Assessing kindergarteners’ mathematics problem solving: The development of a cognitive diagnostic test

This study aimed to develop an instrument for assessing kindergarteners’ mathematics problem solving (MPS) by using cognitive diagnostic assessment (CDA). A total of 747 children were recruited to examine the psychometric properties of the cognitive diagnostic test. The results showed that the classification accuracy of 11 cognitive attributes ranged from .68 to .99, with the average being .84. Both the cognitive diagnostic test score and the average mastery probabilities of the 11 cognitive attributes had moderate correlations with the Applied Problem subtest and the Calculation subtest of the Woodcock–Johnson IV Tests of Achievement. Moreover, the correlation between the cognitive diagnostic test and the Applied Problems subtest was higher than that between the cognitive diagnostic test and the Calculation subtest. The results indicated that the formal cognitive diagnostic test was a reliable instrument for assessing kindergarteners’ MPS in the domain of number and operations.     

Estimated prevalence of attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder symptoms among college freshmen: gender, race, and rater effects

Group differences and prevalence rates for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms in a matched sample of college freshmen (n = 956) and their parents (n = 956) were investigated for gender and race (African American and Caucasian) effects using current self-report and retrospective parent-report ratings. On self-report, compared to female students, male students displayed higher mean scores on subscales and lower rates for reporting symptom totals beyond DSM-IV thresholds for the three subtypes of ADHD. Mean differences in ADHD symptoms were not apparent for race. However, African American students displayed higher rates for reporting symptom totals beyond DSM-IV thresholds for all subtypes. On retrospective parent report, male students and Caucasian students displayed higher mean scores on all scales and higher rates for reporting symptom totals beyond DSM-IV thresholds for all subtypes. Prevalence rates varied by gender and race on self-report and parent report. Prevalence was examined based on combined data of self-report and parent report and using age-adjusted cutoff criteria. Findings and implications are discussed.     

Attention deficit disorder and specific reading disability: separate but often overlapping disorders

Within a large (N = 182) heterogeneous sample of clinic-referred children with DSM-III-diagnosed attention deficit disorder (ADD), three behavioral subgroups were identified via cluster analysis of teacher ratings: 40% of the children had ADD with hyperactivity (ADDH), 30% had ADD with hyperactivity and aggressivity (ADDHA), and 31% had ADD without hyperactivity or aggressivity. Proportionally more girls were in the ADD-only subgroup. Over half the sample (n = 94) were poor readers, with 82 meeting discrepancy criteria for specific reading disability (RD). Proportionately more boys than girls met the RD criteria (9.2:1.0), whereas the sex ratio of males to females for the whole sample was 5.1 to 1.0. Focusing just on white males, the three behavioral subgroups were significantly different on convergent validity measures, such as other teacher ratings, parent ratings, and interview-elicited ratings of externalizing behavior, but were not different on such divergent validity measures as IQ and achievement scores, self-ratings, and laboratory performance tasks. Boys in the ADD sample who did not meet criteria for RD had significantly higher IQs than those who did, but subgroups with and without RD still differed significantly on WRAT-R reading and spelling scores with IQ covaried out. Both groups with and without RD could be differentiated from a control group on laboratory measures of sustained attention and impulse control. Methylphenidate benefited all subgroups equally, whether RD or not, and whether given a low (0.3 mg/kg) or high (0.6 mg/kg) dose.     

Substance use, substance abuse, and LD among adolescents with a childhood history of ADHD

A clinic-referred sample of 109 children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) was followed into adolescence for the ascertainment of alcohol and other drug use and abuse. Learning disability (reading or math) in childhood was examined as a predictor of adolescent substance use and substance use disorder for alcohol and marijuana. No statistically significant group differences for children with LD versus those without LD emerged even after using different methods to compute LD. IQ/achievement discrepancy scores were similarly not predictive of later use or abuse. However, children with ADHD who had higher IQs and higher levels of academic achievement in childhood were more likely to try cigarettes, to smoke daily, and to have their first drink of alcohol or first cigarette at an early age. Children with ADHD who had higher reading achievement scores were less likely to have later alcohol use disorder. Although these findings are necessarily preliminary, due to the small number of children interviewed, the pattern of results suggests that level of cognitive functioning--rather than discrepancy between IQ and achievement--is important for the prediction of later substance use and abuse, at least in this clinic-referred sample of children with ADHD. Further, different mechanisms of risk related to cognitive functioning may be operating for experimentation with legal drugs such as alcohol and tobacco, regular cigarette smoking, and problematic alcohol use.     

