Agnese Capodieci

Magnitude Representation and Working Memory Updating in Children With Arithmetic and Reading Comprehension Disabilities

It has been argued that children with learning disabilities (LD) encounter severe problems in working memory (WM) tasks, especially when they need to update information stored in their WM. It is not clear, however, to what extent this is due to a generally poor updating ability or to a difficulty specific to the domain to be processed. To examine this issue, two groups of children with arithmetic or reading comprehension LD and a group of typically developing children (9 to 10 years old) were assessed using two updating tasks requiring to select the smallest numbers or objects presented. The results showed that children with an arithmetic disability failed in a number updating task, but not in the object updating task. The opposite was true for the group with poor reading comprehension, whose performance was worse in the object than in the number updating task. It may be concluded that the problem of WM updating in children with LD is also due to a poor representation of the material to be updated. In addition, our findings suggest that the mental representation of the size of objects relates to the semantic representation of the objects’ properties and differs from the quantitative representation of numbers.

Effect of training focused on executive functions (attention, inhibition, and working memory) in preschoolers exhibiting ADHD symptoms

The development of early intervention strategies for children with symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is important because it provides an opportunity to prevent severe problems in the future. The main purpose of this investigation was to determine the efficacy of a group training for the control of attention, working memory and impulsive behaviors, involving 5-year-old children with ADHD symptoms. Twenty-six children with ADHD symptoms and 26 with typical development were randomly divided in two conditions. Thirteen children in each group were assigned to the training condition and the other to the business as usual condition (normal class activity). Children who participated in the intervention showed an improvement in the tasks measuring their control of attention, impulsive behavior, and working memory. Moreover, children with typical development who attended the training also improved their competencies. The results confirm the importance of an early intervention for preschool-age children with ADHD symptoms.

Spelling errors among children with ADHD symptoms: The role of working memory

Research has shown that children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may present a series of academic difficulties, including spelling errors. Given that correct spelling is supported by the phonological component of working memory (PWM), the present study examined whether or not the spelling difficulties of children with ADHD are emphasized when childrens PWM is overloaded. A group of 19 children with ADHD symptoms (between 8 and 11 years of age), and a group of typically developing children matched for age, schooling, gender, rated intellectual abilities, and socioeconomic status, were administered two dictation texts: one under typical conditions and one under a pre-load condition that required the participants to remember a series of digits while writing. The results confirmed that children with ADHD symptoms have spelling difficulties, produce a higher percentages of errors compared to the control group children, and that these difficulties are enhanced under a higher load of PWM. An analysis of errors showed that this holds true, especially for phonological errors. The increased errors in the PWM condition was not due to a tradeoff between working memory and writing, as children with ADHD also performed more poorly in the PWM task. The theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Effects of a working memory training program in preschoolers with symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

ABSTRACT Introduction: Preschoolers with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have been found to exhibit impairments on neuropsychological measures of working memory (WM). As WM is an important predictor of future learning abilities, early intervention could help to prevent severe problems. The purpose of this research was to ascertain the efficacy of an intervention for training WM in 5-year-old children with symptoms of ADHD. Method: Thirty-four children with symptoms of ADHD were randomly divided into two groups: One was assigned to the WM training condition, and the other continued normal class activities. The training was provided at school in small groups that also included typically developing children. Results: The trained group showed a significant improvement in tasks measuring their WM and other controlled processes at conclusion of study, whereas no significant improvement was found in the control group. Conclusions: We concluded that early intervention on WM may be effective in children with symptoms of ADHD.

A Cooperative Learning Classroom Intervention for Increasing Peer’s Acceptance of Children With ADHD

Objective: The hypothesis behind this study was that trained teachers using cooperative learning procedures with children in their classroom (aged from 6 to 10 years) can influence the social skills of children with ADHD symptoms and their acceptance by their peers. Method: The study involved 30 children with ADHD symptoms attending 12 different classes, where cooperative learning was adopted in some, and standard practices in others. ADHD children’s symptoms, social skills, and cooperative behavior were assessed by means of a teacher’s questionnaire, and the social preferences of the children in their class were collected. Results: Changes emerged in teachers’ assessments of the children’s cooperative behavior in the experimental classes. Improvements in the sociometric status of children with ADHD symptoms were only seen in the cooperative learning classes. Conclusion: These results show the importance of well-structured intervention in classes that include children with ADHD symptoms. Implications of these findings for future intervention are discussed.

