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Are planning, working memory, and inhibition associated with individual differences in preschool ADHD symptoms?
Edmund J S Sonuga-Barke1, Lindy Dalen, Dave Daley
1Centre for Research Into Psychological Development, Department of Psychology, University of Southampton, England. ejb3@soton.ac.uk
Insights
Preschoolers with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) show specific deficits in inhibitory control, not general executive function. This suggests ADHD exists on a continuum, linked to inhibition, supporting existing theories.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Child Psychiatry
Background:
- Executive function (EF) encompasses planning, working memory, and inhibition.
- Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder in children.
- Understanding the relationship between EF and ADHD is crucial for early identification and intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between specific executive function components and ADHD symptoms in preschoolers.
- To determine if deficits in planning, working memory, or inhibition are linked to ADHD.
- To examine whether ADHD is better conceptualized as a continuum.
Main Methods:
- One hundred sixty preschoolers (ages 3-5) with oversampled high ADHD scorers participated.
- Children completed tasks measuring planning (Tower of London), working memory (Noisy Book), and inhibition ('Puppet Says...').
- Statistical analyses controlled for IQ and age to assess associations.
Main Results:
- Executive function measures demonstrated reliability and correlated with IQ and age.
- Planning and working memory were correlated, but not with inhibition.
- ADHD showed no association with working memory or planning, but a negative association with inhibition and conduct problems.
Conclusions:
- Specific deficits in inhibitory control, not general executive function, are associated with ADHD in preschoolers.
- The linear association supports viewing ADHD as a continuum.
- Findings align with theories positing inhibitory deficits as central to ADHD.
Abstract:
The association between executive function (EF; planning, working memory, and inhibition) and individual differences in symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) was explored in a sample of preschool children. One hundred sixty children (between the ages of 3 years, 0 months and 5 years, 6 months), selected so as to oversample high ADHD scorers, performed 3 tasks previously shown to measure planning (Tower of London), working memory (Noisy Book) and inhibition ("Puppet Says..."). EF measures were reliable (kappa > .77) and were correlated with IQ (rs > .38) and age (rs > .59). Once IQ and age were controlled, planning and working memory (r = .41) were correlated. Planning and working memory were not correlated with inhibition (rs < .20). There was no association between ADHD and working memory or planning (rs < .12). There was a significant negative association between ADHD and conduct problems and inhibition (r = -.30 and r = -.25, respectively). Only the link with ADHD persisted after the effects of other factors were controlled for in a multiple regression. Specific deficits in inhibitory control rather than general EF deficits are associated with ADHD in the preschool period. This association is linear in nature, supporting the idea that ADHD is better seen as a continuum rather than a discrete category. This association provides evidence for Barkley's (1997) view that ADHD is underpinned by inhibitory deficits in the preschool period.