Dual-task Coordination in Children and Adolescents with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

TL;DR

This study examined dual-task coordination in children and adolescents with ADHD, finding that their ability to perform dual-tasks is comparable to healthy peers and not significantly affected by task difficulty, motor skills, or comorbidities.

Contribution

It demonstrates that dual-task coordination in ADHD is intact and consistent across different methods and task difficulties, challenging assumptions of executive function deficits.

Findings

Dual-task coordination is preserved in children with ADHD.

Task difficulty does not disproportionately impair ADHD performance.

Paper-pencil and computerized dual-task methods yield equivalent results.

Abstract

The deficit of executive functioning was found to be associated with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in general and its subtypes. One of the important functions of central executive is the ability simultaneously coordinate two tasks. The study aimed at defining the dual-task performance characteristics in healthy children and adolescents on the computerised and the paper and pencil dual-task methods; investigating the effect of task difficulty on dual-task performance in ADHD in comparison to age and years of education matched healthy controls; testing if the paper and pencil version of the dual-task method is giving the same results in ADHD and healthy controls; investigating whether the dual-task functioning in ADHD is defined by the deficits in the general motor functioning and comorbidity factors. The study investigated dual task functioning in 6-16 years old 91 typically developing controls and 91 children with ADHD. It was found that: (1) the dual-task coordination is available in children and adolescents with ADHD in general and in its subtypes and not significantly different from performance of age and years of education matched healthy controls; (2) Increase of the task difficulty in dual-task paradigm don't affect disproportionately children and adolescents with ADHD in comparison to age and years of education matched healthy controls; (3) The paper and pencil version of the dual-task method is giving the same results in ADHD and healthy controls as computerised version; (4) The dual-task functioning in ADHD in general and in its subtypes is not defined by the general motor functioning while in healthy controls dual task performance is associated with the general motor functioning level; (5) The dual-task functioning in ADHD in general and in its subtypes is not defined by the comorbidity factors.