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Abstract
Impaired Efs in Adhd Patients
Conclusion
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Psychology
Psychiatry and Mental health

Executive Functions in Children with ADHD

Profile image of Prakasit WannapaschaiyongPrakasit Wannapaschaiyong

2022, The Bangkok Medical Journal

https://doi.org/10.31524/BKKMEDJ.2022.23.002
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5 pages

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Abstract

E xecutive functions (EFs) are a set of skills which manage and control thinking, emotions, and behaviors in new or complicated situations to achieve set goals. 1 The development of EFs starts in early childhood and continues until 20 to 25 years of age, and the most rapid EF development is from 3 to 5 years old. 2 EFs are extremely crucial in daily life, for good health and quality of life, learning ability, and life achievement, along with proper emotional, behavioral, and social functions in children. 3-5 Impairments in EFs lead to negative impacts in many ways, including physical health problems (obesity, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and dyslipidemia) 6-9 , mental health problems (substance dependence, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, depression, and obsessive-compulsive disorder) 10-14 , working and learning problems (learning disability, decreased productivity, and inability to maintain a job position) 15,16 , marriage problems (difficulty in maintaining good married life) 17 as well as threats toward public security (crimes, violence, negligent behaviors, and emotional outbursts). 18,19 As previously mentioned, executive dysfunctions which are frequently seen in pediatric psychiatric patients 9,20-25 include specific learning disorders, intellectual disability, autistic spectrum disorder, anxiety disorder, depressive disorder, and ADHD. ADHD is one of the most common mental disorders affecting children. Symptoms of ADHD include difficulty paying attention, hyperactivity, and impulsive behavior. ADHD is known to impact individuals in many areas of life including academic and professional achievements, interpersonal relationships, self-esteem, and social functions. 26 In the past, impaired EFs were considered to be the cause of ADHD symptoms and its negative consequences; however, at present, there is evidence that contradicts this. Therefore, the purpose of this review is to describe

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Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder [ADHD] is a neuropsychiatric disorder characterized by inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity that affects from 3-5% of school-aged children. In some cases it may persist into adulthood. Prominent theories about ADHD suggest that inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity may be due to underlying deficits of the components of attention, including alerting, orienting and executive control. The aim of this study was to investigate neuropsychological characteristics of ADHD children, especially their executive functions [EFs]. The sample is comprised of 30 ADHD children from 6 to 14 years old [10, 45 ± 22, 2], only boys, diagnosed at the department of psychophysiology, University Children's Hospital. The diagnosis was established according to ICD-10 criteria. All children had an IQ over 90 and were medication free. Psychological assessment of the children was performed with the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children [WISC-IV] and ADD-H Comprehensive Parent Rating Scale [ASTeRS]. Neuropsychological assessment was performed with the Stroop test and the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test [WCST]. Results showed an average IQ, manifested symptoms of hyperactivity and executive dysfunction, confirmed by the Stroop test and WCST.

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Executive Functioning in Subtypes of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
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Noropsikiyatri Arsivi-archives of Neuropsychiatry, 2015

Introduction: This study aims to evaluate executive functions (EF), such as inhibition, planning, working memory, and set shifting, in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) by comparing three ADHD subtype groups (ADHD-Inattentive, ADHD-Combined, and ADHD-Comorbid) and a normal control group. Methods: Participants included 147 children. In total, 111 children were assigned to the ADHD groups of the study. Each child was matched according to the WISC-R Full-Scale IQ-score, sex, and age and was grouped as follows: ADHD-Inattentive group (ADHD-I; n=37), ADHD-Combined (ADHD-C; n=37), ADHD-Comorbid group (ADHD-Comorbid with oppositional defiant disorder and/or conduct disorder; n=37), and control group (n=36). The tests used to assess the children were Conners' Parent and Teacher Rating Scales; Wechsler Intelligence Scale-Revised; Tower of London test; Wisconsin Card Sorting Test; Stroop Color-Word Test, and verbal fluency test. The data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA between subjects for all dependent variables. Results: Children in the ADHD-I group had significantly better performances in verbal working memory and verbal category shifting than children in the ADHD-C group. There was no significant difference between the ADHD-I and ADHD-C groups in terms of inhibition, set shifting, verbal fluency, cognitive flexibility, and planning. The ADHD-Comorbid group displayed more severe impairments in EF measures than the ADHD-C group; however, the severity was not statistically significant. EF performances of children in the control group were similar to children in the ADHD-I group but better than children in the ADHD-C and ADHD-Comorbid groups. Conclusion: The outcome of the study indicated that subjects in the ADHD-Comorbid and ADHD-C groups had more severe EF deficits than subjects in the ADHD-I and control groups.

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Executive Function Profile of Children With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
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Introduction: The aim of the present study is to evaluate executive functions (EF) such as inhibition, planning, working memory, set-shifting in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) via comparison of three ADHD subtype groups (ADHDInattentive, ADHD-Combined and ADHD-Comorbid) and a normal control group. Method: Participants consisted of 147 children. In total, 111 children were assigned into the ADHD groups of the study. Each child was matched according to the WISC-R Full-Scale IQ-score, sex and age and grouped as follows: ADHD-Inattentive group (ADHD-I; n=37), ADHD-Combined (ADHD-C; n=37), ADHD-Comorbid group (ADHD-C with Oppositional Defiant Disorder and/or Conduct Disorder; n=37), and control group (n=36). The tests used to assess the children were Conner’s Parental and Teacher Rating Scales; Wechsler Intelligence Scale Revised; Tower of London Test; Wisconsin Card Sorting Test; Stroop Color Word Test, and the Verbal Fluency Test. The data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA between subjects for all dependent variables. Results: Children in ADHD-I group had significantly better performances in verbal working memory and verbal category shifting than children in ADHD-C group. There was no significant difference between ADHD-I and ADHD-C groups in terms of disinhibition, set shifting, verbal fluency, cognitive flexibility and planning. ADHD-Comorbid group displayed more severe impairments in EF measures than ADHD-C group, but the severity was not statistically significant. The EF performances of children in control group were similar to the children in ADHD-I group, but better than children in ADHD-C and ADHD-Comorbid groups. Conclusion: The outcome of the study indicated that subjects in ADHD-Comorbid and ADHD-C groups had more severe EF deficits than subjects in the ADHD-I, and control groups.

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Executive Functioning in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Subtypes
REYHAN SAYDAM

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