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SPECIFICITY OF DEFICITS IN EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING IN YOUTH WITH NONVERBAL LEARNING DISABILITY, ATTENTION DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER AND READING DISORDER
Title
SPECIFICITY OF DEFICITS IN EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING IN YOUTH WITH NONVERBAL LEARNING DISABILITY, ATTENTION DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER AND READING DISORDER
Creator
McCue, Kimberly Ann
Date
2021
Description
Nonverbal Learning Disability (NLD) has been the focus of four decades of neuropsychological research. However, it has yet to be included as a...
Show moreNonverbal Learning Disability (NLD) has been the focus of four decades of neuropsychological research. However, it has yet to be included as a diagnostic category in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (i.e., currently in its fifth edition, DSM-5, American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Many of the characteristics associated with Nonverbal Learning Disorder (NLD) are similar to those found in other more established disorders such as Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Specific Learning Disorders (SLD), and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Recent research in neuropsychology and other fields has contributed to a greater understanding of the cognitive profiles of NLD, ADHD, and Reading Disorder (RD). However, the neurological underpinnings of deficits in executive functioning specific to NLD versus ADHD and RD have yet to be fully elucidated. Ongoing research has failed to distinguish NLD from other childhood disorders, including ADHD, based on specific structural or functional neurological deficits. The current study examined the specificity of deficits in executive functioning in youth with nonverbal learning disability, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and reading disorder. In addition, the study examined the degree to which the Rey Complex Figure Test subscales and Processing Speed Index (PSI) and Working Memory Index (WMI) scores (WISC-IV or WISC-III) could discriminate between the NLD group from ADHD and RD groups. Data for the present study were collected from a population served by the Pediatric Neuropsychological Service at The University of Chicago Medicine. Children who had been referred for neuropsychological assessment and whose comprehensive battery included a WISC measure (WISC-III or WISC-IV) and RCFT measurements were included. All data were archival, i.e., gleaned from the Service database; data from 202 participants was retrieved, including youth who underwent neuropsychological evaluation between 2003 and 2016. The present study hypothesized differences between NLD, ADHD, and RD diagnostic groups on visuo-spatial planning/organization, visuo-spatial working memory, long-term visuo-spatial recall, visuo-spatial recognition, verbal working memory, and processing speed. In summary, of the six executive function domains examined, two domains showed significant underperformance for the NLD group, two domains showed a non-significant trend of underperformance for the NLD group and two domains did not show significant differences between diagnostic groups.
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PARENTAL RELATIONSHIP FACTORS, ACADEMIC EXPECTATIONS, AND MENTAL HEALTH OUTCOMES IN INDIVIDUALS WITH ADHD
Title
PARENTAL RELATIONSHIP FACTORS, ACADEMIC EXPECTATIONS, AND MENTAL HEALTH OUTCOMES IN INDIVIDUALS WITH ADHD
Creator
Small, Eva E.
Date
2022
Description
Individuals with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are at a higher risk for developing comorbid psychological conditions...
Show moreIndividuals with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are at a higher risk for developing comorbid psychological conditions including depression and anxiety by the time they reach adulthood. While there has been some research on potentially beneficial aspects of parent-child relationships that can help to improve the mental health of pediatric populations with ADHD, less work has been done to assess the long-term influence of the parent -child relationship in adults with ADHD. The purpose of this study was to add to previous research by utilizing the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health) to investigate how parenting relationship and family factors (i.e., parental warmth, behavioral autonomy, family cohesion, and parental academic expectations) predict symptoms of stress and depression in adults with ADHD. Using data from Waves I, III, and IV of the Add Health study, analyses examined whether positive parenting relationship factors were related to levels of depression symptoms and stress in a sample of participants with self-reported ADHD (N = 316). Results indicated that higher levels of family cohesion experienced in adolescence were associated with lower depression symptoms reported in adulthood, thus suggesting that family cohesion is a beneficial for individuals with ADHD. Future research should continue to examine the role that child-relationship factors can have on long term mental health outcomes in individuals with ADHD
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