Foreign language learning difficulties in Italian children: are they associated with other learning difficulties?

A group of seventh- and eighth-grade Italian students with low achievement (LA) in learning English as a foreign language (FL) was selected and compared to a group with high achievement (HA) in FL learning. The two groups were matched for age and nonverbal intelligence. Two experiments were conducted to examine the participants' verbal and nonverbal learning skills, such as native language reading accuracy, speed and comprehension, calculation, and attention and self-regulation. Both experiments showed that the LA group seemed at risk for reading comprehension difficulties, but its reading speed and accuracy were within the average range according to Italian norms. The results also excluded the possibility that FL learning difficulties of LA participants could be associated with a deficit in calculation. Furthermore, according to teachers' ratings, children with LA appeared at risk for attention-deficit disorder (ADD). The pattern of learning difficulties of seventh- and eighth-grade participants with LA appeared to be not completely comparable with that of high school students at risk of FL learning difficulties as described in the literature.     

The boundaries of attention deficit disorder

This report examines distinctions and interrelationships among attention deficit disorder (ADD) and two closely related conditions: learning disability (LD) and oppositional/conduct (O/C) disorder. To evaluate our hypothesis that some of the difficulty in resolving the relationship between ADD and, particularly, O/C may reflect the consequences of selective referral patterns, we studied groups of children diagnosed as ADD from different referral sources. Results suggest that referral bias does exist and that children referred to mental health settings differ from those referred to pediatricians, child neurologists, or psychologists. Because of the nature of the subjects referred to mental health services, nonrepresentative associations may emerge. Rather than being considered as prototypical of all children with attention disorder, children referred to mental health facilities may represent simply an extreme of the continuum of ADD. Evidence suggests that many children with ADD will be represented by those referred primarily for attentional deficits and learning problems, rather than those with inattention, hyperactivity, or aggression referred for child psychiatric evaluation.     

Age of Entry to Kindergarten and Children's Academic Achievement and Socioemotional Development

Research Findings: Data on more than 900 children participating in the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care were analyzed to examine the effect of age of entry to kindergarten on children's functioning in early elementary school. Children's academic achievement and socioemotional development were measured repeatedly from the age of 54 months through 3rd grade. With family background factors and experience in child care in the first 54 months of life controlled, hierarchical linear modeling (growth curve) analysis revealed that children who entered kindergarten at younger ages had higher (estimated) scores in kindergarten on the Woodcock—Johnson (W-J) Letter-Word Recognition subtest but received lower ratings from kindergarten teachers on Language and Literacy and Mathematical Thinking scales. Furthermore, children who entered kindergarten at older ages evinced greater increases over time on 4 W-J subtests (i.e., Letter-Word Recognition, Applied Problems, Memory for Sentences, Picture Vocabulary) and outperformed children who started kindergarten at younger ages on 2 W-J subtests in 3rd grade (i.e., Applied Problems, Picture Vocabulary). Age of entry proved unrelated to socioemotional functioning.

Practice: The fact that age-of-entry effects were small in magnitude and dwarfed by other aspects of children's family and child care experiences suggests that age at starting school should not be regarded as a major determinant of children's school achievement, but that it may merit consideration in context with other probably more important factors (e.g., child's behavior and abilities).     

