Time Perception in Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

To examine time perception in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and evaluate the effectiveness of Pantogam in relation to the main symptoms of the disease and the disorder of time perception. 86 children with ADHD aged 10-13 years were observed. The study group included 56 children with a combined type of ADHD (ADHD-C) and 30 children with a predominance of inattention without hyperactivity (ADD). The control group consisted of 30 children aged 10 to 13 years without psychoneurological disorders. The following research methods were used in the work: the SNAP-IY questionnaire for a quantitative assessment of ADHD manifestations, the «Working Memory» method for assessing working memory, tasks for assessing and measuring time intervals, and a study using the «subjective minute» method to assess time perception disorders. Pantogam was used in a dose of 750 mg per day for 8 weeks to treat children with ADHD. According to the SNAP-IY scale, the level of inattention in the study groups was significantly higher than the level of inattention in the control group, and the level of hyperactivity and impulsivity was significantly higher in children with ADHD-C compared to the ADHD group and the control group. When assessing working memory, a reliable decrease in the level of this indicator was found in children with both types of ADHD compared to the control group. Difficulties with time management, as assessed by parents, were noted in 88.4% of children in the study group and 36.7% of children in the control group. These disorders were especially pronounced in tasks requiring sustained attention (96.4% of children with ADHD-C and 73.3% of children with ADD). According to the results of tests for time perception, disturbances in time perception were revealed in both groups of children with ADHD. In ADHD-C, tachychrony was more pronounced, and for patients with ADD, it was typical to overestimate the elapsed time. When re-evaluating the condition of 56 children with ADHD-C after the end of the course of treatment with Pantogam, an improvement in the form of a reliable decrease in inattention and impulsivity, an improvement in working memory was recorded in 55.4% of cases. During a repeated study after the course of treatment, an improvement in time perception was also recorded. Children with ADHD, in addition to the main symptoms (inattention, hyperactivity, impulsivity), significantly more often have pronounced problems with time management, and the normalizing effect of drugs for the treatment of ADHD is manifested not only in relation to the main symptoms of the disease, but also in relation to the normalization of time perception.

The effect of different emotional images on time perception in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and normal

Prospective and retrospective time perception are related to mental time travel: Evidence from Alzheimer’s disease

Time Perception in Children with Developmental Dyscalculia

Eating Behaviors and Perceived Eating Problems of children Diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactiytty Disorder

ObjectiveTo explore the influences of digital media use on the core symptoms, emotional state, life events, learning motivation, executive function (EF) and family environment of children and adolescents diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) during the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.MethodA total of 192 participants aged 8–16 years who met the diagnostic criteria for ADHD were included in the study. Children scoring higher than predetermined cut-off point in self-rating questionnaires for problematic mobile phone use (SQPMPU) or Young’s internet addiction test (IAT), were defined as ADHD with problematic digital media use (PDMU), otherwise were defined as ADHD without PDMU. The differences between the two groups in ADHD symptoms, EF, anxiety and depression, stress from life events, learning motivation and family environment were compared respectively.ResultsWhen compared with ADHD group without PDMU, the group with PDMU showed significant worse symptoms of inattention, oppositional defiant, behavior and emotional problems by Swanson, Nolan, and Pelham Rating Scale (SNAP), more self-reported anxiety by screening child anxiety-related emotional disorders (SCARED) and depression by depression self-rating scale for children (DSRSC), more severe EF deficits by behavior rating scale of executive function (BRIEF), more stress from life events by adolescent self-rating life events checklist (ASLEC), lower learning motivation by students learning motivation scale (SLMS), and more impairment on cohesion by Chinese version of family environment scale (FES-CV). The ADHD with PDMU group spent significantly more time on both video game and social media with significantly less time spend on physical exercise as compared to the ADHD without PDMU group.ConclusionThe ADHD children with PDMU suffered from more severe core symptoms, negative emotions, EF deficits, damage on family environment, pressure from life events, and a lower motivation to learn. Supervision of digital media usage, especially video game and social media, along with increased physical exercise, is essential to the management of core symptoms and associated problems encountered with ADHD.

