This study showed that the indicators offered by the AULA Nesplora test (omissions, commissions, response times, and motor activity) make it possible to establish a differential diagnosis of ADHD presentations when analyzed under different contextual conditions.

Background/Objective: Continuous Performance Tests (CPTs) have demonstrated validity when differentiating children with ADHD from healthy controls. However, these CPTs have limitations such as low ecological validity. New CPTs based on the use of Virtual Reality (VR) have appeared as supposedly improved methods for assessing ADHD. This study aims to compare the discriminant value of attentional variables produced by a VR CPT (Aula Nesplora) with that of variables from a traditional CPT (Test of Variables of Attention; TOVA) for identifying ADHD. Method: A total of 338 children aged between 6 and 16 years old (M = 10.84, SD = 3.01) participated in the study: 31.95% correspond to the inattentive presentation, 15.38% to the impulsive-hyperactive presentation, 22.78% to the combined presentation, and the remaining 29.88% correspond to children without ADHD. Results: Results indicated that Aula Nesplora predicts ADHD presentations better than TOVA. It also differentiates better between ADHD and non-ADHD students. Conclusions: These findings show the potential advantages of using virtual reality in ADHD assessment, as it facilitates the diagnosis of ADHD and the differentiation of its presentations in a realistic environment.

No abstract

Attention deficit with, or without, hyperactivity and impulsivity (ADHD) is categorized as neuro-developmental disorder. ADHD is a common disorder in childhood and one of the most frequent conditions affecting school ages. This disorder is characterized by a persistent behavioral pattern associated with inattention, over-activity (or hyperactivity), and difficulty in controlling impulses. Current research suggests the existence of certain patterns of cortical activation and executive control, which could more objectively identify ADHD. Through the use of a risk and resilience model, this research aimed to analyze the interaction between brain activation variables (nirHEG and Q-EEG) and executive variables (Continuous performance test -CPT-) in subjects with ADHD. The study involved 499 children, 175 females (35.1%) and 324 males (64.91%); aged from 6 to 16 years (M = 11.22, SD = 1.43). Two hundred and fifty six of the children had been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and 243 were without ADHD. For the analysis of this objective, a causal model was designed to include the following different measures of task-execution: CPT TOVA (omissions, commissions, response time, variability, D prime and the ADHD Index); electrical activity (using Q-EEG); and blood-flow oxygenation activity (using nirHEG). The causal model was tested by means of structural equation modeling (SEM). The model that had been constructed was based upon three general assumptions: (1) There are different causal models for children with ADHD and those without ADHD; (2) The activation measures influence students’ executive performance; and (3) There are measurable structural differences between the ADHD and control group models (executive and activation). In general, the results showed that: (a) activation measures influence executive patterns differently, (b) the relationship between activation variables (nirHEG and Q-EEG) depends on the brain zone being studied, (c) both groups showed important differences in variables correlation, with a good fit in each model (with and without ADHD). Lastly, the results were analyzed with a view to the diagnosis procedure. Therefore, we discuss the implications for future research.

Academic achievement in general, and in mathematics in particular, is positively associated not only with cognitive abilities, but also with emotional and motivational skills. The objective of this study was to analyze the prediction strength of cognitive, motivational, and emotional variables in mathematics achievement throughout high school, considering students' gender and age. A large sample of 2,365 Spanish students from the 4 years of high school (12-16 years old) participated in the study.Students provided information about their intellectual skills, perceived competence in mathematics, perceived utility of mathematics, intrinsic interest in learning, mathematics anxiety, and their causal attributions (for failure and for success), and of their achievement in mathematics. Data showed differences according to gender and the school grade level. The motivational and affective variables did not seem to play an important role in this relationship as predicted in the current study. The results of this study are discussed in light of previous research.

Training in neurofeedback (NF) reduces the symptomatology associated with attention deficit with hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, ADHD differs in terms of the type of presentation, i.e., inattentive (ADHD-I), impulsive/hyperactive (ADHD-HI), or combined (ADHD-C). This study examines the efficacy of NF in ADHD presentations. Participants were 64 students (8–12 years old). Cortical activation, executive control, and observed symptomatology by parents were assessed. Results indicated that ADHD-C and ADHD-HI demonstrated greater improvements than ADHD-I. It was concluded that this kind of training produces an improvement and that it is necessary to explore it further in terms of the protocol used.

Despite the persistence of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) into adulthood and adolescence, there are few objective, reliable instruments (based on patient performance) that have been shown to be able to predict current and retrospective ADHD symptoms. The present study aimed to explore whether a validated VR test called Nesplora Aquarium is able to predict ADHD symptoms in adults and adolescents, based on both current and retrospective self-reports. A non-clinical sample of 156 adults and adolescents (70 women and 86 men) between 16 and 54 years of age (M = 21.23, SD = 8.04) took part in the study. Virtual reality (VR) variables such as the number of correct answers, omission and commission errors, among others, were used to predict current and retrospective self-reported symptoms of ADHD using multiple regression models. Correct answers and omission errors in the VR test significantly predicted both current and retrospective ADHD symptoms. However, only the number of perseveration errors and gender were able to significantly predict retrospective ADHD symptoms. These findings suggest that inattention problems tend to remain after adolescence, while perseveration errors (which have been related to impulsive behavior) and gender differences tend to diminish.

Título: Hipatia: un entorno de aprendizaje hipermedia en matemáticas. Resumen: La literatura existente señala los beneficios de diferentes herramientas dirigidas al desarrollo de la competencia matemática, la solución de problemas y los aspectos afectivo-motivacionales y la intervención en estudiantes con dificultades específicas de aprendizaje en matemáticas. Sin embargo, no existe una herramienta que combine todas estas variables. El objetivo de este estudio es presentar y describir el diseño y desarrollo de una herramienta hipermedia llamada Hipatia. Los ambientes hipermedia son, por definición, sistemas adaptativos de aprendizaje que son habitualmente empleados para proporcionar ambientes personalizados de aprendizaje. Este trabajo describe los principios en los que se basa la herramienta hipermedia Hipatia, así como, una revisión de las tecnologías disponibles desarrollas en diferentes áreas académicas. Hipatia fue creada para potenciar la autorregulación del aprendizaje y desarrollar habilidades específicas matemáticas y la resolución de problemas. La herramienta está dirigida a estudiantes de quinto y sexto curso de Educación Primaria con y sin dificultades de aprendizaje en matemáticas. Tras el desarrollo de la Hipatia, se puede concluir que efectivamente subyace los principios dela aprendizaje autorregulado. En investigaciones futuras será necesario poner a prueba la eficacia de la herramienta a través de metodologías empíricas. Palabras clave: Hipermedia; pizarras interactivas; ambientes de aprendizaje; aprendizaje autorregulado; matemáticas.Abstract: Literature revealed the benefits of different instruments for the development of mathematical competence, problem solving, self-regulated learning, affective-motivational aspects and intervention in students with specific difficulties in mathematics. However, no one tool combined all these variables. The aim of this study is to present and describe the design and development of a hypermedia tool, Hipatia. Hypermedia environments are, by definition, adaptive learning systems, which are usually a web-based application program that provide a personalized learning environment. This paper describes the principles on which Hipatia is based as well as a review of available technologies developed in different academic subjects. Hipatia was created to boost self-regulated learning, develop specific math skills, and promote effective problem solving. It was targeted toward fifth and sixth grade students with and without learning difficulties in mathematics. After the development of the tool, we concluded that it aligned well with the logic underlying the principles of self-regulated learning. Future research is needed to test the efficacy of Hipatia with an empirical methodology.