Combining neuropsychological tests to improve the assessment of arithmetic difficulties in children with ADHD

Abstract Objective: To compare the ways of evaluating arithmetic skills in Brazilian children with ADHD by combining three validated neuropsychological tests and determining whether they are sensitive to the methylphenidate treatment. Methods: Forty-two children (9‒12 years old) participated in...

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Main Authors: Angelo R. T. REZENDE, Sandra P. PACHECO, Sulamy C. C. BRANCO, Rosangela D. C. FERNANDES, Carla R. BOLDRINI, Ulysses DORIA FILHO, Paulo R. BAZÁN, Edson AMARO JUNIOR, Umbertina Conti REED, Erasmo Barbante CASELLA
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Thieme Revinter Publicações 2020-03-01
Series:Arquivos de Neuro-Psiquiatria
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Online Access:http://www.scielo.br/pdf/anp/v78n4/1678-4227-anp-0004-282x20190178.pdf
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author Angelo R. T. REZENDE
Sandra P. PACHECO
Sulamy C. C. BRANCO
Rosangela D. C. FERNANDES
Carla R. BOLDRINI
Ulysses DORIA FILHO
Paulo R. BAZÁN
Edson AMARO JUNIOR
Umbertina Conti REED
Erasmo Barbante CASELLA
author_facet Angelo R. T. REZENDE
Sandra P. PACHECO
Sulamy C. C. BRANCO
Rosangela D. C. FERNANDES
Carla R. BOLDRINI
Ulysses DORIA FILHO
Paulo R. BAZÁN
Edson AMARO JUNIOR
Umbertina Conti REED
Erasmo Barbante CASELLA
author_sort Angelo R. T. REZENDE
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Objective: To compare the ways of evaluating arithmetic skills in Brazilian children with ADHD by combining three validated neuropsychological tests and determining whether they are sensitive to the methylphenidate treatment. Methods: Forty-two children (9‒12 years old) participated in the present study: 20 were children with ADHD (DSM-IV) and 22 were age-matched controls. A classification criterion was used for each test separately and one, for their combination to detect the presence of arithmetic difficulties at two time points: baseline (time 1); and when children with ADHD were taking 0.3‒0.5 mg/kg of methylphenidate (time 2). The study also assessed children’s subtraction performance, combining parts of these tests. Results: Separately, the tests were only sensitive to differences between groups without medication. However, by combining the three neuropsychological tests, we observed a difference and detected a reduction in arithmetic difficulties associated with the methylphenidate treatment. The same effects were found in subtraction exercises, which require a borrowing procedure. Conclusions: The present study detected arithmetic difficulties in Brazilian children with ADHD and the effects of methylphenidate. Given this improvement in sensitivity, combining tests could be a promising alternative when working with limited samples.
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spelling doaj-art-7780a68eff434b5dbb68d7a3d3d7be392025-08-20T02:07:10ZengThieme Revinter PublicaçõesArquivos de Neuro-Psiquiatria1678-42272020-03-0178419319810.1590/0004-282x20190178Combining neuropsychological tests to improve the assessment of arithmetic difficulties in children with ADHDAngelo R. T. REZENDEhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-5927-3412Sandra P. PACHECOhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-2227-8172Sulamy C. C. BRANCORosangela D. C. FERNANDEShttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-7839-5450Carla R. BOLDRINIhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-7329-4965Ulysses DORIA FILHOPaulo R. BAZÁNhttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-2202-0494Edson AMARO JUNIORhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-5889-1382Umbertina Conti REEDhttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-7014-0349Erasmo Barbante CASELLAhttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-0834-9664Abstract Objective: To compare the ways of evaluating arithmetic skills in Brazilian children with ADHD by combining three validated neuropsychological tests and determining whether they are sensitive to the methylphenidate treatment. Methods: Forty-two children (9‒12 years old) participated in the present study: 20 were children with ADHD (DSM-IV) and 22 were age-matched controls. A classification criterion was used for each test separately and one, for their combination to detect the presence of arithmetic difficulties at two time points: baseline (time 1); and when children with ADHD were taking 0.3‒0.5 mg/kg of methylphenidate (time 2). The study also assessed children’s subtraction performance, combining parts of these tests. Results: Separately, the tests were only sensitive to differences between groups without medication. However, by combining the three neuropsychological tests, we observed a difference and detected a reduction in arithmetic difficulties associated with the methylphenidate treatment. The same effects were found in subtraction exercises, which require a borrowing procedure. Conclusions: The present study detected arithmetic difficulties in Brazilian children with ADHD and the effects of methylphenidate. Given this improvement in sensitivity, combining tests could be a promising alternative when working with limited samples.http://www.scielo.br/pdf/anp/v78n4/1678-4227-anp-0004-282x20190178.pdfmath testarithmetic difficultieslearning disabilitiesADHDmethylphenidate
spellingShingle Angelo R. T. REZENDE
Sandra P. PACHECO
Sulamy C. C. BRANCO
Rosangela D. C. FERNANDES
Carla R. BOLDRINI
Ulysses DORIA FILHO
Paulo R. BAZÁN
Edson AMARO JUNIOR
Umbertina Conti REED
Erasmo Barbante CASELLA
Combining neuropsychological tests to improve the assessment of arithmetic difficulties in children with ADHD
Arquivos de Neuro-Psiquiatria
math test
arithmetic difficulties
learning disabilities
ADHD
methylphenidate
title Combining neuropsychological tests to improve the assessment of arithmetic difficulties in children with ADHD
title_full Combining neuropsychological tests to improve the assessment of arithmetic difficulties in children with ADHD
title_fullStr Combining neuropsychological tests to improve the assessment of arithmetic difficulties in children with ADHD
title_full_unstemmed Combining neuropsychological tests to improve the assessment of arithmetic difficulties in children with ADHD
title_short Combining neuropsychological tests to improve the assessment of arithmetic difficulties in children with ADHD
title_sort combining neuropsychological tests to improve the assessment of arithmetic difficulties in children with adhd
topic math test
arithmetic difficulties
learning disabilities
ADHD
methylphenidate
url http://www.scielo.br/pdf/anp/v78n4/1678-4227-anp-0004-282x20190178.pdf
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