ADHD in Children
Visual Abstract
ADHD inattentive symptoms mediate the relationship between intelligence and academic performance in children aged 6-14
ADHD Inattention and Intelligence
Danielle de S Costa , Jonas J de Paula , Antônio M Alvim-Soares Júnior , Breno S Diniz , Marco A Romano-Silva , Leandro F Malloy-Diniz , Débora M de Miranda
Summarized by:
April 23, 2023
study source
Braz J Psychiatry
Oct 2014
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What they studied
Researchers wanted to analyze the link between ADHD, fluid intelligence, and academic performance.
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What they found
Much of the link between intelligence and test scores was mediated and accounted for by differences in attention. In math, attention and ADHD played a larger role than intelligence.
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What this means
Many kids can struggle with standardized testing in school. These results suggest that, in many cases, this could be because of difficulties with attention rather than lower intelligence.
ADHD inattentive symptoms mediate the relationship between intelligence and academic performance in children aged 6-14
Objectives
The relationship between ADHD and intelligence is complex and not entirely understood.
Intelligence as a whole is a tricky concept. It is difficult to define and even more difficult to measure accurately.
However, it can be incredibly important in education to ensure that kids reach their full potential.
The study wanted to statistically analyze the links between ADHD, intelligence, and academic performance.
Study Quote
Fluid intelligence and the behavioral problems of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are related to academic performance, but how this association occurs is unclear. This study aimed to assess mediation and moderation models that test possible pathways of influence between t...
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Methods
This study compared 62 children with ADHD and 33 without ADHD in tests of spelling, arithmetic, and fluid intelligence.
Fluid intelligence refers to our brain's ability to handle and learn new concepts.
It is often used in contrast with crystallized intelligence, which refers to intelligence based on things we already know.
What is fluid intelligence?
Study Quote
Sixty-two children with ADHD and 33 age-matched, typically developing students were evaluated with Raven's Colored Progressive Matrices and the spelling and arithmetic subtests of the Brazilian School Achievement Test. Dimensional ADHD symptomatology was reported by parents.
Results
Researchers found that challenges with attention, a key aspect of ADHD, played a significant role in a child’s ability to spell.
Attention and intelligence accounted for 25% of the variation in spelling ability.
This is not surprising since we expect smart kids to be better spellers.
However, attention was found to mediate the relationship between spelling and intelligence.
This means that the link between intelligence and spelling may be due to differences in attention.
Much of what we’re measuring when we measure intelligence may just be differences in attention.
What is mediation in statistics?
A study of school children found that intelligence and attention accounted for 25% of the variability in spelling ability. Difficulties with attention also mediated this relationship.
The link between test scores and attention was even stronger regarding math.
One might think that intelligence plays the biggest role in predicting math scores.
However, in this study, researchers found that attention entirely mediated the relationship between fluid intelligence and arithmetic scores.
A study found that a child’s ability to pay attention accounted for 12% of the variation arithmetic ability. Additionally, attention completely mediated, the relationship between intelligence and arithmetic.
This suggests that differences in math test scores between kids may be more indicative of differences in attention than differences in intelligence.
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This investigation has important implications, as it supports behavioral inattention as a central target to avoid academic problems in childhood. Math performance may be especially sensitive to interventions focusing on inattentive symptoms, since, according to our results, the general cognitive underpinnings of math performance are likely to be fully mediated by behavioral inattention.
Study Quote
Our findings suggest that fluid intelligence has a significant impact on academic tests through inattention. The inattentive dimension was the principal behavioral source of influence, also accounting for the association of hyperactive-impulsive manifestations with school achievement. Th...
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Conclusions
Researchers concluded that fluid intelligence is important in test performance. But it is closely linked with attention.
This is especially important when it comes to standardized testing. This research suggests that many kids struggling with standardized testing may have issues with ADHD or difficulties paying attention rather than issues with intelligence.
Providing treatment for ADHD and attention issues may be an option to improve academic performance for students who need it.
Study Quote
Fluid intelligence is a relevant factor in the influence of ADHD behavioral symptoms on academic performance, but its impact is indirect. Therefore, early identification of both fluid intelligence and inattentive symptoms is of the utmost importance to prevent impaired academic performan...
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