Hulsbosch An-Katrien, Van der Oord Saskia, Tripp Gail
Human Developmental Neurobiology Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technolology (OIST) Graduate University, Onna, Okinawa, Japan.
Behavior, Health and Psychopathology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
Res Child Adolesc Psychopathol. 2025 Jul 15. doi: 10.1007/s10802-025-01346-6.
Academic underachievement is often reported in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Research shows working memory (WM), and processing speed (PS) have a predictive role in their academic difficulties. Recent evidence suggests both cognitive functions are related, where slower PS underlies WM deficits. This relationship is not accounted for in the current literature on academic underachievement in children with ADHD. In the current study, the role of PS and WM in the association between ADHD symptom severity and academic achievement is investigated in a sample of 504, 6 to 12 years old children diagnosed with ADHD. Academic achievement is assessed across three subjects (mathematics, reading and spelling), by three measurement methods (standardized tests, parent, and teacher ratings). In addition, the role of PS is investigated in the relationship between ADHD symptom severity and WM. Findings show the association between inattention symptom severity and achievement on all three academic subjects is statistically mediated by PS and WM sequentially. For mathematics and spelling performance, PS was a single mediator in this association. Further, PS statistically mediated the relation between inattention symptom severity and WM performance. Hyperactivity/impulsivity symptom severity predicted mathematics performance directly, but none of the indirect effects were significant. The current results show that PS plays an important role in the academic achievement of children with increased inattention symptoms, as well as the WM deficits often reported in this population. These findings have important implications for theoretical accounts of ADHD, as well as academic interventions, currently focusing primarily on WM deficits.
注意力缺陷多动障碍（ADHD）儿童学业成绩不佳的情况经常被报道。研究表明，工作记忆（WM）和处理速度（PS）在他们的学业困难中具有预测作用。最近的证据表明这两种认知功能是相关的，较慢的PS是WM缺陷的基础。ADHD儿童学业成绩不佳的当前文献中并未考虑这种关系。在当前的研究中，对504名6至12岁被诊断为ADHD的儿童样本进行了调查，以研究PS和WM在ADHD症状严重程度与学业成绩之间关联中的作用。通过三种测量方法（标准化测试、家长和教师评分）对三个学科（数学、阅读和拼写）的学业成绩进行评估。此外，还研究了PS在ADHD症状严重程度与WM之间关系中的作用。研究结果表明，注意力不集中症状严重程度与所有三个学科成绩之间的关联依次由PS和WM在统计学上介导。对于数学和拼写成绩，PS是这种关联中的单一介导因素。此外，PS在统计学上介导了注意力不集中症状严重程度与WM表现之间的关系。多动/冲动症状严重程度直接预测数学成绩，但所有间接效应均不显著。当前结果表明，PS在注意力不集中症状增加的儿童的学业成绩以及该人群中经常报道的WM缺陷中起着重要作用。这些发现对ADHD的理论解释以及目前主要关注WM缺陷的学业干预具有重要意义。
