This study compared the math performance, error patterns, and concurrent overt behavior of 14 children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and 15 typically developing peers, matched in age, IQ and arithmetic achievement. Subsequently, the group with ADHD participated in a double-blind placebo-controlled trial of methylphenidate (MPH) to determine the effects of stimulant medication on academic efficiency, error pattern, and overt behavior. In comparison with their non-affected peers, children with ADHD had lower levels of academic efficiency, used more immature computation strategies, made substantially more trading errors in subtraction and exhibited increased levels of inattention and disruptive behavior. MPH exerted a significant positive effect on all measures. The possible interplay between a faulty memory system and poor academic achievement is discussed.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Ackerman, P. T., Anhalt, J. M., & Dykman, R. A. (1986). Arithmetic automatization failure in children with attention and reading disorders: Associations and sequelae. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 19, 222-232.
2.
Ackerman, P. T., Anhalt, J. M., Dykman, R. A., & Holcomb, P. J. (1986). Effortful processing deficits in children with reading and/or attention deficits. Brain & Cognition, 5, 22-40.
3.
Ackerman, P. T., Anhalt, J. M., Holcomb, P. J., & Dykman, R. A. (1986). Presumably innate and acquired automatic processes in children with attention and/or disorders. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 27, 513-529.
4.
Ackerman, P. T., & Dykman, R. A. (1995). ReadingDisabled students with and without comorbid arithmetic disability. Developmental Neuropsychology, 11 (3), 351-371.
5.
Aman, M. G., & Werry, J. S. (1982). Methylphenidate and diazapam in severe reading retardation. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 1, 31-37.
6.
American Psychiatric Association. (1987). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (3rd ed., revised). Washington, DC: Author.
7.
Barkley, R. A., & Cunningham, C. E. (1978). Do stimulant drugs improve the academic performance of hyperkinetic children? A review of outcome research. Clinical Pediatrics (Philadelphia), 17, 85-92.
8.
Boyle, M. H., Offord, D. R., Hoffman, H. G., Catlin, G. P., Byles, J. A., Crawford, J. W., Links, P. S., Rae-Grant, N. I., Szatmari, P. (1987). Ontario Child Health Study: I. Methodology. Archives of General Psychiatry, 44, 826-831.
9.
Boyle, M. H., Offord, D. R., Racine, Y., Fleming, J. E., Szatmari, P., & Sanford, M. (1993). Evaluation of the revised Ontario Child Health Study scales. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 34, 189-213.
10.
Carlson, C. L., Lahey, B. B., & Neeper, R. (1986). Direct assessment of the cognitive correlates of attention deficit disorders with and without hyperactivity. Journal of Behavioral Assessment and Psychopathology, 8, 69-86.
11.
Carlson, C. L., Pelham, W. E., Swanson, J. M., & Wagner, J. L. (1991). A divided attention analysis of the effects of methylphenidate on the arithmetic performance of children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 32 (3), 463-471.
12.
Connors, C. K. (1973). Rating scales for use in drug studies with children. Psychopharmacology Bulletin (Special Issue), 24-84.
13.
Douglas, V. I., Barr, R. G., Desilets, J., & Sherman, E. (1986). Do high doses of stimulants impair flexible thinking in Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder?Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 34 (7), 877-885.
14.
Douglas, V. I., Barr, R. G., O'Neill, M. E., & Britton, B. G. (1986). Short term effects of methylphenidate on the cognitive, learning and academic performance of children with attention deficit disorder. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 27, 191-211.
15.
Douglas, V. I., Barr, R. G., O'Neill, M. E., & Britton, B. G. (1988). Dosage effects and individual responsivity to methylphenidate in attention deficit disorder. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 29, 453-475.
16.
DuPaul, G. (1991). The ADHD Rating Scale: Normative data, reliability, and validity. Unpublished manuscript, University of Massachusetts Medical Center, Worcester. Reprinted by permission of the author in R. Barkley (1991), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A clinical workbook, New York: The Guilford Press.
17.
