Kaufmann Liane, Nuerk Hans-Christoph
Clinical Department of Pediatrics IV, Division Neuropedriatrics, Innsbruck Medical University, Innsbruck, Austria.
Dev Sci. 2008 Sep;11(5):692-9. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-7687.2008.00718.x.
ADHD (attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder) and academic difficulties are frequently associated, but to date this link is poorly understood. In order to explore which components of number processing and calculation skills may be disturbed in children with ADHD we presented a series of respective tasks to 9- to 12-year-old children with ADHD-combined type and matched children without ADHD (of any type) without concomitant dyscalculia and/or dyslexia. Overall, group differences were not significant regarding overlearned and explicitly trained simple and complex calculation skills. More basic number processing skills are - for instance - the ability to compare one-digit numbers according to their magnitude (so-called magnitude comparison), to count or to transcode numbers, i.e. to write down an Arabic number '21' in verbal dictation. Significant differences favouring control children in basic number processing skills were obtained in a number comparison task and in a dot enumeration task. Importantly, our results cannot be explained by group differences regarding specific working memory and executive function components. Thus, number processing skills and in particular the processing of numerical magnitude should be investigated in children diagnosed with ADHD even when no comorbid learning disabilities are reported.
注意缺陷多动障碍（ADHD）与学业困难常常相关，但迄今为止，这种关联仍未得到充分理解。为了探究数字处理和计算技能的哪些组成部分在ADHD儿童中可能受到干扰，我们向9至12岁的ADHD混合型儿童以及与之匹配的无ADHD（任何类型）且无伴随计算障碍和/或阅读障碍的儿童呈现了一系列相应任务。总体而言，在过度学习和明确训练的简单及复杂计算技能方面，两组之间没有显著差异。例如，更基础的数字处理技能包括根据大小比较一位数的能力（即所谓的大小比较）、计数或数字转换，即在听写中写下阿拉伯数字“21”。在数字比较任务和点数任务中，发现对照组儿童在基础数字处理技能方面存在显著优势。重要的是，我们的结果无法用两组在特定工作记忆和执行功能组成部分上的差异来解释。因此，即使在未报告合并学习障碍的情况下，对于被诊断为ADHD的儿童，也应研究其数字处理技能，尤其是数字大小的处理能力。
