Multimethod Assessment of Attention, Executive Functions, and Motor Skills in Children With and Without ADHD: Children’s Performance and Parents’ Perceptions

2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 596-606 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anette Bünger ◽  
Natalie Urfer-Maurer ◽  
Alexander Grob
Keyword(s):  
Executive Functions ◽  
Motor Skills ◽  
Adhd Group ◽  
Mean Values ◽  
Children With Adhd ◽  
Number Of Children ◽  
Hyperactivity Disorder ◽  
Comprehensive Picture ◽  
Parent Questionnaires ◽  
And Performance

Objective: We examined whether children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) differ from children without ADHD in attention, executive functions, and motor skills and whether measures of parents’ perceptions and children’s performance reveal comparable results. Method: About 52 children with ADHD and 52 children without ADHD aged 6 to 13 years completed performance-based measures of attention, executive functions, and motor skills. Parents completed questionnaires to rate their children’s skills. Results: Parent questionnaires but not performance-based measures revealed higher inattention and lower executive function skills in children with ADHD compared to controls. For motor skills, both measurement methods revealed lower mean values and a higher number of children showing an impairment in the ADHD group. Parent-reported difficulties but not performance-based measures were related to the presence of an ADHD diagnosis. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that considering both parent questionnaires and performance-based measures will lead to a comprehensive picture of a child’s strengths and difficulties.

scholarly journals Perceptual-Motor Skills Reconstruction Program Improves Executive Functions in Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 6210
Author(s):  
Sakineh Soltani Kouhbanani ◽  
Aribert Rothenberger
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Executive Functions ◽  
Cognitive Flexibility ◽  
Motor Skills ◽  
Response Inhibition ◽  
Children With Adhd ◽  
Verbal Skills ◽  
Hyperactivity Disorder ◽  
Perceptual Motor Skills

Objective: Many children suffering from attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) show problems in executive functions (EF), which reflect neuronal pathways from perception to controlled action. Treatment approaches that improve executive functions may prevent a negative cycle of failures in students. Hence, this research aims to study the efficacy of the perceptual-motor skills reconstruction program on EF in children with ADHD while considering cognitive flexibility, abstract verbal skills, response inhibition, and working memory. Also, its effect on clinical ADHD symptoms should be considered. Method: The research design included pretest, posttest, and a follow-up after six months. The sample included third-grade school children with ADHD (50 students, aged 8–10 years, boys and girls) who were referred to the Child Psychology Clinic, Iran, Mashhad 2018–2019. After clinical assessment for ADHD, children were randomly assigned to an experimental (n = 25) and a waiting control (n = 25) group. The experimental group received the perceptual-motor skills reconstruction program for 16 sessions (three times per week, i.e., five weeks and one session in the sixth week). Delis–Kaplan executive function system (D-KEFS) was applied at three measurement points (M1–3) in order to test for changes over time. Results: Data analysis (analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) with post-hoc-testing) showed that there was a significantly better performance of experimental versus waiting control group at posttest (M2) and follow-up (M3) for cognitive flexibility (t(24) = 4.9, df = 14, p < 0.0001), abstract verbal skills (t(24) = 3.5, df = 14, p < 0.004), response inhibition (t(24) = 7.54, df = 14, p < 0.0001) and working memory (t(24) = 12.69, df = 14, p < 0.004). Further, Conners-Scales-Score improved for the experimental group. Conclusions: Training with perceptual-motor skills reconstruction program clearly improved the trained variables (i.e., cognitive flexibility, abstract verbal skills, response inhibition, and working memory) and clinical symptoms of the children with ADHD. The obtained training may lead in practice to better preconditions for successfully handling daily tasks at school and in society.

scholarly journals Event-Based Prospective Memory Deficit in Children with ADHD: Underlying Cognitive Factors and Association with Symptoms

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (11) ◽  
pp. 5849
Author(s):  
Floriana Costanzo ◽  
Elisa Fucà ◽  
Deny Menghini ◽  
Antonella Rita Circelli ◽  
Giovanni Augusto Carlesimo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prospective Memory ◽  
Positive Influence ◽  
Attentional Focus ◽  
Adhd Group ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Children With Adhd ◽  
The Road ◽  
Hyperactivity Disorder ◽  
Event Based

