Conners Continuous Performance Test (CPT)

If you have noticed signs of inattentiveness and impulsivity in your child, you may wish to consider the Conners Continuous Performance Test (CPT) . It is appropriate for children and adolescents who are 8 years of age and above.

The Conners Continuous Performance Test Third Edition™ (Conners CPT 3™) assesses attention-related problems in children and adolescents. It achieves this by administering a 14-minutes task-oriented computerised assessment to test the four domains of attention:

Ψ Inattentiveness: Inability to pay attention to something

Ψ Impulsivity: Tendency to act without thinking

Ψ Sustained Attention: Ability to maintain consistent focus on a task over extended periods of time

Ψ Vigilance: Preparedness to detect unpredictably occurring signals over extended periods of time

The assessment will take around 14 minutes to completion. At the end of the test, the child’s score will be recorded and compared with the normative scores of their age, group and gender.

The CPT is useful as it can either assist or rule out the diagnosis of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and other attention-related neurological problems. For a more comprehensive evaluation, the CPT is frequently complemented by assessments using the Conners 3rd edition or Conners Continuous Auditory Test of Attention™ (Connors CATA™). It is also useful in determining the strengths and weaknesses in attention for children (e.g. if the children has a greater problem in inattentiveness or impulsivity). This information is helpful for our child therapists to design intervention programs tailored to the child’s specific needs.

However, it is important to note that the use of the Conners CPT 3 is not recommended for children under 8 years of age as the assessment items are less applicable, which hinders accurate results. Children aged 4 to 7 years of age should be tested on the Conners Kiddie Continuous Performance Test (K-CPT; for ages 4–5 years) or the Conners Kiddie Continuous Performance Test 2nd edition (Conners K-CPT 2; for ages 4–7 years).