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) have shown an increased risk for violence and victimization. However, research on exposure to multiple forms of victimization in different contexts are scarce. Hence, the current aim is to review the evidence about polyvictimization among children with ASD or ADHD. PsycInfo, ERIC, ERC, Scopus, and PubMed databases were systematically searched until 12 March 2019 to identify empirical studies with reported prevalence rates of at least four forms of victimization among children with ASD or ADHD. A total of 6/1300 articles were included in the review, ranging in sample sizes from 92 to 4114. The reported prevalence rates for polyvictimization were 1.8% and 23.1% for children with ASD and 7.3% for children with ADHD. The results emphasize the high prevalence of violence and victimization, including polyvictimization, among children with ASD or ADHD. Polyvictimization among children with ASD or ADHD is a highly under researched area. Significant knowledge gaps and important methodological considerations that provide important implications for future research include lack of information on cyber bullying, frequency or intensity of victimization, and the failure to include children as informants and to report health outcomes associated with polyvictimization.

ABSTRACTTime-based prospective memory (PM) is the ability to remember to perform an intended action at a given time in the future. It is a competence that is crucial for effective performance in everyday life and may be one of the main causes of problems for individuals who have difficulty in planning and organizing their life, such as children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This study systematically examines different aspects of time-based PM performance in a task that involves taking an action at a given future time in a group of 23 children with ADHD who were compared with a matched group of typically-developing (TD) children. The children were asked to watch a cartoon and then answer a questionnaire about its content (ongoing task). They were also asked to press a key every 2 minutes while watching the cartoon (PM task). The relationships of time perception and verbal working memory with PM performance were examined by administering appropriate tasks. The results showed that the children with ADHD were less accurate than the TD children in the PM task and exhibited less strategic time-monitoring behavior. Time perception was found to predict PM accuracy, whereas working memory was mainly involved in time-monitoring behavior, but this applied more to the TD group than to the ADHD group, suggesting that children with ADHD are less able to use their cognitive resources when meeting a PM request.

BackgroundThe diagnosis of Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is primarily dependent on parents’ and teachers’ reports, while children’s own perspectives on their difficulties and strengths are often overlooked.GoalTo further increase our insight into children’s ability to reliably report about their ADHD-related symptoms, the current study examined the associations between children’s self-reports, parents’ and teachers’ reports, and standardized continuous performance test (CPT) data. We also examined whether the addition of children’s perceptions of ADHD-symptoms to parents’ and teachers’ reports would be reflected by objective and standardized data.MethodsThe study included 190 children with ADHD, aged 7–10 years, who were referred to a pediatric neurologic clinic. A retrospective analysis was conducted using records of a clinical database. Obtained data included children’s self-reports of their attention level and ADHD-related symptoms, parent, and teacher forms of the Conners ADHD rating scales, Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), Teacher’s Report Form (TRF), and CPT scores.ResultsChildren’s self-evaluations of their functioning were globally associated with their teachers’ and parents’ evaluations, but not uniquely. Children’s self-reports of ADHD symptoms were not uniquely linked to a specific CPT impairment index, but to a general likelihood of having an impaired CPT. The CPT performance successfully distinguished between the group of children who defined themselves as inattentive and those who did not.ConclusionPrimary school children with ADHD are able to identify their limitations and needs difficulties and that their perspectives should inform clinical practice and research. The clinical and ethical imperative of taking children’s perspectives into account during ADHD diagnosis and treatment is highlighted.

This study aimed to examine the effect of mother’s perception of child’s maladaptive behaviour and types of child’s neurodevelopment disorder on maternal parenting stress, and examine the role of types of child’s neurodevelopmental disorder in moderating the relationship between mother’ perception of child’s maladaptive behaviours and maternal parenting stress. The mother’ perception of child’s maladaptive behaviours tested included internalizing and externalizing maladaptive behaviours, while the types of child’s neurodevelopmental disorder included intellectual disability (ID), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). A total of 163 mothers of children with different types of neurodevelopmental disorders were included in this study. The data were analysed with regression analysis, t-test, and ANOVA. The results showed that 1) there is an influence of the mother’s perception of child’s maladaptive behaviours and types of neurodevelopmental disorders on parenting stress; 2) types of child neurodevelopmental disorders moderate the relationship between the mother’s perception of child’s maladaptive behaviour and maternal parenting stress; 3) mothers of children with ASD experience higher levels parenting stress than mothers of children with ADHD and ID.

