Inattention symptoms are predictors of neuropsychological functioning in children from 3rd and 4th grades

• Autor(a) principal: Becker, Natália
• Data de Publicação: 2020
• Outros Autores: Koltermann, Gabriella, Paiva, Giulia Moreira, Gomides, Mariuche Rodrigues de Almeida, Haase, Vitor Geraldi, Salles, Jerusa Fumagalli de
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Institucional da UFRGS
• Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/10183/240032
• topic: Transtorno da falta de atenção com hiperatividade; Criança; Função executiva; Ensino fundamental

Symptoms of inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity, arranged along a continuum, are commonly associated with neuropsychological and academic deficits, even in the general population. The aim of this study is to analyze how Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) symptoms are associated with the performance in neuropsychological and academic abilities (phonological processing, processing speed/automatic attention, executive functions, reading, and spelling) in school-age children. The sample consisted of 216 children from 3rd and 4th grades (M = 8.94 years old, SD =.71) from public elementary schools of two Brazilian capitals. Pearson correlation and Multiple Linear Regression analysis were performed. Inattention symptoms were the only predictors of performance in phonological processing (phoneme suppression and rapid automatized naming of letters), processing speed/automatic attention, executive functions, such as inhibitory control and cognitive flexibility, and reading fluency. Beta values ranged from .14 to .27, and the largest value was related to an inhibitory control task. Inattention, and not hyperactivity/impulsivity symptoms, seems to affect neuropsychological functions even in non-clinical diagnosed children. Contributions and future directions are discussed.