DuPaul, G. J., & Rapport, M. D. (1993). Does methylphenidate normalize the classroom performance of children with Attention Deficit Disorder?Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 32 (1), 190-198.
18.
DuPaul, G. J., Rapport, M. D., & Perriello, L. M. (1991). Teacher ratings of academic skills: The development of the academic performance Rating Scale. School Psychology Review, 20, 284-300.
19.
Engelhardt, J. M. (1977). Analysis of children's computational errors: A qualitative approach. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 47, 149-154.
20.
Fuson, K. C., & Kwon, Y. (1992). Korean children's understanding of multidigit addition and subtraction. Child Development, 63, 491-506.
21.
Gagne, R. M. (1983). Some issues in the psychology of mathematics instruction. Journalfor Research in Mathematics Education, 14, 275-282.
22.
Gadow, K. D. (1983). Effects of stimulant drugs on academic performance in hyperactive and learning disabled children. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 16, 290-299.
23.
Geary, D. C. (1993). Mathematical disabilities: Cognitive, neuropsychological and genetic components. Psychological Bulletin, 114, 345-362.
24.
Geary, D. C., Fan, L., & Bow-Thomas, C. C. (1992). Numerical cognition: Loci of ability differences comparing children from China and the United States. Psychological Science, 3 (3), 180-185.
25.
Geary, D. C., & Widaman, K. F. (1987). Individual differences in cognitive arithmetic. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 116 (2), 154-171.
26.
Hechtman, L. (1985). Adolescent outcome of hyperactive children treated with stimulants in childhood: A review. Psychopharmacological Bulletin, 21, 178-191.
27.
Hinshaw, S. P. (1992). Externalizing behavior problems and academic underachievement in childhood and adolescence: Causal relationships and underlying mechanisms. Psychological Bulletin, 111 (1), 127-155.
28.
Hynd, G. W., Alison, R. L., Semrud-Clikeman, M., Nieves, N., Huettner, M. I., & Lahey, B. B. (1991). Attention deficit disorder without hyperactivity: A distinct behavioral and neurocognitive syndrome. Journal of Child Neurology, 6, 537-543.
29.
Jordan, N. C. (1995). Clinical assessment of early mathematics disability: Adding up the research findings. Learning Disabilities Research and Practice, 10 (1), 59-49.
30.
Marshall, R. M., Hynd, G. W., Handwerk, M. J., & Hall, J. (1997). Academic underachievement in ADHD subtypes. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 30 (6), 635-442.
31.
Oram, J., Fine, J., Okamoto, C., & Tannock, R. T. (1999). American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 8, 1-9.
32.
Pelham, W. E., Bender, M., Caddell, J., & Booth, S. (1982). The dose-response effects of methylphenidate on academic performance and classroom behavior in children with attention disorder. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association, Washington, DC.
33.
Pelham, W. E., Bender, M., Caddell, J., Booth, S., & Moorer, S. H. (1985). Methylphenidate and children with attention deficit disorder. Archives of General Psychiatry, 42, 948-952.
34.
Pelham, W. E., Schnedler, R. W., Bologna, N. C., & Contreras, J. A. (1980). Behavioral and stimulant treatment of hyperactive children: A therapy study with methylphenidate probes in a within subject design. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 13, 221-236.
35.
Rapport, M. D., DuPaul, G. J., Stoner, G., & Jones, J. T. (1986). Comparing classroom and clinic measures of Attention Deficit Disorder: Differential, idiosyncratic, and dose-response effects of methylphenidate. Journal of Consulting & Clinical Psychology, 54, 334-341.
36.
Rapport, M. D., & Kelly, K. L. (1991). Psychostimulant effects on learning and cognitive function: Findings and implications for children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Clinical Psychological Review, 11, 61-92.
37.
Rapport, M. D., Murphy, H. A., & Bailey, J. S. (1982). Ritalin vs response cost in the control of hyperactive children: A within-subject comparison. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 15 (2), 205-218.
38.
