ADHD
Do children with ADHD struggle with all executive functions?
Open access · cc by · source: Europe PMC
Children with ADHD show distinct difficulties with memory updating and mental shifting, but they do not struggle with dividing their attention or resisting distractions compared to typically developing peers.
Key findings
Children with ADHD made significantly more mistakes on the memory-updating task, especially during the 2-back condition, and took longer to complete the attention-shifting test. Surprisingly, on the dual-attention task, the ADHD group actually managed their attention better than the control group, maintaining performance when another task was added. Additionally, the study found no significant differences between the groups in resisting cognitive interference, though children with ADHD were generally slower to read simple words.
Methodology
The researchers compared cognitive performance between 26 unmedicated children diagnosed with ADHD and 29 typically developing children, all aged 9 to 10 years. They measured four key cognitive skills: divided attention, attentional shifting, updating, and inhibition. To ensure fair comparison, the difficulty of the memory recall tasks was customized to each child's individual memory span.
Limitations
The study's small sample size of 26 children with ADHD and 29 typically developing children, which included very few girls, limits how well these findings apply to all children with ADHD. Because the ADHD group only contained 6 children with the inattentive subtype compared to 20 with the combined subtype, the researchers could not reliably compare differences between different types of ADHD. Furthermore, the study could not fully control for co-occurring emotional or behavioral difficulties that might influence cognitive performance.
How this study connects
Role on claims
Each row is a claim on a concept or method page where this paper supports, challenges, or qualifies the statement. Roles are hand-checked — not a model guess.
Children diagnosed with ADHD experience specific difficulties with memory updating, particularly as task demands increase (such as in 2-back conditions), even when task difficulty is calibrated to their personal memory span.
Evidence for the claim as stated.
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