Cross-cultural study of the childhood developmental trajectory of attention and impulse control

2003 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 174-181 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandra Brewis ◽  
Karen L. Schmidt ◽  
Claudia Amira Sánchez Casas

The maturation lag model explains inattention and impulsivity in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) as delayed maturation along a normal developmental trajectory. The concept of a cross-culturally uniform developmental trajectory is tested by a comparison of the performance of 212 Mexican school children on the Test of Variable Attention (TOVA) with the performance of populations previously studied. An observed pattern of decreasing errors of omission (indicating improving ability to sustain attention) with increasing age did confirm the predictions of the existing developmental trajectory model, although the shape of this change was linear rather than curvilinear. A predicted age-related decrease in errors of commission (indicating improving impulse control) was not observed. Gender differences in attentional and impulse control measures among Mexican children, aged 6–12 years, were not significant, in contrast to the findings of previous US studies in which boys performed poorly compared with girls. Mexican children made significantly more errors of omission and commission than American children, indicating greater degrees of characteristic inattentive and impulsive behaviours in childhood. These results indicate that the assumption of a uniform developmental trajectory of these behaviours should be carefully considered before it is applied to understanding children’s behaviour in culturally diverse settings.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karli M Nave ◽  
Chantal Carrillo ◽  
Nori Jacoby ◽  
Laurel Trainor ◽  
Erin Hannon

Both humans and some non-human animals (e.g., birds and primates) demonstrate bias toward simple integer ratios in auditory rhythms. In humans, biases are found for small integer-ratio rhythms in general. In addition, there are biases for the specific small integer-ratio rhythms common to one’s cultural listening experience. To better understand the developmental trajectory of these biases, we estimated children’s rhythm priors across the entire human rhythm production space of simple rhythms. North American children aged 6-11 years completed an iterative rhythm production task, in which they tapped in synchrony with repeating three-interval rhythms. For each rhythm, the child’s produced rhythm was presented back to them as the stimulus, and over the course of 5 iterations we used their final reproductions to estimate their rhythmic biases or priors. Results suggest that children’s rhythmic priors are (nearly) integer ratios, and the relative weights of the categories observed in children are highly correlated with those of adults. However, we also observed age-related changes especially for the ratio types that vary most across cultures. In an additional rhythm perception task, children were better at detecting rhythmic disruptions to a culturally familiar rhythm (in 4/4 meter with 2:1:1 ratio pattern) than to a culturally unfamiliar rhythm (7/8 meter with 3:2:2 ratios), and performance in this task was correlated with tapping variability in the iterative task. Taken together, our findings provide evidence that children as young as 6 years old exhibit categorical rhythm priors in their rhythm production that closely resemble those of adults in the same culture.


Author(s):  
Karen Bearss ◽  
Aaron J. Kaat

This chapter will review the available evidence on individuals with co-occurring diagnoses of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This chapter contends that children diagnosed with both disorders (ASD+ADHD) are a subset of the ASD population that is at risk for delayed recognition of their ASD diagnosis, poor treatment response, and poorer functional outcomes compared to those with ASD without ADHD. Specifically, the chapter highlights the best estimates of the prevalence of the comorbidity, the developmental trajectory of people with co-occurring ASD and ADHD, how ADHD symptoms change across development, overlapping genetic and neurobiological risk factors, psychometrics of ADHD diagnostic instruments in an ASD population, neuropsychological and functional impairments associated with co-occurring ASD and ADHD, and the current state of evidence-based treatment for both ASD and ADHD symptoms. Finally, the chapter discusses fruitful avenues of research for improving understanding of this high-risk comorbidity so that mechanism-to-treatment pathways for ADHD in children with ASD can be better developed.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 79 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanni Liu ◽  
Gregory L. Hanna ◽  
Barbara S. Hanna ◽  
Haley E. Rough ◽  
Paul D. Arnold ◽  
...  

The pathophysiology of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) involves deficits in performance monitoring and adaptive adjustments. Yet, the developmental trajectory and underlying neural correlates of performance monitoring deficits in youth with ADHD remain poorly understood. To address the gap, this study recruited 77 children and adolescents with ADHD and 77 age- and gender-matched healthy controls (HC), ages 8–18 years, who performed an arrow flanker task during electroencephalogram recording. Compared to HC, participants with ADHD responded more slowly and showed larger reaction time variability (RTV) and reduced post-error slowing; they also exhibited reduced error-related negativity (ERN) and error positivity effects, and reduced N2 and P3 congruency effects. Age effects were observed across groups: with increasing age, participants responded faster, with less variability, and with increased post-error slowing. They also exhibited increased ERN effects and increased N2 and P3 congruency effects. Increased RTV and reduced P3 amplitude in incongruent trials were associated with increased ADHD Problems Scale scores on the Child Behavior Checklist across groups. The altered behavioral and ERP responses in ADHD are consistent with the pattern associated with younger age across groups. Further research with a longitudinal design may determine specific aspects of developmental alteration and deficits in ADHD during performance monitoring.