Perceiving biological motion (BM) is crucial for human survival and social interaction. Many studies have reported impaired BM perception in autism spectrum disorder, which is characterised by deficits in social interaction. Children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often exhibit similar difficulties in social interaction. However, few studies have investigated BM perception in children with ADHD. Here, we compared differences in the ability to process local kinematic and global configurational cues, two fundamental abilities of BM perception, between typically developing and ADHD children. We further investigated the relationship between BM perception and social interaction skills measured using the Social Responsiveness Scale and examined the contributions of latent factors (e.g., sex, age, attention, and intelligence) to BM perception. The results revealed that children with ADHD exhibited atypical BM perception. Local and global BM processing showed distinct features. Local BM processing ability was related to social interaction skills, whereas global BM processing ability significantly improved with age. Critically, general BM perception (i.e., both local and global BM processing) may be affected by sustained attentional ability in children with ADHD. This relationship was primarily mediated by reasoning intelligence. These findings elucidate atypical BM perception in ADHD and the latent factors related to BM perception. Moreover, this study provides new evidence that BM perception is a hallmark of social cognition and advances our understanding of the potential roles of local and global processing in BM perception and social cognitive disorders.

Screening tools for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) help to identify individuals likely to have ADHD. Several screening scales are used for identifying adults with ADHD, based on criteria outlined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). The ADHD symptoms described in the DSM were originally developed to describe the behaviours of children, not adults, and focus on the triad of symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. Clinical research and experience, however, have revealed additional dimensions of adult ADHD, such as hyperfocus, racing thoughts, emotional lability, impaired sleep, and differences in time perception. Commensurate with the conditions' growing recognition, the adult ADHD presentation requires rethinking. To understand better the ADHD symptomatology experienced by adults, qualitative interviews were conducted with 11 diagnosed adults. Using thematic analysis, nine themes of adult ADHD symptoms were identified. The first three themes map to the original triad of symptoms - attentional difficulties, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. A further three themes identified are briefly mentioned in the DSM - disorganisation, forgetfulness, and reduced activation. The final three themes are covered to some degree in the current rating scales but are absent from the DSM 5 - emotional lability, sleep difficulties, and time perception difficulties. This study highlights nine themes relevant to adult ADHD, six of which are absent from the DSM 5's triad. This research highlights gaps in current assessment tools and suggests symptoms that are more reflective of the adult experience of having ADHD.

ObjectivesAlthough it is well established that cognitive performance in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is affected by reward and that key deficits associated with the disorder may thereby be attenuated or even compensated, this phenomenon in adults with ADHD has thus far not been addressed. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to examine the motivating effect of financial reward on task performance in adults with ADHD by focusing on the domains of executive functioning, attention, time perception, and delay aversion.MethodsWe examined male and female adults aged 18–40 years with ADHD (n = 38) along with a matched control group (n = 40) using six well-established experimental paradigms.ResultsImpaired performance in the ADHD group was observed for stop-signal omission errors, n-back accuracy, reaction time variability in the continuous performance task, and time reproduction accuracy, and reward normalized time reproduction accuracy. Furthermore, when rewarded, subjects with ADHD exhibited longer reaction times and fewer false positives in the continuous performance task, which suggests the use of strategies to prevent impulsivity errors.ConclusionsTaken together, our results support the existence of both cognitive and motivational mechanisms for the disorder, which is in line with current models of ADHD. Furthermore, our data suggest cognitive strategies of “stopping and thinking” as a possible underlying mechanism for task improvement that seems to be mediated by reward, which highlights the importance of the interaction between motivation and cognition in adult ADHD.

