Metacognition and executive processes in Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Children with attention-deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are more likely to experience peer problems compared to their non-ADHD peers, though ADHD-specific symptoms only partially explain this association. This study examined whether sleep difficulties and motor coordination problems are additional predictors of peer problems in an ADHD population. An ADHD sample of 72 participants aged 6-14years (M=9.86years, SD=1.79years) was evaluated for an association of peer problems with measures of motor coordination, sleep difficulties as well as ADHD and comorbidity symptoms. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis (HMRA) was used to test the current study aims. Motor coordination, but not sleep difficulties, predicted additional variance in peer problems after controlling for inattention, hyperactivity/impulsivity, internalizing problems, oppositionality, and conduct problems. Poor motor coordination predicts peer problems beyond ADHD symptoms. Clinicians seeking to improve peer functioning in children with ADHD should also consider motor coordination difficulties in addition to existing treatment strategies. Statement of contribution What is already known Children with attention-deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) experience greater peer problems (i.e., making friends, being victimized, participating in play) than their typically developing peers. Previous studies have attributed this association between ADHD and peer problems to the symptoms of ADHD (i.e., inattention and/or hyperactivity) disrupting the typical trajectory of social development. However, quantitative studies have identified that symptoms of ADHD predict only portion of the variance in a child's peer problems - highlighting that there may be other unique factors that contribute to the higher incidence of peer problems typically observed in this population. What this study adds This study tested whether additional theoretically relevant factors could predict levels of peer problems in children with ADHD beyond the primary symptoms of the disorder. Internalizing symptomatology, conduct problems, oppositionality, motor coordination, and sleep difficulties were added to a regression model already including inattention and hyperactivity symptoms. These factors explained 51% of the variability in peer problems. In this sample of 72 ADHD children, the results of the final model highlighted that only motor coordination and conduct problems remained significant predictors of peer problems - highlighting two potentially important target areas for screening and intervention.

Attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a prevalent childhood disorder that is often maintained throughout the development and persists into adulthood. Established etiology models suggest that deficient inhibition underlies the core ADHD symptoms. While experimental evidence for impaired motor inhibition is overwhelming, little is known about the sensory inhibition processes, their changes throughout the development, and the relationship to ADHD symptoms. Here, we used the well-established binocular rivalry (BR) paradigm to investigate for the very first time the inhibitory processes related to visual perception in adults with ADHD. In BR, perception alternates between two dichoptically presented images throughout the viewing period, with shorter dominant percept durations and longer transition periods indicating poorer suppression/inhibition. Healthy controls (N = 28) and patients with ADHD (N = 32) were presented with two dissimilar images (orthogonal gratings) separately to each eye through a mirror stereoscope and asked to report their perceptual experiences. There were no differences between groups in any of the BR markers. However, an association between transition durations and symptom severity emerged in the ADHD group. Importantly, an exploratory multiple regression analysis revealed that inattention symptoms were the sole predictor for the duration of transition periods. The lack of impairments to sensory inhibition in adult, but not pediatric ADHD may reflect compensatory changes associated with development, while a correlation between inhibition and inattention symptoms may reveal an invariant core of the disorder.

The literature has described comorbidities among the symptoms of children with Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and the auditory processing changes, and these symptoms have been overlooked in the assessment, and consequently, on the rehabilitation of these individuals. ObjectiveTo compare the findings of the long latency auditory evoked potentials in children with and without ADHD. MethodThis is a historical cohort cross-sectional case-control study, in which we enrolled 30 children with and without ADHD, aged 8-12 years. We performed the long-latency auditory evoked potential test in two scanning procedures through passive and active tasks differing in frequency and duration (MMNf and MMNd) (P300f and P300D). ResultsWhen comparing the performance of children with and without ADHD in the electrophysiological test assessment of hearing, we found significant differences concerning the P2 amplitude in the LE - which was higher for the ADHD group; and concerning the N2 amplitude and latency - which were abnormal in the ADHD group. ConclusionThis study provided a greater understanding of the central auditory pathways of children with and without ADHD when evaluated from electrophysiological tests.

