# Time-Processing, Daily Time Management, and Autonomy in School-Age Children with ADHD Compared to Typically Developing Children and Children with Intellectual Disabilities—Different Patterns

## TL;DR

Children with ADHD have lower time-processing skills and daily time management compared to typically developing children and those with intellectual disabilities, affecting their autonomy.

## Contribution

The study identifies distinct patterns of time-processing ability and daily time management in children with ADHD and ID compared to typically developing children.

## Key findings

- Children with ADHD and ID have significantly lower time-processing ability and daily time management than typically developing children.
- Children with ADHD have lower daily time management than children with ID, despite similar time-processing patterns.
- Self-rated autonomy in children correlates with their time-processing ability.

## Abstract

What are the main findings?
Children with ADHD, as a group, have lower time-processing ability and autonomy compared to typically developing children, but daily time management is also lower than that of children with ID.Children with ADHD and children with ID have the same overall pattern of time-processing ability, but it may be delayed in relation to the typically developing children.

Children with ADHD, as a group, have lower time-processing ability and autonomy compared to typically developing children, but daily time management is also lower than that of children with ID.

Children with ADHD and children with ID have the same overall pattern of time-processing ability, but it may be delayed in relation to the typically developing children.

What are the implications of the main findings?
The delayed time-processing ability in children with ADHD could affect their daily time management and autonomy.The overall findings indicate the need to measure children’s time-processing ability and their daily time management to tailor a suitable intervention for each child who needs it.

The delayed time-processing ability in children with ADHD could affect their daily time management and autonomy.

The overall findings indicate the need to measure children’s time-processing ability and their daily time management to tailor a suitable intervention for each child who needs it.

Background: Children with ADHD and children with intellectual disability (ID) often have problems with daily time management (DTM). It is, however, less well-known how the underlying time-processing ability (TPA) may impact children’s DTM and autonomy. The purpose of this study was to investigate DTM, TPA, and self-rated autonomy in the activities of everyday life among children aged 9–15 years with and without disabilities. Methods: The participants were matched samples of children with ADHD (n = 47), with ID (n = 47), and typically developing (TD) children (n = 47). A descriptive, comparative, and cross-sectional design was used. Group comparisons with one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), Tukey post-hoc tests, bootstrapping, and a cluster analysis were used to analyze the data. Results: Children with ADHD and children with ID had significantly lower TPA and DTM than TD children. Children with ADHD had even lower DTM than those with ID. Children with ADHD and ID have the same overall pattern of TPA, but it may be delayed, affecting their DTM and autonomy. However, there was considerable heterogeneity among the children with ADHD and ID, ranging from skilled to having significant problems in TPA. For all children, the levels of self-rated autonomy seemed to follow the level of TPA. Conclusions: Children with ADHD and children with ID have an increased risk of delayed TPA, affecting their DTM and autonomy, which may also influence their participation in daily activities. The results indicate a need to measure TPA and DTM to tailor interventions for each child.