Executive Functions and Academic Performance in Children With ADHD: A Correlational Study
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Abstract
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) corresponds to a behavioral pattern of impulsivity and attention deficit, caused by alterations in executive functions. The study aimed to investigate the relationship between executive functions and academic performance in children with ADHD. Participants were 27 children, aged between 6 and 10. Instruments: Raven’s Coloured Progressive Matrices, School Performance Test II (TDE-II), Five Digits Test (FDT), Cancellation Attention Test (TAC), Stroop Task – Victoria version, WISC-IV Digits Subtest, Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), and SNAP-IV. Descriptive analysis, Spearman’s correlation analysis, and multiple regression analysis were applied, considering a significance level of p < .05. Attention and working memory were predictors of academic performance (adjusted R² of .56); in arithmetic, the attention test showed an adjusted R² of .46; in writing, verbal working memory presented an adjusted R² of .33; for reading, both attention and verbal working memory demonstrated statistical significance (adjusted R² of .53). Correlations between the results of the attention and cognitive flexibility tests and academic performance were moderate and positive, ranging from .43 to .82 (p < .01). Execution time on the Stroop task was negatively related to performance in arithmetic (rho = -.65; p < .01). The results demonstrate that working memory, attention, and cognitive flexibility play an important role in the academic performance of children with ADHD.
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