Executive Functions in Preschool Children With ADHD and DBD: An 18-Month Longitudinal Study |
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| Authors: | Kim Schoemaker Tessa Bunte Kimberly Andrews Espy Maja Deković Walter Matthys |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Department of Child and Adolescent Studies, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands;2. Department of Psychiatry and Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands;3. Department of Clinical Child and Family Studies and EMGO+ Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands;4. Department of Psychiatry and Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands;5. Department of Psychology, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska;6. Department of Psychology, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon |
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| Abstract: | In this longitudinal study, we examined the stability of the association between executive functions and externalizing behavior problems, and the developmental change of executive functions in a predominately clinically diagnosed preschool sample (N = 200). Inhibition and working memory performance were assessed three times in 18 months. Across time, poorer inhibition performance in young children was associated with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and disruptive behavior disorders (DBD), and poorer working memory performance was associated with ADHD. Inhibition and working memory performance increased over time, especially in the early preschool period. The improvement of inhibition performance was more pronounced in the clinically diagnosed children compared to the TD children. |
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