ABSTRACTThe link between Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and reduced quality of life (QoL) has been well established. The current study examines the role of procrastination in explaining this link, providing a new focus for research and therapy. This study examines the involvement of procrastination in accounting for ADHD‐related reduced QoL. Adult participants (N = 132) completed an online survey consisting of validated scales to assess ADHD symptoms, procrastination levels, and QoL. An indirect pathway between ADHD and quality of life through procrastination was examined. Higher levels of ADHD symptoms correlated with higher procrastination and lower quality‐of‐life scores. Indirect pathways between ADHD symptoms and poor QoL through levels of procrastination were identified. These results shed further light on ADHD and its association with reduced QoL and account for this link by the negative impact of procrastination on day‐to‐day functioning. Future research is warranted to design effective interventions for consumers with ADHD‐related procrastination, targeting different aspects of quality of life.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most commonly occurring developmental disorders of childhood, which can often be present after adulthood. The main symptoms of ADHD are distraction, impulsiveness, and hyperactivity, which are common in childhood, and for this reason, the diagnosis is usually delayed. At the same time, in several cases, the problems caused by ADHD (such as behavioral and social adjustment problems and problems in school performance) are considered as results of other co-existing situations (such as family problems, environmental change, and developmental pathologies). For this reason, ADHD often remains undiagnosed or misdiagnosed and even when it is accurately diagnosed, a comprehensive model of a combination of therapeutic approaches that are required to treat it, is not always applied. Today, there are a plethora of tests used to assess specific deficits presented by both children and adolescents with ADHD. The purpose of this literature review was to present tools and tests used in the evaluation of children and adolescents with ADHD. Search was performed on PubMed until February 20, 2021, without time limit for the publication of scientific papers. Studies were excluded if they were not published in English language, were conducted on animals and were case studies, editorials, and letters to the editor. Of the scientific papers retrieved, 15 were included in the systematic review. Some of the specialized tests used in the evaluation of children and adolescents with ADHD are the Children's Color Trails Test (CCTT), the Test of Variables of Attention (TOVA), the Continuous Performance Test (CPT), the Conner's' Parent Rating Scale (CPRS), the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), the Visual and Auditory Continuous Performance Testing (IVA-CPT), the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), the 30-item Semi-Structured Interview with Parents (CAPA- RAD), the Controlled Oral Word Association Test (COWAT), the Conners' Teacher Rating Scale (CTRS). In conclusion, there are a number of evaluation tools that can be used to evaluate specific deficits presented by children and adolescents with ADHD, as well as to evaluate the course of treatment, but also to distinguish children and adolescents with ADHD from those with other types of cognitive and learning disorders.

Sleep architecture disturbances in children with bipolar disorder versus attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder: a pilot study