Rapport, M. D., Stoner, G., DuPaul, G., Kelly, K. L., Tucker, S. B., & Schoeler, T. (1988). Attention Deficit Disorder and methylphenidate: A multilevel analysis of dose-response effects on children's impulsivity across settings. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 27 (1), 60-69.
39.
Rapport, M. D., Quinn, S. O., DuPaul, G. J.Quinn, E. P., & Kelly, K. L. (1989). Attention deficit disorder with hyperactivity and methylphenidate: The effects of dose and mastery level on children's learning performance. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 17, 669-489.
40.
Rasanen, P., & Ahonen, T. (1995). Arithmetic disabilities with and without reading difficulties: A comparison of arithmetic errors. Developmental Neuropsychology, 11 (3), 275-295.
41.
Reynolds, C. R., & Richmond, B. O. (1985). Revised children's manifest anxiety scale (RCMAS) manual. Los Angeles: Western Psychological Services.
42.
Safer, D. J., & Krager, J. M. (1988). A survey of medication treatment for hyperactive/inattentive students. Journal of the American Medical Association, 260, 2256-2258.
43.
Sattler, J. M. (1988). Assessment of children (3rd ed.). San Diego: Author.
44.
Schachar, R., Ickowicz, A., & Wachsmuth, R. (1994). Parent interview for child symptoms-Revised. Unpublished manuscript. Toronto: Hospital for Sick Children.
45.
Schachar, R., Tannock, R., Marriott, M., & Logan, G. (1995). Deficient inhibitory control in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 23 (4), 411-439.
46.
Schachar, R., & Tannock, R. (1994). Teacher telephone interview for disruptive behavior disorders (DSM-III-R). Unpublished manuscript. Toronto: Hospital for Sick Children, Department of Psychiatry.
47.
Siegler, R. S. (1986). Unities across domains in children's strategy choices. In M. Perlmutter (Ed.), Perspectives for intellectual development. Minnesota symposia on child psychology (Vol. 19, pp. 1-48). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
48.
Siegler, R. S., & Jenkins, E. (1989). How children discover new strategies. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
49.
Spiers, P. A. (1987). Acalculia revisited: Current issues. In G. DeLoche & X. SeronSpiers, P. A. (Eds.), Mathematical disabilities: A cognitive neuropsychologicalperspective (pp. 1-26). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
50.
Spielberger, C. (1973). Manualfor the state-trait anxiety inventory for children. Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press.
51.
Swanson, H. L., & Cooney, J. B. (1985). Strategy transformation in learning disabled and nondisabled students. Learning Disability Quarterly, 8, 221-230.
52.
Swanson, H. L., & Rhine, M. S. (1985). Strategy transformations in learning disabled children's math performance: Clues to the development of expertise. Journal of Learning Disability, 18, 596-603.
53.
Vygotsky, L. (1978). Mind in society. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press (original works published 1930, 1933, 1935).
54.
Vygotsky, L. (1987). Thinking and speech. In Collected works of L. S. Vygotsky: Vol. 1. Problems of general psychology (N. Minick, Trans.). New York: Plenum Press (original work published 1934).
55.
Vyse, S. A. & Rapport, M. D. (1989). The effects of methylphenidate on learning in children with ADDH: The stimulus equivalence paradigm. Journal of Consulting & Clinical Psychology, 57 (3), 425-435.
56.
Weiss, G. (1985). Follow-up studies on outcome of hyperactive children. Psychopharmacological Bulletin, 21, 169-177.
57.
Wilkinson, G. S. (1993). The Wide Range Achievement Test-3. Wilmington, DE: Wide Range.
58.
Zentall, S. S. (1990). Fact-retrieval automatization and math problem-solving: Learning disabled, attention disordered, and normal adolescents. Journal of Educational Psychology, 82, 856-865.
59.
Zentall, S. S., & Ferkis, M. A. (1993). Mathematical problem solving for youth with ADHD, with and without learning disabilities. Learning Disabilities Quarterly, 16, 6-18.
60.
Zentall, S. S., Smith, Y. N., Yung-Bin, B. L., & Wieczorek, C. (1994). Mathematical outcome of AttentionDeficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 27 (8), 510-519.