Event-based prospective memory (PM) was investigated in children with Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), using a novel experimental procedure to evaluate the role of working memory (WM) load, attentional focus, and reward sensitivity. The study included 24 children with ADHD and 23 typically-developing controls. The experimental paradigm comprised one baseline condition (BC), only including an ongoing task, and four PM conditions, varying for targets: 1 Target (1T), 4 Targets (4T), Unfocal (UN), and Reward (RE). Children with ADHD were slower than controls on all PM tasks and less accurate on both ongoing and PM tasks on the 4T and UN conditions. Within the ADHD group, the accuracy in the RE condition did not differ from BC. A significant relationship between ADHD-related symptoms and reduced accuracy/higher speed in PM conditions (PM and ongoing trials), but not in BC, was detected. Our data provide insight on the adverse role of WM load and attentional focus and the positive influence of reward in the PM performance of children with ADHD. Moreover, the relation between PM and ADHD symptoms paves the road for PM as a promising neuropsychological marker for ADHD diagnosis and intervention.

scholarly journals The Association between Prosocial Behaviour and Peer Relationships with Comorbid Externalizing Disorders and Quality of Life in Treatment-Naïve Children and Adolescents with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 475
Author(s):  
Szabina Velő ◽  
Ágnes Keresztény ◽  
Gyöngyvér Ferenczi-Dallos ◽  
Luca Pump ◽  
Katalin Móra ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Peer Relationships ◽  
Externalizing Disorders ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Adhd Group ◽  
Prosocial Behaviour ◽  
Children With Adhd ◽  
Hyperactivity Disorder ◽  
Treatment Naïve

Several recent studies confirmed that Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) has a negative influence on peer relationship and quality of life in children. The aim of the current study is to investigate the association between prosocial behaviour, peer relationships and quality of life in treatment naïve ADHD samples. The samples included 79 children with ADHD (64 boys and 15 girls, mean age = 10.24 years, SD = 2.51) and 54 healthy control children (30 boys and 23 girls, mean age = 9.66 years, SD = 1.73). Measurements included: The “Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview Kid; Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire” and the “Inventar zur Erfassung der Lebensqualität bei Kindern und Jugendlichen”. The ADHD group showed significantly lower levels of prosocial behaviour and more problems with peer relationships than the control group. Prosocial behaviour has a weak positive correlation with the rating of the child’s quality of life by the parents, both in the ADHD group and in the control group. The rating of quality of life and peer relationship problems by the parents also showed a significant negative moderate association in both groups. The rating of quality of life by the child showed a significant negative weak relationship with peer relationships in the ADHD group, but no significant relationship was found in the control group. Children with ADHD and comorbid externalizing disorders showed more problems in peer relationships than ADHD without comorbid externalizing disorders. Based on these results, we conclude that therapy for ADHD focused on improvement of prosocial behaviour and peer relationships as well as comorbid externalizing disorders could have a favourable effect on the quality of life of these children.

scholarly journals Gifted Children with ADHD: How Are They Different from Non-gifted Children with ADHD?

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (6) ◽  
pp. 1467-1481 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rapson Gomez ◽  
Vasileios Stavropoulos ◽  
Alasdair Vance ◽  
Mark D. Griffiths
Keyword(s):  
Practical Implication ◽  
Gifted Children ◽  
Adhd Group ◽  
Intelligence Scale ◽  
Children With Adhd ◽  
Hyperactivity Disorder ◽  
Normal Behavior ◽  
High Intelligence ◽  
Behavior Scale ◽  
Inattention And Hyperactivity

AbstractThe present study focused on inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity differences of gifted children with and without attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Based on clinical assessment utilizing the Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule for Children (ADISC-IV) and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children—Fourth Edition, attendees of a public outpatient child service (boys = 359, girls = 148), with mean age 10.60 years (SD = 3.08 years), were allocated into four groups: ADHD (N = 350), gifted (N = 15), gifted/ADHD (N = 18), and clinical controls (N = 124). The Strengths and Weaknesses of ADHD-Symptoms and Normal Behavior Scale dimensionally assessed inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity variations. Compared to the gifted/ADHD group, the ADHD group had higher scores for inattention and comparable scores for hyperactivity/impulsivity. For most symptoms, the ADHD groups (gifted or not) rated higher than the non-ADHD groups (control and gifted without ADHD). Findings appeared to indicate that (i) ADHD is a valid diagnosis among children who are gifted, (ii) gifted children might tend to be less inattentive than non-gifted ADHD children, and (iii) ADHD-gifted children appear to differ from the non-ADHD-gifted children with regard to specific hyperactive and impulsive behaviors. The practical implication of these findings is that clinicians may wish to focus on these symptoms when diagnosing ADHD among children with high intelligence.

scholarly journals Head motion in children with ADHD during resting-state brain imaging

