The Role of Multidimensional Attentional Abilities in Academic Skills of Children With ADHD

Abstract

Despite reports of academic difficulties in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), little is known about the relationship between performance on tests of academic achievement and measures of attention. The current study assessed intellectual ability, parent-reported inattention, academic achievement, and attention in 45 children (ages 7-15) diagnosed with ADHD. Hierarchical regressions were performed with selective, sustained, and attentional control/switching domains of the Test of Everyday Attention for Children as predictor variables and with performance on the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test-Second Edition as dependent variables. It was hypothesized that sustained attention and attentional control/switching would predict performance on achievement tests. Results demonstrate that attentional control/ switching accounted for a significant amount of variance in all academic areas (reading, math, and spelling), even after accounting for verbal IQ and parent-reported inattention. Sustained attention predicted variance only in math, whereas selective attention did not account for variance in any achievement domain. Therefore, attentional control/switching, which involves components of executive functions, plays an important role in academic performance.

Does methylphenidate improve academic performance? A systematic review and meta-analysis

“…Taken together, our results do not support a mediating role for classroom-expressed ADHD symptoms in the relationship between MPH and math accuracy, but this may be different for productivity measures as behavioral improvements in the classroom are generally seen as a prerequisite for academic improvements, especially academic productivity. Furthermore, cognitive improvements may be more relevant here than symptom improvements, as deficits of children with ADHD are apparent for those cognitive functions that are especially important for academic performance, e.g., attention, working memory and response inhibition [56][57][58][59]. Possibly MPHrelated improvements in cognition play a large role in academic improvement, compared to behavioral improvements and these act through different pathways than those driving symptoms.…”

Linking preschool language and sustained attention with adolescent achievement through classroom self-reliance

“…While there are distinct subfunctions of attention, including selective attention (i.e., selecting relevant stimuli) and attention shifting (i.e., changing focus in an adaptive manner) (Mirsky, Anthony, Duncan, Ahearn, & Kellam, 1991), the present study focuses on sustained attention. Empirical evidence suggests that the ability to sustain attention on a task is a longitudinal predictor of children's achievement distinct from attention shifting (Steele et al, 2012) or selective attention (Preston, Heaton, McCann, Watson, & Selke, 2009). This evidence gives sustained attention particular relevance for understanding how attention during the preschool years may be associated with children's self-reliance during middle childhood and later achievement in adolescence.…”

“…The current study uses a direct assessment of sustained attention as an indicator of the neuropsychological processing during a laboratory task that requires sustained attention. Also, much of the knowledge of attention and children's academic achievement stems from studies that have focused on clinical populations of children with diagnoses of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (e.g., Barkley, 1997;DuPaul et al, 2001;Preston et al, 2009;Rapport et al, 2009;, so that less is known about how sustained attention, classroom behaviors, and achievement operate for typically developing children. Together, these limitations in the literature suggest the need for investigation of the connections between sustained attention and school outcomes in a population of typically developing children.…”

Math Competence and Executive Control Skills in Students with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Mathematics Learning Disabilities // Competencias matemáticas y control ejecutivo en estudiantes con Trastorno por Déficit de Atención con...

“…Sin embargo, estos resultados se producen independientemente de que el TDAH presente o no trastornos asociados, no empeorando la ejecución ante la presencia de comorbilidad con DAM. En concreto las dificultades que experimentan estos últimos pueden ser debidas a su escasa capacidad para inhibir y cambiar su atención, y no a la presencia de dificultades específicas en el aprendizaje (Monette et al, 2011;Preston et al, 2009).…”

“…En el caso del grupo con DAM, la comorbilidad empeora el rendimiento en las habilidades comparación de cantidades y cálculo informal, quizá, debido según Kauffman y Nuerk (2008) a los condicionantes del TDAH en las habilidades de procesamiento numérico (comparar números, contar, escribir números al dictado, etc.) que, tal y como señalan Preston et al (2009), podrían estar relacionadas con défi-cit en la memoria de trabajo y en las funciones ejecutivas (Miranda et al, 2012) y no con dificultades especí-ficas en el aprendizaje de las matemáticas.…”