Academic Achievements in Children with ADHD in China: The Mediating Role of Executive Functions

Abstract Background: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is often accompanied by lower academic achievements related to executive dysfunction, but the correlations remain unclear. The current study aimed to elucidate to what extent executive functions affect academic achievements in pediatric ADHD. Results:The results showed that mathematical achievements, reading comprehension achievements, subtraction and word semantics were all correlated with digit span and conversion. Reading comprehension achievements also had relationships with spatial span. In addition, reading comprehension achievements, subtraction and word semantics had negative relationships with the colour interference time and the semantic interference time. Furthermore, central executive function played significant meditating effects on mathematical achievements (dindirect effect=-0.04, P<0.05), subtraction (dindirect effect=-0.06, P=0.01) and word semantics (dindirect effect=-0.06, P<0.05). Inhibition played significant meditating effects on subtraction (dindirect effect=-0.03, P<0.05) and word semantics (dindirect effect=-0.06, P=0.01). Conversion had a significant mediating effect on word semantics (dindirect effect=-0.02, P=0.01). Conclusions:The findings suggested that central executive function, inhibition and conversion may have more important meditating effects on academic achievements of children with ADHD than other components of executive functions. Targeted executive function training should be used to effectively improve the targeted academic achievements of children with ADHD.