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiang-zhen Kong
Keyword(s):  
Resting State ◽  
Head Motion ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Adhd Group ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Children With Adhd ◽  
Neural Imaging ◽  
Hyperactivity Disorder ◽  
Healthy Control ◽  
Motion Parameters

Resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) has become an important method for analyzing the neural mechanisms underlying mental disorders. But studies targeting head motion during an rs-fMRI examination are rare. Since head motion may pollute the data in the neural imaging studies and further mislead the understanding of the causes of some disorders, systematic investigations on this topic were badly needed. To this end, in this study, children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and demographically-matched typically developing control (TDC) participants underwent an rs-fMRI examination. We obtained a summary motion index and six mean single head motion parameters (three translational and three rotational) for each participant. With the summary index, we found that motion was significantly increased in the ADHD group and the results showed that the increase was mainly contributed by the motion around and along the superior-to-inferior direction. Moreover, the classification analysis showed that these head motion parameters during scanning could accurately distinguish children with ADHD from the healthy control group. These results suggest that accounting for head motion during scanning may be helpful for ADHD diagnosis and treatment with neuroimaging.

scholarly journals Writing kinematics and graphic rules in children with ADHD

2020 ◽  
Vol 148 (7-8) ◽  
pp. 462-468
Author(s):  
Nikola Ivancevic ◽  
Vera Miler-Jerkovic ◽  
Dejan Stevanovic ◽  
Jasna Jancic ◽  
Mirjana Popovic
Keyword(s):  
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder ◽  
Attention Deficit ◽  
Kinematic Parameter ◽  
Adhd Group ◽  
Task Repetition ◽  
Movement Velocity ◽  
Children With Adhd ◽  
Hyperactivity Disorder ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Writing Task

Introduction/Objective. The aim of this study was to coIntroduction/Objective. The aim of this study was to compare kinematic features and graphic rules of writing between children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (with and without medical treatment) and typically developed children (TDC). Methods. In total, 55 children (26 with ADHD/ten subjects were on methylphenidate treatment and 29 TDC) completed a writing task on a digitizing board (in three repetitions; using non-inking stylus) which included a semicircle tracing, triangle, and letter copying. Kinematic features of movements in all tasks and graphic rules during a semicircle tracing were analyzed. Graphic rules were observed as expected movements (selecting the starting point and direction of tracing). Results. The values of kinematic parameter jerk were significantly larger in TDC group compared to all ADHD subjects (regardless of treatment) and increased constantly with semicircle task progression and repetition in both groups. Children with ADHD without methylphenidate treatment used overall slower movements compared to TDC. The tracing of children with ADHD taking methylphenidate was more automated (with less change in movement velocity and acceleration) compared to TDC. In ADHD group only, those with treatment traced faster and more automated compared to those without treatment. The majority of subjects used expected movements in semicircle tracing and this percentage increased with the task repetition (without difference between ADHD and TDC). Conclusion. Both children with ADHD and TDC used similar approach in the tracing task and were compliant with graphic rules. Methylphenidate treatment may positively influence writing kinematics in children with ADHD. Task repetition also influences writing.

scholarly journals Self-monitoring Intervention of Problem Behavior of Students with ADHD Learning in Regular Classroom in China

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 10
Author(s):  
Cui Yin ◽  
Yawen Xiao ◽  
Wangqian Fu
Keyword(s):  
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder ◽  
Problem Behaviors ◽  
Practical Implication ◽  
Regular Classroom ◽  
Self Monitoring ◽  
Children With Adhd ◽  
Teaching Activities ◽  
Number Of Children ◽  
Hyperactivity Disorder ◽  
Students With Adhd

The number of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is increasing in China, whose inattention, disorganization, and impaired hyperactivity cause challenges for their study and teachers’ teaching activities in classroom. The study applied self-monitoring intervention for two children with ADHD learning in a primary school to improve their problem behaviors. We found self-monitoring intervention was likely to reduce their off-task behaviors, even for students with ADHD and ASD. Practical implication of the intervention is discussed in the paper.

scholarly journals Correlation of psychopathology and white matter abnormalities in fathers of children with ADHD: Cross sectional study

QJM ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 113 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
S M Effat ◽  
H Elshahawy ◽  
H M Sakr ◽  
E M Shorub ◽  
S E Azab
Keyword(s):  
White Matter ◽  
Adult Adhd ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
White Matter Integrity ◽  
Adhd Group ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Children With Adhd ◽  
Hyperactivity Disorder ◽  
Inattentive Type