Amac: Cocukluk caginin en sik gorulen noropsikiyatrik rahatsizligi olan dikkat eksikligi ve hiperaktivite bozuk- lugu (DEHB), hastaligin siddetine gore bireyin sosyal yasama uyum becerileri ve benlik saygisini olumsuz yonde etkilemektedir. Bu calismada, DEHB'li cocuklarin annelerinin gercek yasamda problem cozme ya da stresli yasam olaylariyla basa cikabilme kapasiteleri ile cocuklarin sosyal yasama uyum becerilerinin karsilas- tirilmasi amaclanmistir. Yontem: Arastirma, Gazi Universitesi Cocuk Noroloji ve Cocuk Psikiyatrisi polikliniklerine basvuran, yaslari 6 ile 10 (8.11±1.34) arasinda degisen, DSM-IV tani olcutlerine gore DEHB tanisi konmus 49 erkek cocuk ve annesi uzerinde yurutulmustur. Cocuklar; Kovacs Depresyon Olcegi, Cocuklar Icin Spielberger Surekli-Durumluk Kaygi Olcegi ve Wechsler Cocuklar Icin Zeka Olcegi (WISC-R) ile degerlendirilirken, annelerine Problem Cozme Envanteri uygulanmistir. Bulgular: WISC-R'nin sozel, performans ve toplam zeka bolumleri acisindan DEHB alt tipleri arasinda bir fark gorulmemistir. Alt tipler acisindan, hem cocuklarin yargilama hem de annelerin problem cozme becerileri arasinda bir fark gozlenmemistir. Yine, annelerin problem cozme becerileri ile cocuklarin yargilama becerileri arasinda bir iliski gozlenmemistir. Annelerden elde edilen sonuclarda, problem cozme yeteneginin guven ve kisisel alt parametrelerinde, annelerin kendilerini yetersiz olarak algilamalari ile cocuklarin yargilama becerileri arasindaki iliskinin anlamli oldugu gorulmustur. Tartisma: DEHB olan cocuklar, yikici davranislari, sosyal iliskilerdeki zorluklari, problem cozme konusundaki yetersizlikleri nedeniyle cevrelerinden olumsuz karsilik almakta ve cogunlukla cezalandirilmaktadirlar. Cogu zaman ne yapmalari gerektigi konusunda bilgi sahibi olmakla beraber, bu bilgiyi uygulamaya dokememeleri nedeniyle agir elestirilere maruz kalmaktadirlar. Sonuc: Cocuklara model olabilecek uygun eriskin davranislarinin olmasi, cocuklarin surekli elestirilmemeleri, problem cozumune dahil edilmeleri DEHB'lilerin benlik saygisini yukseltip, uygun davranislarda bulunmalarini ABSTRACT The relationship between WISC-R scores of children with attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder and problem solving skills of their mothers Objective: Attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neuropsychiatric disorder which is commonly seen in childhood. Depending on the severity of the disease, ADHD effects negatively in terms of harmony in social life events and self esteem. The aim of this study is that to compare adaptation skills of children with ADHD and their mothers' capacity of coping with stressful events or problem solving in the real life. Method: The Kovacs Depression Scale, the Spielberger State Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-R) were applied to the children while the Problem Solving Inventory was applied to the mothers. The sample was consisted of 49 ADHD children, diagnosed according to the DSM-IV criteria, aged 6 to 9 years (8.11±1.34) and their mothers. Results: There were no significant differences among ADHD subtypes in terms of WISC-R Verbal, Performance and Total Intelligence sections. In terms of subtypes, there were no significant differences in both children' ability of judgement and their mothers' problem solving skills. Besides that, a high relationship hasn't been observed between problem-solving skills of the mothers and their children's ability of judgement. The relationship between the judgement ability of the children and their mother's perception about feeling insufficient, which was obtained from result of subparameters of the Problem Solving Inventory (confidence and personal) was meaningful. Discussion: Because of disruptive behaviors, difficulty in social relationship and lack of problem solving skills, children with ADHD get negative reactions from their environment and mostly they are punished. Children with ADHD often get criticized, because they actually know what to do but they can not put that into practice. Conclusion: In order to improve the self esteem of children with ADHD, there should be appropriate adult behavioral model, also these children should be included in problem solving and should not be criticized constantly. These will allow children with ADHD to adapt themselves to social life.

ObjectiveA high rate of attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has been reported in patients undergoing obesity treatment. It is controversial whether ADHD solely or its comorbid disorders account for eating behaviors associated with obesity.MethodsAfter presurgery psychiatric assessment, 100 severely obese patients (50 with ADHD and 50 without ADHD) were administered Adult Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Self‐Report Scale(ASRS), Wender Utah Rating Scale(WURS), Three‐Factor Eating Questionnaire(TFEQ), and Beck Depression Inventory(BDI) and Beck Anxiety Inventory(BAI).ResultsPatients with obesity and ADHD had significantly greater emotional eating, susceptibility to hunger, depression, and anxiety but less restraint of eating scores than those without ADHD. Disinhibition of eating scores and presence of Binge Eating Disorder(BED) did not differ significantly between ADHD and non‐ADHD groups. Obese patients with major depression had significantly higher ASRS, WURS, TFEQ, BAI scores, disinhibition of eating control, emotional eating, susceptibility to hunger, and diagnosis of BED than nondepressed ones.ConclusionsMajor depression and anxiety disorder have associations with disinhibition of eating control, emotional eating, susceptibility to hunger and BED, ADHD. Disinhibition of eating and BED did not differ according to the presence of ADHD; thus, depression was associated with eating control on more constructs than ADHD in our study.

