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Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Academic Functioning: Reading, Writing, and Math Abilities in a Community Sample of Youth with and without ADHD

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Abstract

Previous studies have shown that Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is marked by impairments in academic functioning in reading, writing, and mathematics. Yet, virtually no studies have examined academic functioning in terms of both basic skills (e.g., word recognition, handwriting/spelling, arithmetic calculations) and more complex advanced skills (e.g., reading comprehension, writing composition, and mathematical problem-solving) within the same sample. In the present study, 518 children with ADHD were compared to a control group of 851 children without ADHD (ages 8–18) and assessed on a comprehensive battery of reading, writing, and math assessments. It was hypothesized that ADHD diagnostic status would uniquely predict performance on advanced skill measures even after controlling for performance on basic skills in that academic domain. ADHD status was associated with worse performance across all academic tests. Results also indicated that ADHD independently predicted performance for measures of writing composition and one measure of reading comprehension, even after controlling for performance on basic skills in those domains. However, ADHD did not independently predict mathematical problem-solving performance. These findings add to the literature on ADHD and academic functioning and indicate that inattention may weaken skills necessary for effective reading comprehension and writing composition.

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Data Availability

The data were collected as part of the Colorado learning disabilities research center over two decades, and only a subset of participants provided consent for their deidentified data to be made available to outside researchers. Investigators who are interested in using the subset of data that is available should contact Erik Willcutt, current Director of the CLDRC (willcutt@colorado.edu).

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Funding

The study was supported by a grant from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Developmental (P50 HD 27802). The authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose. 

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  1. Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, 80309, USA

    Francesca E. Trane & Erik G. Willcutt

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Correspondence to Francesca E. Trane.

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Trane, F.E., Willcutt, E.G. Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Academic Functioning: Reading, Writing, and Math Abilities in a Community Sample of Youth with and without ADHD. Res Child Adolesc Psychopathol 51, 583–596 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-022-01004-1

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