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Assessment of Autism and ADHD: A Comparative Analysis of Drawing Velocity Profiles and the NEPSY Test

S. Fortea-Sevilla, A. Garcia-Sosa., P. Morales-Almeida, C. Carmona-Duarte

TL;DR

The paper tackles the challenge of differentiating ASD and ADHD by augmenting standard NEPSY-II assessments with a tablet-based velocity-profile analysis of handwriting and drawing tasks. It introduces a four-parameter velocity observation scale (VPR, VC, P, T) and uses three NEPSY-derived tasks (circle, square, and a nonstandard 'elelelelel' task) to collect complementary motor data. Through a pilot with 12 children and analysis via k-means clustering and silhouette metrics, the study reveals neuromotor differences that are not always captured by NEPSY-II alone and identifies six distinct clusters that map onto diagnostic groups. The findings suggest that velocity-based measures can provide objective, motor-dynamics-based insights for differential diagnosis and intervention planning, with plans for automation and larger-scale validation.

Abstract

The increasing prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder and Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder among students highlights the need to improve evaluation and diagnostic techniques, as well as effective tools to mitigate the negative consequences associated with these disorders. With the widespread use of touchscreen mobile devices, there is an opportunity to gather comprehensive data beyond visual cues. These devices enable the collection and visualization of information on velocity profiles and the time taken to complete drawing and handwriting tasks. These data can be leveraged to develop new neuropsychological tests based on the velocity profile that assists in distinguishing between challenging cases of ASD and ADHD that are difficult to differentiate in clinical practice. In this paper, we present a proof of concept that compares and combines the results obtained from standardized tasks in the NEPSY-II assessment with a proposed observational scale based on the visual analysis of the velocity profile collected using digital tablets.

Assessment of Autism and ADHD: A Comparative Analysis of Drawing Velocity Profiles and the NEPSY Test

TL;DR

The paper tackles the challenge of differentiating ASD and ADHD by augmenting standard NEPSY-II assessments with a tablet-based velocity-profile analysis of handwriting and drawing tasks. It introduces a four-parameter velocity observation scale (VPR, VC, P, T) and uses three NEPSY-derived tasks (circle, square, and a nonstandard 'elelelelel' task) to collect complementary motor data. Through a pilot with 12 children and analysis via k-means clustering and silhouette metrics, the study reveals neuromotor differences that are not always captured by NEPSY-II alone and identifies six distinct clusters that map onto diagnostic groups. The findings suggest that velocity-based measures can provide objective, motor-dynamics-based insights for differential diagnosis and intervention planning, with plans for automation and larger-scale validation.

Abstract

The increasing prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder and Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder among students highlights the need to improve evaluation and diagnostic techniques, as well as effective tools to mitigate the negative consequences associated with these disorders. With the widespread use of touchscreen mobile devices, there is an opportunity to gather comprehensive data beyond visual cues. These devices enable the collection and visualization of information on velocity profiles and the time taken to complete drawing and handwriting tasks. These data can be leveraged to develop new neuropsychological tests based on the velocity profile that assists in distinguishing between challenging cases of ASD and ADHD that are difficult to differentiate in clinical practice. In this paper, we present a proof of concept that compares and combines the results obtained from standardized tasks in the NEPSY-II assessment with a proposed observational scale based on the visual analysis of the velocity profile collected using digital tablets.
Paper Structure (16 sections, 2 figures, 2 tables)

This paper contains 16 sections, 2 figures, 2 tables.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Method
  3. Participants
  4. Data recording
  5. Tasks
  6. Criteria of task 1 and 2 based on standardized measures: Nepsy II
  7. Criteria of task 3
  8. Velocity observation scale: proposed procedure
  9. Stastitical Analysis
  10. Experimental results
  11. Data
  12. Nepsy observation scores
  13. Velocity observation scores
  14. Discussion
  15. Conclusions and future work
  16. ...and 1 more sections

Figures (2)

  • Figure 1: Task 3. Zoom to only 3 repeticions
  • Figure 2: Clustering of the different subjects by VPR vs P: (a) Comparison of Nepsy and velocity results per each subject, (b) Silhouette values, (c) K-means result (VPR vs P) with 6 clusters.