Mental flexibility (set-shifting) deficits in children with ADHD: A replication and extension study

Objective: Children with ADHD have heterogeneous behavioral and neuropsychological profiles. The aim of this study was to examine the possible utility of executive function (EF) subtypes within ADHD. Method: Participants were 357 children aged 6 through 13 with a diagnosis of ADHD. Children completed a brief laboratory battery measuring EF, including response inhibition, response variability, speed, and set-shifting. Children also completed standardized intelligence and achievement testing. Results: Two-way cluster analysis of EF profiles of children with ADHD produced a three-cluster solution, labeled poor inhibitory control, poor set-shifting/speed, and intact task performance. Clusters significantly differed in measures of intelligence, academic achievement, and other disruptive behavior and anxiety/mood symptoms. Conclusion: These findings further support the idea that children with ADHD have heterogeneous EF profiles and suggest that the theory of ADHD should consider these individual differences in EF profiles within the ADHD diagnostic category.

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Parent Psychopathology and Neurocognitive Functioning in Children With ADHD

Journal of Attention Disorders ◽

10.1177/1087054717718262 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 24 (13) ◽

pp. 1836-1846 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Sharifah Shameem Agha ◽

Stanley Zammit ◽

Anita Thapar ◽

Kate Langley

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Clinical Sample ◽

Depression Symptom ◽

Set Shifting ◽

Parent Depression ◽

Offspring Performance ◽

Children With Adhd ◽

Neurocognitive Impairments ◽

Cognition And Learning ◽

Neurocognitive Tasks

Objective: The objective of this study was to examine the association between parent mental health (ADHD and depression) and offspring performance on neurocognitive tasks in children with ADHD. Method: The clinical sample consisted of 570 children (85% males, mean age: 10.77 years) with ADHD who completed neurocognitive tasks measuring working memory, attention set-shifting, and motivational deficits. Questionnaire measures were used to assess ADHD and depression symptom presence in parents. Results: Controlling for ADHD severity, children of parents with ADHD had poorer working memory ( B = −0.25, 95% confidence interval [CI] [−0.45, −0.07], p = .01) and increased errors on the extra dimensional shift stage of the set-shifting task ( B = 0.26 95% CI [0.02, 0.50], p = .04). Parent depression was not associated with offspring performance on any of the assessed neurocognitive tasks. Conclusion: Children with ADHD who have a parent with ADHD symptom presence are a subgroup of children who may have additional neurocognitive impairments that have potential implications when implementing interventions that target cognition and learning.

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Set shifting and planning tasks as means of differentiating between gifted children with ADHD and gifted children without ADHD

PsycEXTRA Dataset ◽

10.1037/e708042011-001 ◽

2011 ◽

Author(s):

Beth M. Houskamp ◽

Laura Mcdonald ◽

Katarina Radisalvjevic ◽

Brandi Eijsermans ◽

Natasha Harrington ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gifted Children ◽

Set Shifting ◽

Children With Adhd

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Corpus callosum may be similar in children with ADHD and siblings of children with ADHD

Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology ◽

10.1017/s0012162200000037 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 42 (01) ◽

pp. 8 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

S Overmeyer ◽

A Simmons ◽

J Santosh ◽

C Andrew ◽

S C R Williams ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Corpus Callosum ◽

Children With Adhd

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Physical Fitness and Resting EEG in Children With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Journal of Psychophysiology ◽

10.1027/0269-8803/a000131 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 29 (1) ◽

pp. 26-32 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Ching-Wen Huang ◽

Chung-Ju Huang ◽

Chiao-Ling Hung ◽

Chia-Hao Shih ◽

Tsung-Min Hung

Keyword(s):

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder ◽

Physical Fitness ◽

Attention Deficit ◽

Resting State ◽

Self Control ◽

Children With Adhd ◽

Hyperactivity Disorder ◽

Higher Power ◽

Eyes Open ◽

The Relationship

Children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are characterized by a deviant pattern of brain oscillations during resting state, particularly elevated theta power and increased theta/alpha and theta/beta ratios that are related to cognitive functioning. Physical fitness has been found beneficial to cognitive performance in a wide age population. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the relationship between physical fitness and resting-state electroencephalographic (EEG) oscillations in children with ADHD. EEG was recorded during eyes-open resting for 28 children (23 boys and 5 girls, 8.66 ± 1.10 years) with ADHD, and a battery of physical fitness assessments including flexibility, muscular endurance, power, and agility tests were administered. The results indicated that ADHD children with higher power fitness exhibited a smaller theta/alpha ratio than those with lower power fitness. These findings suggest that power fitness may be associated with improved attentional self-control in children with ADHD.

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