Objective: Cognitive and motor disintegration and other functional disturbances in various neuropsychiatric disorders may be related to inhibitory deficits that may manifest as a persistence or re-expression of primitive reflexes and few recent data suggest that these deficits may occur in Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).Methods: We have tested a hypothesis to which extent ADHD symptoms and balance deficits are related to persisting primitive reflexes, such as Asymmetric Tonic Neck Reflex (ATNR) and Symmetric Tonic Neck Reflex (STNR) in 80 medication-naïve children with ADHD (40 boys and 40 girls) in the school age (8–11 years) and compared these data with a control group of 60 children (30 boys and 30 girls).Results: These data show new finding that ADHD symptoms and balance deficits are strongly and specifically associated with persistent ATNR in girls and STNR in boys.Conclusions: These results provide first evidence in medical literature that ADHD in girls and boys is specifically related to distinguished neurological developmental mechanisms related to disinhibition of primitive reflexes.

Objective:The aim of this study was to explore teachers' knowledge about the ADHD, its origin, causes, and identify the main demographic variables affecting their knowledge.Methods:The study was conducted among male school teachers of ten government primary schools that are found in different regions of Riyadh city, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. We used a stratified random sampling technique to collect our sample with inclusion criteria of being male teachers who currently working in male government primary school and are directly involved on teaching of students. Data analysis was performed using SPSS software statistical program version 21.Results:We received 400 response for our questionnaire, mostly younger than 40 years old. Most of teachers in this sample had a bachelor's degree, only 6% had diploma while 8% had a higher degree, while most of them had experience more than 5 years in teaching (74.2%). only 8%of teachers admitted that they had not heard about ADHD before. 78% of teachers had read about ADHD at least once before. This knowledge was more from reading books (32.8%) followed by reading internet websites (28.7%), TV/Media (14.6%) while magazine and social media represent (23.9%). Most of the teachers showed that they had attended courses/training about ADHD (76.7%) however only 40.4% of them thought that they had the enough information about the disease. 51.5% of teachers showed that they had already asked before to assess a child who was suspected to have ADHD and 65.3% had taught a child with the disease.Conclusion:From the results of this study, it is concluded that the knowledge regarding ADHD among elementary school teachers is suboptimal. Some teachers had misunderstanding about ADHD symptoms and general information, which indicated the further needing for courses to enhance this knowledge.

By considering the impact of Attention
\nDeficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
\nto the future children education, the
\nexploration of intelligence test result characteristic
\nof children with ADHD is needed.
\nThe purpose of the explanation is to help
\nchildren with ADHD to cope their obstacle
\nin actualizing their intelligence potency
\nthrough appropriate educational guidance.
\nIntelligence test result characteristic with
\nWechsler Intelligence Children Scale (WISC)
\ntest is explored on 10 boys with ADHD aged
\n6 - 12 years old in Surabaya. The data is
\ninterpreted .according to Glasser and
\nZimmerman, Ogdon Sattler, and Jose/
\nGoewens reference and is described with the
\nadditional data quantitatively. Children with
\nADHD have low score ill some WlSC subtests.
\nThe rank of the scores from the lowest
\nis object assembly, picture arrangement,
\ninformation, comprehension, digit span, and
\nblock design. The subtests reflect the limited
\ncapacity of childrm with ADHD in visual motor coordination, visual perception
\norganization, visual-spatial relationship and
\nfield dependence, sequence ability, planning
\nability, effects of uncertainty, and social sensitivity. By knowing these limitations, it
\nis understandable why children with ADHD
\nhave problems in behavior, social, cognitive,
\nacademic, and emotional. The limitations of
\nADHD children in actualizing their
\nintelligence potency is related to the
\ndisfunction of the right hemisphere