Attention problems are common in youngsters with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) as well as in adolescents with combined autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and ADHD. However, it is unknown whether there is psychophysiological overlap and/or a difference in electroencephalogram (EEG) power spectra between ADHD and comorbid ASD and ADHD (ASD + ADHD), on and off stimulant medication. To explore potential differences and overlap, measures of theta and beta power in adolescents diagnosed with ADHD (n = 33) versus adolescents with combined ASD + ADHD (n = 20), categorized by stimulant medication use (57 % of the total sample), were compared. EEG measures were acquired in three conditions: (1) resting state, eyes closed (2) resting state, eyes open and (3) during an oddball task. In addition, performance on the d2 attention test was analyzed. Adolescents with ADHD displayed more absolute theta activity than adolescents with ASD + ADHD during the eyes open and task conditions, independent of stimulant medication use. In addition, only the adolescents with ADHD showed an association between diminished attention test performance and increased theta in the eyes open condition. Results of the current study suggest that although there is behavioral overlap between ADHD characteristics in adolescents with ADHD and adolescents with combined ASD + ADHD, the underlying psychophysiological mechanisms may be different. Adolescents with ASD + ADHD exhibited fewer of the EEG physiological signs usually associated with ADHD, although there was an overlap in attentional problems between the groups. This may indicate that treatments developed for ADHD work differently in some adolescents with ASD + ADHD and adolescents with ADHD only.

BackgroundDespite the lack of evidence on the use of cannabis for the treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), the growing perception that cannabis is safe has led more patients and caregivers to self-medicate. Some psychiatrists now authorize medicinal cannabis for patients with ADHD with features of oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) to curtail the unregulated (ie, self-medicated) use of recreational cannabis or to offer a therapeutic option to those who continue to experience symptoms after exhausting all other treatment options.ObjectiveThis protocol aims to explore the perceived effectiveness and pharmacokinetics of cannabis in youth and young adults, who are currently taking it as part of their treatment plan for ADHD with features of ODD, under the supervision of a psychiatrist.MethodsPatients between the ages of 12 and 25 years with a diagnosis of ADHD and features of ODD, who are currently taking cannabis herbal extract (at a Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol [THC]:cannabidiol [CBD] ratio of 1:20) as a treatment adjunct to stimulant pharmacotherapy will be recruited. A sample size of 10-20 individuals is estimated. The study interview will consist of (1) validated symptom rating scales (Swanson, Nolan, and Pelham-IV Questionnaire [SNAP-IV], 90-item; Patient Health Questionnaire, 9-item [PHQ-9]; and Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders [SCARED] tool to measure symptoms of ADHD and ODD, depression, and anxiety, respectively); (2) a semistructured interview to probe the experiences of using cannabis; and (3) a cannabis side effects survey. A cannabis product sample as well as 2 blood samples (a trough level and 2-hour postdose level) will be collected to measure plasma concentrations of cannabinoids and relevant metabolites (THC, CBD, 11-hydroxy-THC, 7-hydroxy-CBD, cannabichromene, and 11-nor-9-carboxy-THB) using liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS). Self-report rating scales (SNAP-IV, SCARED, and PHQ-9) will be scored in accordance with standard protocols and compared to retrospective scores obtained from the participant’s chart. Demographic variables (age, weight, and race), symptom scores, and blood levels (peaks and troughs) of THC, CBD, cannabichromene (CBC), and metabolites will be summarized using descriptive statistics. Relationships between plasma concentrations and symptom scores will be determined using analysis of variance, and multiple regression analysis will be performed to determine associations between plasma concentrations and demographic variables (age, weight, and ethnicity). The qualitative data will be audio-recorded and transcribed and organized into themes.ResultsThe protocol was approved by the Biomedical Research Ethics Board at the University of Saskatchewan (protocol #1726), and recruitment began in May 2021.ConclusionsThis proof-of-concept study will explore the potential treatment effectiveness of medical cannabis in participants with ADHD and ODD through a mixed methods approach to inform future research in this area.International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)DERR1-10.2196/31281