2015 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 77-100 ◽  
Author(s):  
Przemysław Tomalski

Abstract Apart from their remarkable phonological skills young infants prior to their first birthday show ability to match the mouth articulation they see with the speech sounds they hear. They are able to detect the audiovisual conflict of speech and to selectively attend to articulating mouth depending on audiovisual congruency. Early audiovisual speech processing is an important aspect of language development, related not only to phonological knowledge, but also to language production during subsequent years. Th is article reviews recent experimental work delineating the complex developmental trajectory of audiovisual mismatch detection. Th e central issue is the role of age-related changes in visual scanning of audiovisual speech and the corresponding changes in neural signatures of audiovisual speech processing in the second half of the first year of life. Th is phenomenon is discussed in the context of recent theories of perceptual development and existing data on the neural organisation of the infant ‘social brain’.


CNS Spectrums ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 12 (S23) ◽  
pp. 10-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey H. Newcorn

Although the symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can be found in many “normal” people, these symptoms are present to a greater extent in those affected by the disorder. In these patients, ADHD symptoms cause substantial functional impairment. Therefore, the goal of treatment is not simply to reduce core symptoms, but also to decrease the level of impairment caused by these symptoms.Common impairments in adolescents and adults include academic and occupational problems that are particularly evident in the context of tasks requiring a high degree of organization or attentional function. These impairments result in problems related to task completion, prioritizing work and other obligations, and time management, etc. These symptoms often impact successful completion of tasks in school or at work, and can also result in a variety of problems in initiating and managing relationships (Slide 1).Mood and anxiety disorders often co-occur with ADHD in adults. The accumulation of experiences related to impaired academic and/or occupational performance, and or persistent relationship problems, due to the symptoms of ADHD, can lead to either depressed mood or anxiety related to performance and/or social situations. Therefore, in treating adults with ADHD, reduction of those co-occurring symptom presentations is also an important goal.


2017 ◽  
Vol 15 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathalia Cadavid Ruiz ◽  
Pablo Del Río ◽  
Jaime Egido ◽  
Purificación Galindo

Executive Function (EF) is a higher cognitive process responsible for control and self-regulation of behavior. The aim of this study is to describe the developmental trajectory of EF in four and six-year old Colombian children, and to highlight possible differences by socio-cultural variables such as age, sex, type of school or socio-economic status. One hundred and sixty-three normotypical children were tested using psychological tests validated for a Spanish population belonging to the Weschler and Luria Initial batteries. HJ-biplot analysis showed that EF developed commensurate with age and school grade, although differences by socio-economic status and type of school were evident.


2014 ◽  
Vol 20 (10) ◽  
pp. 971-981 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tisha J. Ornstein ◽  
Sanya Sagar ◽  
Russell J. Schachar ◽  
Linda Ewing-Cobbs ◽  
Sandra B. Chapman ◽  
...  

AbstractThe present study compared executive dysfunction among children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) after traumatic brain injury (TBI), also called secondary ADHD (S-ADHD), pre-injury ADHD and children with TBI only (i.e., no ADHD). Youth aged 6–16 years admitted for TBI to five trauma centers were enrolled (n=177) and evaluated with a semi-structured psychiatric interview scheduled on three occasions (within 2 weeks of TBI, i.e., baseline assessment for pre-injury status; 6-months and 12-months post-TBI). This permitted the determination of 6- and 12-month post-injury classifications of membership in three mutually exclusive groups (S-ADHD; pre-injury ADHD; TBI-only). Several executive control measures were administered. Unremitted S-ADHD was present in 17/141 (12%) children at the 6-month assessment, and in 14/125 (11%) children at 12-months post-injury. The study found that children with S-ADHD exhibited deficient working memory, attention, and psychomotor speed as compared to children with pre-injury ADHD. Furthermore, the children with S-ADHD and the children with TBI-only were impaired compared to the children with pre-injury ADHD with regard to planning. No group differences related to response inhibition emerged. Age, but not injury severity, gender, or adaptive functioning was related to executive function outcome. Neuropsychological sequelae distinguish among children who develop S-ADHD following TBI and those with TBI only. Moreover, there appears to be a different pattern of executive control performance in those who develop S-ADHD than in children with pre-injury ADHD suggesting that differences exist in the underlying neural mechanisms that define each disorder, underscoring the need to identify targeted treatment interventions. (JINS, 2014,20, 971–981)


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