both sustained attention and speed of processing when aversive sounds were present., Conclusion: We conclude that impaired sustained attention cannot differentiate between SMD and ADHD. Hence, these results should be taken under consideration in the assessment process of ADHD vs. SMD., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Certain behavioral expressions of sensory modulation disorder (SMD) such as distractibility, hyperactivity, and impulsivity are often similar to those of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in pediatric and adult populations. There is also a high comorbidity rate between these two diagnoses and absence of research regarding the objective neuropsychological differentiation between them. In the present study we employed a factorial design which enabled us to: (a) systematically examine the effects of SMD and ADHD on executive attention in a sample of adult females using a Stroop-like task, and (b) measure the effect of aversive conditions (sounds) on executive attention. The experimental measures used were the Stroop-like Location-Direction Task (SLDT) to assess executive attention and the battery of aversiveness to sounds (BAS), a standardized measure of aversive sounds that was developed for this study and enabled individual customization of aversive auditory sounds. Results revealed, as expected, a specific core deficit in executive attention for the ADHD factor. In addition to that, the present study provides an important, pioneering finding of SMD impairment in a unique combination of a cognitively demanding task with aversive sounds, providing preliminary objective evidence differentiating SMD from ADHD., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)