Abstract
Increasing evidence supports the existence of time-related impairments in school-aged children and adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), but this deficit has not yet been investigated in preschoolers with ADHD. The aim of the current study was to determine the extent to which time-related impairments can be identified within the context of parent–child interactions in preschoolers with ADHD. Participants for this study included 29 children with ADHD and 34 typically developing (TD) children (63.5% male; Mage = 4.77, SD = 0.65; 82.5% Hispanic/Latinx), and their parents. A ten-minute play session was video-recorded for each parent-child dyad. The verbal interactions were transcribed and coded for words/expressions related to the categories of time (e.g., “later”, “tomorrow”), as well as mathematics (e.g., “two more”, “some”), and space (e.g., “here/there”, “behind”). The proportion of tokens (total number of terms) and types (different terms) of each category was calculated in relation to the total verbal production for each individual (i.e., parents and children separately), and differences between groups were analyzed. Results indicated that compared to TD children, children with ADHD showed a poorer vocabulary of time-related words (d = 0.63), whereas similar rates between groups were found for the math- and space-related words. Correlation analyses revealed significant associations between the types of time-related words used by children, and problems with attention and executive functioning. These results offer some evidence for not only the presence of time-related deficits in preschoolers with ADHD, but also the association between time-related deficits and impairments in cognitive functioning.
Highlights
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Time-related impairments characterize individuals with ADHD, but they have never been investigated in preschoolers with ADHD.
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A poorer vocabulary of time-related words was found in preschoolers with ADHD, compared to controls.
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Preschoolers with ADHD and controls showed similar rates of math- and space-related words.
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Significant associations between the types of time-related words used by children, and problems with attention and executive functioning, were identified.
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Acknowledgements
The research reported here was supported by the National Institute of Health (R56 MH108616, R01MH112588), the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, through Grant R324A120136 as well as a local grant from The Children’s Trust (1329-7290) to the last author. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not represent views of NIH, IES, the U.S. Department of Education or The Children’s Trust. We would also like to acknowledge the support of Miami-Dade County Public Schools and thank the families anddedicated staff who participated in the study.
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Tobia, V., Landis, T. & Graziano, P. Examining Temporal Cognition in Preschoolers With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Insights From Parent–Child Interactions. J Child Fam Stud 30, 2315–2327 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-021-02004-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-021-02004-3