ERIC Number: EJ1488654
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025-Nov
Pages: 14
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0022-2194
EISSN: EISSN-1538-4780
Available Date: 0000-00-00
Mathematics Achievement in Women with and without ADHD: Childhood Predictors and Developmental Trajectories into Adulthood
Laura N. Henry1; Rachel A. Gross2; Stephen P. Hinshaw1,3
Journal of Learning Disabilities, v58 n6 p431-444 2025
Youth with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often exhibit impairments in mathematics, but long-term math development into adulthood, particularly in females, is underexplored. We characterized trajectories of math achievement in girls with ADHD and an age- and ethnicity-matched comparison sample from childhood through early adulthood across four waves and examined childhood cognitive predictors (global executive functioning, working memory, processing speed) of trajectories. The ethnically and socioeconomically diverse sample consisted of 140 girls with carefully diagnosed ADHD and 88 neurotypicals, ages 6 to 12 years at baseline, from the United States. Using latent growth curve models, we examined predictors of 16-year math achievement trajectories. In both the ADHD and neurotypical groups, scores declined over time; rates of change did not differ significantly. Yet in the ADHD sample, math difficulties (defined as scores at least 1 SD below the national average) increased notably over time, with many such difficulties emerging after childhood. By adulthood, nearly half of women with ADHD exhibited clear math difficulties. Worse baseline global executive functioning predicted slower math growth over time. Girls with ADHD may benefit from math supports before concerns emerge or worsen after childhood. Additional research on preventive interventions for math difficulties, including investigation of executive functioning, is warranted.
Descriptors: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Mathematics Achievement, Females, Children, Young Adults, Predictor Variables, Learning Problems, Executive Function, Cognitive Processes, Socioeconomic Status
SAGE Publications and Hammill Institute on Disabilities. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: https://sagepub-com.bibliotheek.ehb.be
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) (DHHS/NIH); National Science Foundation (NSF), Division of Graduate Education (DGE)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children; Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children; Rey Osterrieth Complex Figure Test; Wechsler Individual Achievement Test
Grant or Contract Numbers: R01MH45064; 1752814
Author Affiliations: 1University of California-Berkeley, USA; 2Indiana University-Bloomington, USA; 3University of California-San Francisco, USA

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