Abstract Background Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADM)) is one of the most common neurobehavioral disorders of childhood. Children with ADHD may experience significant adaptation problems because their functional level and behavior may not correspond to their chronological age or expected development level. ADHD is a chronic disease, the symptoms of which can persist into adulthood and become lifelong. Aim of the work evaluating the biological substrate in fathers of children with ADHD, assessing rate of occurrence of ADHD among fathers of children with ADHD. Subjects and Methods This descriptive observational cross-sectional study was conducted on 40 children with a diagnosis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) according to the DSNI-IV criteria who attended to the Child and Adolescent Outpatient clinics of the Institute of Psychiatry, Ain Shams University Hospital. Results Prevalence rate of diagnosis of adult ADHD among fathers of children with ADHD (6 to 12) years old was 60%, 20% with mixed hyperactive—inattentive type, 15%.predominantly hyperactive—impulsive type and 25% predominantly inattentive type. There were statistically significant differences between ADHD group of children’s fathers in comparison to Non-ADHD group, as the mean ADC of right and left middle cerebellar peduncle, was lower in ADHD group which indicates absence of abnormalities in white matter integrity in those areas. Conclusion prevalence rate of adult ADHD among fathers was 60%. There were no abnormalities in white matter integrity in group of fathers with diagnosis of adult ADHD.

scholarly journals Serum Levels of Vitamin A and Vitamin D and Their Association With Symptoms in Children With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hong-Hua Li ◽  
Xiao-Jing Yue ◽  
Cheng-Xin Wang ◽  
Jun-Yan Feng ◽  
Bing Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vitamin D ◽  
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder ◽  
Vitamin A ◽  
Attention Deficit ◽  
Serum Levels ◽  
Adhd Group ◽  
Healthy Children ◽  
Serum Concentrations ◽  
Children With Adhd ◽  
Hyperactivity Disorder

Objective: To measure levels of vitamin A (VA) and vitamin D (VD) and the symptomatic association of their co-deficiencies on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in Chinese children (6–9 years).Methods: Eighty-two children (69 boys and 13 girls; mean age = 7.1 ± 0.9 years at the time of the diagnosis) with ADHD were recruited as ADHD group. A total of 106 healthy children were recruited as the healthy control (HC) group. Serum levels of retinol and 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) of all children were evaluated using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and HPLC-tandem mass spectrometry. The Swanson, Nolan, and Pelham IV Rating Scale (SNAP-IV) was employed to assess the clinical symptoms of ADHD.Results: Children suffering from ADHD had significantly reduced serum levels of retinol and 25(OH)D compared with those of HCs, and the prevalence of VA deficiency and VD deficiency were higher in children suffering from ADHD. Serum concentrations of 25(OH)D and retinol were linked closely with the presence or absence of ADHD after adjustment for age, body mass index, season of blood sampling, and sun exposure. Serum concentrations of 25(OH)D and retinol showed a negative correlation with the total scores of SNAP-IV. Children with ADHD as well as VA and VD co-deficiency had increased SNAP-IV total scores and ADHD inattention subscale scores.Conclusion: VA deficiency and VD deficiency in children with ADHD were increased in comparison with that in HCs. VA and VD co-deficiency associated with ADHD symptom severity. Attention should be paid to regular testing of VA levels and VD levels. However, the mechanism of VA and VD in ADHD needs to be further studied. Interventional studies on VA and VD supplementation are recommended to further verify the relationship between VA and VD co-deficiency and ADHD.

Distinctive Linguistic Styles in Children with ADHD

2009 ◽  
Vol 105 (2) ◽  
pp. 365-371 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyungil Kim ◽  
Chang Hwan Lee
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Language Use ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Adhd Group ◽  
Word Count ◽  
Children With Adhd ◽  
Hyperactivity Disorder ◽  
Language Analysis ◽  
Dependent Variables ◽  
Linguistic Inquiry

To assess whether the writing styles of children diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) combined type differ significantly from those of children in a nonclinical control group, writing samples from 17 children with ADHD combined type and 18 children in a nonclinical control group were compared using the language analysis program Korean Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count. These writing samples, produced in response to instructions, served as dependent variables. Analysis showed that children with ADHD used fewer linguistic variables (e.g., sentences, phrases, and morphemes) than the control group. In addition, the ADHD group used fewer words reflecting cognitive processes and fewer pronouns than members of the control group. Also, the ADHD group showed a different pattern in the use of words referring to friends. This study provides preliminary descriptive data on language use among children diagnosed with a main subtype of ADHD.

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