To estimate the prevalence and determinants of attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms among school children in Kinshasa, an African urban setting. The 18-items of the Disruptive Behaviour Disorder rating scale (DBD), which is based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for mental disorders 4(th) edition (DSM-IV), were used to investigate the presence of ADHD symptoms. Parents interviews, using a questionnaire specially designed for the study, were performed to identify socio-demographic characteristics. All children were subject to a clinical examination. The estimated prevalence of DSM-IV ADHD symptoms was 6%. Those with family health problems, younger age at start of primary school, good nutritional status and poor school performance more often had DSM-IV ADHD symptoms. ADHD symptoms are as common among school children in Kinshasa as elsewhere. The socio-demographic factors described as risk factors for ADHD in high-income countries were not identified in this study.

Attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is not restricted to children. Abundant evidence from follow-up studies accumulated since the 1970s supports the concept of ADHD in adulthood. Genetic research points to a heritability of 76%, and neuroimaging studies have reported structural and functional brain abnormalities in patients with ADHD. Contrary to popular belief, ADHD is not a culturally bound disorder and has been described worldwide. ADHD has a cost for society, as adults with this disorder suffer from increased rates of unemployment and psychiatric comorbidity, including substance use disorders. Studies undertaken in forensic populations describe high rates of ADHD in these groups, particularly amongst young offenders. One of the main issues in the diagnosis of ADHD in the adult is the fact that most clinicians have not been educated to diagnose and treat ADHD. Effective pharmacological treatments for ADHD are available and should be prescribed for these patients. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) and the British Association for Psychopharmacology (BAP) guidelines established a benchmark for service development required to treat ADHD adequately in the adult population. However, the implementation of new services has been slow. More resources are needed to effectively assess and treat ADHD in the adult.

Attention-deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that occurs in 5–12% of children in the world. ADHD has the characteristics of difficulty concentrating (focusing), being easily distracted, not being easily tired, excessive activity, impulsiveness, decreased executive function, fidgeting, excessive talking, difficulty waiting for one's turn, and often disturbing others. External factors that play an important role in the treatment of ADHD are nutrition and diet. Various nutrition experts have stated that nutrition plays an important role in neurodevelopment. Increased consumption of sugar calories is associated with decreased activity in areas associated with dopamine (posterior midbrain, dorsolateral/orbitofrontal cortices) and taste processing areas (postcentral gyrus) during sugar consumption. The method used in this study uses study literature collected from various reference journal articles from 2007–2023 and international journal articles that are interconnected. All the articles obtained state that sugar can disrupt the balance of neurotransmitters in the body of people with ADHD, namely dopamine and norepinephrine, which will increase the symptoms of ADHD. The significance value obtained is below p 0.05, which means that there is an effect of sugar on the symptoms of ADHD. Based on several sources of journal articles, it can be concluded that consuming sugar in children with ADHD will increase the symptoms of ADHD, such as inattentiveness and impulsivity. However, sugar consumption in normal children does not cause ADHD, but it is possible to experience other diseases.

The present study examines the comorbidity between specific learning disorders (SLD) and attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) by comparing the neuropsychological profiles of children with and without this comorbidity. Ninety-seven schoolchildren from 8 to 14 years old were tested: a clinical sample of 49 children with ADHD (n = 18), SLD (n = 18) or SLD in comorbidity with ADHD (n = 13), and 48 typically-developing (TD) children matched for age and intelligence. Participants were administered tasks and questionnaires to confirm their initial diagnosis, and a battery of executive function (EF) tasks testing inhibition, shifting, and verbal and visuospatial updating. Using one-way ANOVAs, our results showed that all children in the clinical samples exhibited impairments on EF measures (inhibition and shifting tasks) when compared with TD children. A more specific pattern only emerged for the updating tasks. Only children with SLD had significant impairment in verbal updating, whereas children with ADHD, and those with SLD in comorbidity with ADHD, had the worst performance in visuospatial updating. The clinical and educational implications of these findings are discussed.