Department of Psychology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
Res Child Adolesc Psychopathol. 2022 Nov;50(11):1381-1397. doi: 10.1007/s10802-022-00937-x. Epub 2022 Jun 11.
Children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are commonly observed to have learning difficulties. This study examined how three neuropsychological constructs-executive dysfunction, delay aversion, and time perception-were associated with ADHD symptoms and early academic performance in preschoolers at risk of ADHD. One hundred and thirty-one preschoolers (70 boys, 53%) aged 4 to 6 (M = 5.31 years) were assessed on their ADHD-related behaviors, neuropsychological functioning, word reading, and math abilities at two time points one year apart. Factor analysis indicated that inhibitory and attentional control deficit, delay aversion, and time perception/working memory deficit were three dissociable factors. Among the three factors, inhibitory and attentional control measured at Time 1 was the strongest predictor of ADHD symptoms at both Time 1 and Time 2. Time perception was closely related to working memory, and they predicted word reading and numeration across time most strongly among other neuropsychological constructs. Our findings suggested that inhibitory and attentional control, delay aversion, and time perception are dissociable neuropsychological deficits underlying ADHD symptoms in preschoolers. Poor time perception may serve as a marker for the early identification of preschoolers with potential learning problems, and a possible target of intervention for ADHD.
患有注意缺陷多动障碍（ADHD）的儿童通常被观察到存在学习困难。本研究考察了三种神经心理学结构——执行功能障碍、延迟厌恶和时间感知——与 ADHD 症状和有患 ADHD 风险的学龄前儿童早期学业成绩之间的关系。131 名 4 至 6 岁（M=5.31 岁）的学龄前儿童（70 名男孩，53%）在两年时间内进行了两次评估，分别评估了他们的 ADHD 相关行为、神经心理学功能、单词阅读和数学能力。因子分析表明，抑制和注意力控制缺陷、延迟厌恶和时间感知/工作记忆缺陷是三个可分离的因素。在这三个因素中，在第一时间测量的抑制和注意力控制是 ADHD 症状在第一时间和第二时间的最强预测因素。时间感知与工作记忆密切相关，它们在其他神经心理学结构中最能预测单词阅读和计数的时间变化。我们的研究结果表明，抑制和注意力控制、延迟厌恶和时间感知是 ADHD 症状的可分离神经心理学缺陷。较差的时间感知可能是识别有潜在学习问题的学龄前儿童的早期标志，也是 ADHD 干预的可能目标。