The development of working memory in normally achieving and subtypes of learning disabled children

Working memory has been proposed as an important component of reading and arithmetic skills. The development of working memory was studied in normally achieving and subtypes of learning disabled children. The performance of reading disabled (RD), arithmetic disabled (ARITHD), and attentional deficit disordered (ADD) children, age 7-13, was compared to normal achievers (NA) on 2 working memory tasks, 1 involving sentences and the other involving counting. There was a significant growth of working memory as a function of age. In addition, the RD children had significantly lower scores on both tasks. The ARITHD children had significantly lower scores only on the Working Memory--Counting task, and the ADD group had scores similar to the normally achieving children except at the youngest age level in the Working Memory--Sentences task. Thus, a reading disability appears to involve a generalized deficit in working memory. Children with an arithmetic disability do not have a generalized language deficit but have a specific working memory deficit in relation to processing numerical information. As children with ADD did not have deficits in these tasks, working memory may not have significant attentional components. An important component of the development of reading and computational arithmetic skills appears to be the growth of working memory for language and numerical information.     

Does Inattention and Hyperactivity Moderate the Relation Between Speed of Processing and Language Skills?

The causal role of speed of processing (SOP) in developmental language disorder (DLD) is unclear given that SOP has been implicated in other neurodevelopmental disorders such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. This study investigated associations between SOP, language, and inattention/hyperactivity in a U.K. epidemiological cohort (N = 528). Monolingual children from a range of socioeconomic backgrounds were assessed longitudinally; at ages 5–6 (2012/2013) and 7–8 years (2014/2015). Persistent weaknesses in SOP characterized children with DLD but did not predict language longitudinally. Ratings of inattention/hyperactivity moderated the association between SOP and language, indicating that SOP deficits are particularly detrimental for language when coupled with poor attention/hyperactivity. SOP may be a shared risk factor for DLD and inattention/hyperactivity or a general marker of neurodevelopmental disorder.     

ADHD and achievement: meta-analysis of the child, adolescent, and adult literatures and a concomitant study with college students

This article presents results from two interrelated studies. The first study conducted a meta-analysis of the published literature since 1990 to determine the magnitude of achievement problems associated with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Effect sizes were significantly different between participants with and without ADHD (sample weighted r = .32, sample weighted d = . 71; p = .001). Effects were also examined according to the moderators of age, gender, achievement domain (reading, math, spelling), measurement method (standardized tests vs. grades, parent/teacher ratings, etc.), sample type (clinical vs. nonclinical), and system used to identify ADHD (DSM-III-R vs. DSM-IV). Significant differences emerged from the moderator comparisons. The second study, using averaged effect sizes from the first study as a baseline for comparison, investigated achievement levels for an understudied age group with ADHD, namely, college students. Unlike previous studies at the college level, the sample incorporated both student and parent ratings (N = 380 dyads). The results were comparable to outcomes from the meta-analysis for college students and adults. Analyses demonstrated modest (R = .21) but meaningful predictive validity across 1 year to end-of-first-year grades. However, unlike earlier studies with children and adolescents, student ratings were as predictive as parent ratings. Findings are discussed in terms of the impact of moderator variables on ADHD and achievement.     

The learning and study strategies of college students with ADHD

This study compared learning and study strategies of students with attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) to two groups: college students with learning disabilities (LD) and college students without disabilities. In addition, strengths and weaknesses within the ADHD group were examined on the Learning and Study Strategies Inventory, 2nd edition (LASSI; C.E. Weinstein & D.R. Palmer, 2002). The LASSI was also evaluated as a predictive measure for academic achievement for college students with ADHD compared to other students. Results indicate that several important differences may exist in the learning and study strategies of students with ADHD versus students with LD and students without disabilities. However, the LASSI may not be a useful tool for predicting academic achievement for college students with ADHD. Interventions for working with students with ADHD are given. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

The relationship of teacher-rated social skills deficits and ADHD characteristics among kindergarten-age children

