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. 2018 Nov 14;13(11):e0207286.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0207286. eCollection 2018.

ADHD symptoms and learning behaviors in children with ASD without intellectual disability. A mediation analysis of executive functions

Belen Rosello  1 , Carmen Berenguer  1 , Inmaculada Baixauli  2 , Carla Colomer  3 , Ana Miranda  1
Affiliations

ADHD symptoms and learning behaviors in children with ASD without intellectual disability. A mediation analysis of executive functions

Belen Rosello et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

In spite of its importance for education, the relationship between learning behaviors (LB), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder symptoms (ADHD) and executive functioning (EF) in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has hardly been explored. The first objective of the present study was to compare children with ASD without intellectual disability and children with typical development (TD) on ADHD symptoms and learning behaviors: Motivation/competence, attitude toward learning, persistence on the task, and strategy/flexibility. The second objective was to analyze the mediator role of behavioral regulation and metacognition components of EF between ADHD symptoms and learning behaviors in children with ASD. Participants were 89 children between 7 and 11 years old, 52 with ASD and 37 with TD, matched on age and intelligence. Their teachers filled out questionnaires assessing executive functioning as well as learning behaviors. Parents and teachers reported on inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity behaviors. Compared to children with TD, children with ASD presented significantly more ADHD symptoms and poorer learning behaviors. In addition, there were significant mediation effects of the behavioral regulation index (BRI) and metacognition index (MI) of EF, indicating that both are part of the route through which ADHD symptoms impact to learning behaviors of children with ASD.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. *p < .05, ** p < .01Note.
Multiple mediation analyses in ASD group of direct effect of the ADHD symptoms on the attitude controlling for the two executive mediators (A), on the persistence controlling for the two executive mediators (B), on the strategy controlling for the two executive mediators (C).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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