Handwriting difficulties in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

Handwriting is fundamental in school and everyday life situations. Legibility guarantees that writing productions communicate information, and speed is often crucial, especially in children with attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), in order to increase the likelihood of their being able to work efficiently and stay on-task during school activities. Preliminary reports have shown an impairment in handwriting of children with ADHD, but evidence is still unclear, especially in the case of speed where research has offered contradictory results. Childrens performance, furthermore, has yet to be investigated under the cognitive loading conditions typical of academic tasks in classroom. To shed light on this matter, we examined the handwriting performance in a simple condition but also under (verbal or spatial) working memory (WM) load in 16 fourth- and fifth-grade children with symptoms of ADHD and 16 matched control children. Our results showed that the groups speed differed significantly only in the verbal WM loading condition, where children with symptoms of ADHD wrote more slowly and showed a greater intra-individual variability than controls. Handwriting legibility was affected by verbal WM loading too. These findings are discussed in relation to their educational and clinical implications.

Writing abilities and the role of working memory in children with symptoms of attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder

ABSTRACT The writing abilities of children with ADHD symptoms were examined in a simple dictation task, and then in two conditions with concurrent verbal or visuospatial working memory (WM) loads. The children with ADHD symptoms generally made more spelling mistakes than controls, and the concurrent loads impaired their performance, but with partly different effects. The concurrent verbal WM task prompted an increase in the phonological errors, while the concurrent visuospatial WM task prompted more non-phonological errors, matching the Italian phonology, but not the Italian orthography. In the ADHD group, the children proving better able to cope with a concurrent verbal WM load had a better spelling performance too. The ADHD and control groups had a similar handwriting speed, but the former group’s writing quality was poorer. Our results suggest that WM supports writing skills, and that children with ADHD symptoms have general writing difficulties, but strength in coping with concurrent verbal information may support their spelling performance.

Math Error Types and Correlates in Adolescents with and without Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the types of errors made by youth with and without a parent-reported diagnosis of attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) on a math fluency task and investigate the association between error types and youths’ performance on measures of processing speed and working memory. Method: Participants included 30 adolescents with ADHD and 39 typically developing peers between 14 and 17 years old matched in age and IQ. All youth completed standardized measures of math calculation and fluency as well as two tests of working memory and processing speed. Math fluency error patterns were examined. Results: Adolescents with ADHD showed less proficient math fluency despite having similar math calculation scores as their peers. Group differences were also observed in error types with youth with ADHD making more switch errors than their peers. Conclusion: This research has important clinical applications for the assessment and intervention on math ability in students with ADHD.

Attitudes of Primary School Teachers in Three Western Countries Toward Learning Disabilities

In recent years, teachers in Western countries have developed beliefs and attitudes related to working with students with specific learning disabilities (LD) that may be critical in shaping their educational practices with them; however, their beliefs and attitudes differ across political and geographical contexts and may be influenced by specific contextual circumstances and national legislation. This study examines these issues by comparing beliefs and attitudes among 557 primary school teachers from specific areas of three countries (Italy, Spain, and the United States). Results from this study support the hypothesis that, in general, teachers in these areas are sufficiently well informed about students with LD and are in favor of policies supporting these students’ needs. However, substantial differences emerge among countries about the etiology of LD; teachers’ and specialists’ roles in managing LD students; intervention planning, inclusion, and compensatory provisions; and the range of emotional attitudes that teachers exhibit. These differences have implications for intervention and suggest that efforts should be made to increase collaboration and promotion of common policies across countries.

Does Positive Illusory Bias Affect Self-Concept and Loneliness in Children With Symptoms of ADHD?

Objective: Positive illusory bias (PIB) has been amply studied in children with ADHD, but its function is still limited understanding. Method: In a sample of 21 children with symptoms of ADHD, this study investigated whether they were more likely to be rejected by peers and examined PIB, and its influence on self-concept and loneliness, comparing the children with symptoms of ADHD with children who had weak social skills, but no ADHD. The children’s and teachers’ perception of social difficulties were compared, and self-concept and loneliness were analyzed in the two groups, which were also compared with typically developing (TD) children. Results: The results showed the presence of PIB on social skills in children with symptoms of ADHD, but this phenomenon did not give them a higher self-concept, which was similar to that of children with weak social skills and lower than in TD children. Conclusion: The implications of these findings are discussed.