Research findings regarding the relationship of social skills deficits and behavioral characteristics associated with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) among kindergarten-age children are presented. The Preschool and Kindergarten Behavior Scales (PKBS) were utilized to identify the social skills attributes of young children with significant ADHD characteristics. An ADHD target group (N = 95) was constructed by selecting participants from a large nationwide sample who were rated by their teachers as being in the highest 5% on the PKBS Attention Problems/Overactive subscale. A matched non-ADHD comparison group (by gender and age) of 95 children was developed through a randomized block procedure using the same nationwide sample. The ADHD group was rated as having significantly poorer social skills than the comparison group, and could be classified with a very high degree of accuracy based on discriminant function analysis of their social skills scores. Although exhibiting comparative deficits in all social skill areas, the ADHD participants were especially lacking in social cooperation skills: the ability to follow rules, structure, and important social expectations of both children and adults. Children who were rated high in ADHD characteristics were between five and six times more likely than the comparison children to be rated as having significant deficits in social skills. Implications of these findings for assessment and treatment of young children are discussed. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Developmental dyscalculia is a familial learning disability

Whereas current evidence attests to a genetic component in the etiology of dyslexia and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), little is known about the role of genetics in developmental dyscalculia (DC). The objective of this study was to determine the familial aggregation of DC. Siblings and parents of children with DC were assessed for arithmetic, reading and attention disorders. The criteria for DC were an IQ higher than 85, poor performance in arithmetic, and a significant discrepancy between arithmetic achievement and IQ. The study group was composed of 39 children with DC, 21 mothers, 22 fathers, 90 siblings, and 16 second-degree relatives. We found that 66% of mothers, 40% of fathers, 53% of siblings, and 44% of second-degree relatives had DC. The intraclass correlation between the sib pairs was .27. A 95% confidential interval (CI) for the prevalence of DC among siblings of DC probands (see Note 1) ranged from 40% to 64%, indicating a familial prevalence almost tenfold higher than expected for the general population. IQ and attention problems were not risk factors for DC. We conclude that DC, like other learning disabilities, has a significant familial aggregation, suggesting a role for genetics in the evolution of this disorder.     

Linkages between child abuse and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in girls: behavioral and social correlates

OBJECTIVE: The objectives of this study were to examine whether girls with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are at increased risk of having histories of abuse and to assess whether the presence of an abuse history may constitute a distinct subgroup of youth with ADHD. METHOD: We examined rates and correlates of child abuse in an ethnically and socioeconomically diverse sample of girls with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD; n=140) and a matched comparison sample of girls without ADHD (n=88), all aged 6-12 years. A thorough chart review reliably established documented rates of physical and sexual abuse in both samples. RESULTS: There were significantly higher rates of abuse for girls with ADHD (14.3%) than for the comparison sample (4.5%), with most of the abuse found in girls with the Combined as opposed to the Inattentive type. Higher rates of externalizing behaviors (including objective observations in a research summer camp) and peer rejection (indexed through peer sociometric nominations) characterized the subgroup of girls with ADHD with abuse histories compared to the subgroup without such histories, with moderate to large effect sizes. Subgroup differences regarding internalizing problems and cognitive deficits did not emerge. Findings regarding peer rejection were explained, in part, by higher rates of observed aggressive behavior in the abused subgroup. CONCLUSIONS: The findings raise important questions about the possible etiologic and/or exacerbating role of abusive trauma in a subgroup of children with ADHD.     

ADHD and reading disabilities: a cluster analytic approach for distinguishing subgroups

Data suggest that children with reading disability (RD) and non-RD children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may comprise distinct subgroups. Research has been hampered by variance in definitional criteria, which results in the study of different subgroups of children. Using cluster analysis, this study empirically divided children with ADHD (N = 54), based on their Full Scale IQ (FSIQ) and reading ability. Four distinct subgroups emerged in which cognitive, behavioral, and neurochemical function was compared. Cluster 1 was of average FSIQ and reading scores; Cluster 2 was of average FSIQ but showed impairment in reading; Cluster 3 had high FSIQ and reading scores; and Cluster 4 had low scores in both domains. The groups had different patterns of cognitive, behavioral, and neurochemical function, as determined by discrepancies in Verbal-Performance IQ, academic achievement scores, parent aggression ratings, and a measure of noradrenergic function. These distinctions are discussed with regard to etiology, treatment, and long-term outcome.     

