Executive functions and writing skills in children with and without ADHD.

Soto, Elia F.; Irwin, Lauren N.; Chan, Elizabeth; Spiegel, Jamie A.; Kofler, Michael

doi:10.1037/neu0000769

Cited by 28 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 115 publications

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“…Executive dysfunction has been associated with disruptions in learning behaviors necessary for successful academic performance across neurotypical and ADHD samples (Massetti et al, 2008). Moreover, executive dysfunction has been shown to mediate the link between ADHD symptoms and both academic underachievement and underperformance (Colomer et al, 2017; Volpe et al, 2006), and to predict academic difficulties more strongly than ADHD behavioral symptoms (Diamantopoulou et al, 2007; Soto et al, 2021). In particular, evidence indicates that working memory is a strong predictor of reading and math performance for children with and without ADHD (Sjöwall & Thorell, 2014; St Clair-Thompson & Gathercole, 2006).…”

Section: Adhd Executive Dysfunction and Academic Difficultiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Central executive training for ADHD: Effects on academic achievement, productivity, and success in the classroom.

Gaye¹,

Cole²,

Chan³

et al. 2022

Neuropsychology

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Objective: Central executive training (CET) is a “Level 2” evidence-based treatment for improving ADHD-related executive dysfunction and behavioral symptoms, but the extent to which these gains extend to the disorder’s well-documented academic difficulties is unknown. Method: Across two clinical trials, 108 children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) 8–13 years old (M = 10.29, SD = 1.50; 32 girls; 75% White/Non-Hispanic) were treated with CET (n = 52), inhibitory control training (ICT; n = 29), or gold-standard behavioral parent training (BPT; n = 27). Results: CET was superior to BPT and ICT (d = 0.62–0.88) for improving masked teacher perceptions of academic success, impulse control, and academic productivity at 1–2 months posttreatment. At 2–4-month follow-up, CET (d = 0.76) and ICT (d = 0.54) were superior to BPT for improving objectively-tested academic achievement overall (reading comprehension, math problem-solving, language comprehension), and CET was superior to ICT (d = 0.56) for improving math problem-solving. The significant benefits of CET on academic success, academic productivity, reading comprehension, and math problem-solving replicated across both trials and were clinically significant as evidenced by low number needed to treat estimates (Needed to Treat; NNT = 3–7) and significantly higher proportions of individual cases demonstrating reliable improvements in academic success/productivity (33%–36% vs. 0%–18%) and achievement (38%–72% vs. 18%–54%) across outcomes (all p ≤ .01). Conclusions: Results across the two trials provide strong support for the efficacy of CET for ADHD, and are consistent with model-driven hypotheses that academic difficulties in ADHD are due, in part, to these children’s underdeveloped executive functioning abilities.

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Section: Adhd Executive Dysfunction and Academic Difficultiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Central executive training for ADHD: Effects on academic achievement, productivity, and success in the classroom.

Gaye¹,

Cole²,

Chan³

et al. 2022

Neuropsychology

Self Cite

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“…Children with poor WM ability typically struggle with academic work compared to similar-aged peers without WM deficits [ 25 ]. Evidence has linked WM capacity to the ability to learn novel ideas in both reading [ 7 ] and mathematics [ 6 , 26 , 27 ]); however, impairments in verbal or visuospatial WM have been associated with poorer writing and reading skills [ 26 , 28 , 29 ], spelling difficulties [ 29 ], and math performance [ 6 , 26 ], in addition to struggles in classroom activities such as following instructions or skipping steps in complex tasks [ 2 ] and higher identification of problem behaviors by teachers [ 21 , 30 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Utilizing Cognitive Training to Improve Working Memory, Attention, and Impulsivity in School-Aged Children with ADHD and SLD

et al. 2022

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Students’ use of working memory (WM) is a key to academic success, as many subject areas and various tasks school-aged children encounter require the ability to attend to, work with, and recall information. Children with poor WM ability typically struggle with academic work compared to similar-aged peers without WM deficits. Further, WM has been shown to be significantly correlated with inattention and disorganization in those with ADHD, and WM deficits have also been identified as a potential underpinning of specific learning disorder (SLD). As an intervention technique, the use of computerized cognitive training has demonstrated improved attention and working memory skills in children with WM deficits, and children that have completed cognitive training protocols have demonstrated performance improvements in reading and math. The current study aimed to examine the effectiveness of cognitive training (conducted in a clinical setting) for students diagnosed with ADHD and SLD. Using paired-samples t-tests and a psychometric network modeling technique, results from data obtained from a sample of 43 school-aged children showed (1) that attention and working memory improved following cognitive training and (2) that cognitive training might be related to cognitive structural changes found pre- to post-training among the variables being measured. Implications for clinical practice and school-based interventions are discussed.

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“…These recommendations are particularly important in children with executive function impairments, i.e., in children with language (Im-Bolter et al, 2006;Pascual-Leone and Johnson, 2021) or reading (Koltermann et al, 2020) impairments, arithmetic learning disabilities (Abreu-Mendoza et al, 2018), or attention deficit disorder with hyperactivity (Koltermann et al, 2020;Soto et al, 2021). The Theory of Constructive Operators and, specifically, the Model of Endogenous Mental Attention Johnson, 2005, 2021) have proven to be valid models to explain higher cognitive functioning and its development, as we have seen here, and for visual search.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

I can look for it! Modulation of a concurrent Visual Working Memory task in Visual Search in development

2022

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Daily classroom activities that require children to perform visual search (VS) tasks are common across all educational levels: from searching for a missing piece of a puzzle in kindergarten to solving equations in college. However, VS tasks are often not performed in isolation, but rather students are maintaining information related to an ongoing task that loads working memory (WM). Unfortunately, it is still unclear how these processes interact and evolve in development. The present work aims to study how a concurrent visual WM (VWM) load can modulate VS performance based on the Developmental Model of Endogenous Mental Attention (Pascual-Leone and Johnson, 1999, 2005, 2021). A sample of kindergarten, elementary (2nd and 4th grades), middle school (6th grade), and college students looked for real-world photorealistic targets while maintaining similar objects in VWM in a dual-task paradigm. VWM load was manipulated using high and low memory load conditions. Additionally, looking for potential modulations related to individual differences, we studied the relationship between IQ, VWM span, and executive functions with VS efficiency. Finally, we also registered reported measures of potential strategies employed during the VS task. The results from a large sample of 147 participants between 5 and 25 years old revealed that even the youngest children could efficiently perform a VS task with a concurrent VWM load, replicating previous results found in adulthood. However, we found a slight increase in false alarms and commission errors when memory was highly loaded for all the participants regardless of age. As expected, we found positive correlations between VS efficiency and IQ and VWM span measures. Interestingly, the proportion of participants who used tracking organization strategies increased with age in all cases. However, although cognitive strategies to remember the target became more complex as age increased, it was only significant under the low VWM load conditions. The results seem relevant to understanding the development of VS based on the Model of Endogenous Mental Attention and the design of training programs to improve attention. The implications in educational contexts are discussed and are especially relevant for students with learning disabilities or attention problems.

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Executive functions and writing skills in children with and without ADHD.

Cited by 28 publications

References 115 publications

Central executive training for ADHD: Effects on academic achievement, productivity, and success in the classroom.

Central executive training for ADHD: Effects on academic achievement, productivity, and success in the classroom.

Utilizing Cognitive Training to Improve Working Memory, Attention, and Impulsivity in School-Aged Children with ADHD and SLD

I can look for it! Modulation of a concurrent Visual Working Memory task in Visual Search in development

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