Relationships between Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) cognitive abilities and math achievement within a sample of college students with learning disabilities

This study examined the relationship between cognitive abilities and math achievement within a sample of college students with learning disabilities (LD). The cognitive abilities were seven areas identified by Stratum II of the Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) theory of cognitive abilities, in addition to the eighth area of Working Memory. Math performance was assessed via math calculation and math reasoning tasks. Instruments include the Woodcock-Johnson III Tests of Cognitive Abilities and Tests of Achievement. Participants were 158 college students with a diagnosed LD in math. Multiple regression analyses found that Processing Speed and Working Memory were related to Math Calculation scores and that Comprehension-Knowledge, Fluid Reasoning, and Working Memory were related to Math Reasoning. Implications for the assessment of math LD in the college populations are discussed.     

Perceived family functioning, marital status, and depression in parents of boys with attention deficit disorder

The present study examined the perceptions of parents of children with attention deficit disorder with hyperactivity (ADD/H) regarding their family environment and depression in comparison with a clinical and a nondisabled control group. Parents of children with ADD/H perceived their family environment as less supportive and more stressful than did either the clinical or the nondisabled controls. Specifically, ADD/H parents viewed their families as having lower levels of interpersonal relationships than did either of the control groups. Ratings of depression for each of the parent groups indicated a greater frequency of depressive symptomatology among the parents of children with ADD/H. In addition, more parents of ADD/H children were separated or divorced. Correlation coefficients computed for the entire sample suggest differences between mothers' and fathers' depression and differences in their perceptions of the family. Recommendations are made for future research as well as the development of treatment programs to incorporate work with the parents of children with ADD/H.     

Age of Entry to Kindergarten and Children's Academic Achievement and Socioemotional Development

Research Findings: Data on more than 900 children participating in the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care were analyzed to examine the effect of age of entry to kindergarten on children's functioning in early elementary school. Children's academic achievement and socioemotional development were measured repeatedly from the age of 54 months through 3rd grade. With family background factors and experience in child care in the first 54 months of life controlled, hierarchical linear modeling (growth curve) analysis revealed that children who entered kindergarten at younger ages had higher (estimated) scores in kindergarten on the Woodcock—Johnson (W-J) Letter-Word Recognition subtest but received lower ratings from kindergarten teachers on Language and Literacy and Mathematical Thinking scales. Furthermore, children who entered kindergarten at older ages evinced greater increases over time on 4 W-J subtests (i.e., Letter-Word Recognition, Applied Problems, Memory for Sentences, Picture Vocabulary) and outperformed children who started kindergarten at younger ages on 2 W-J subtests in 3rd grade (i.e., Applied Problems, Picture Vocabulary). Age of entry proved unrelated to socioemotional functioning.

Practice: The fact that age-of-entry effects were small in magnitude and dwarfed by other aspects of children's family and child care experiences suggests that age at starting school should not be regarded as a major determinant of children's school achievement, but that it may merit consideration in context with other probably more important factors (e.g., child's behavior and abilities).     

The diversity of attention deficits in ADHD: the prevalence of four cognitive factors in ADHD versus controls

The performance of participants with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) relative to control participants was measured on four tasks uniquely assessing the functions of selective attention, executive attention, sustained attention, and orienting of attention. The results showed that deficits in sustained attention were the most pronounced, characterizing most participants with ADHD and deficits in each of the other three functions characterized more than half of these participants. Different participants with ADHD revealed different clusters of attentional deficits. These results call for a revision of leading theories of ADHD that identify the core of the pathology as a sole deficit in executive functions.     

Central auditory processing ability in children with ADHD with and without learning disabilities

A few studies have shown more central auditory processing deficits in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) than in nondisabled children. Because these studies failed to screen participants with ADHD for learning disabilities (LD), it is not clear whether these deficits are correlates of ADHD or LD or both. In the present study, the central auditory processing ability of children with ADHD, ADHD with LD, and no disabilities was examined. Results indicated lower central auditory processing ability, and significant correlations between reading and ADHD symptoms and reading and central auditory processing ability in the ADHD with LD group compared with the other two groups. These findings suggest that central auditory processing deficits are more likely to be associated with LD than ADHD.