Difficulties of children with ADHD symptoms in solving mathematical problems when information must be updated.
Kids with ADHD trip on math that keeps changing the facts—pre-teach them how to spot and swap the new numbers.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Eussen et al. (2016) watched kids solve math word problems. Some kids had ADHD. Some did not.
The team made half the problems tricky. Kids had to cross out old numbers and plug in new ones. This forced them to update working memory.
What they found
Kids with ADHD got fewer right answers. The gap grew when problems made them update information.
Most mistakes came from picking the wrong numbers or forgetting the next step.
How this fits with other research
Smith et al. (2021) also saw ADHD kids fall behind. They linked fine-motor skill to IQ, while M et al. linked updating demand to math errors. Both point to tighter cognitive bottlenecks in ADHD.
Nangle et al. (1993) showed that self-monitoring boosts math work in typical 4th graders. Their positive result does not clash with M et al.; it offers a fix. You can teach ADHD pupils to track their own updating steps.
Gilboa et al. (2014) found planning deficits hurt writing in kids with NF1. Like M et al., they show that academic failure often sits upstream in executive skills, not subject content.
Why it matters
When a learner with ADHD stalls on word problems, check if the task keeps changing the facts. Strip extra numbers, give a data-highlight sheet, or let the child cross out old info aloud. These moves cut the updating load so math skills can show through.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
It has been hypothesized that ADHD is associated both with difficulties in mathematical problem solving and in updating information in working memory. However, the relationship between updating and performance on mathematical word problems has never been studied for children with ADHD. The present study examined these issues comparing the performance of solving mathematical word problems (with no updating request vs high updating request) in a group of 11-12year old children with ADHD compared to a matched control group with typical development (TD). Results showed that children with ADHD solved fewer problems correctly than typically-developing children; moreover they made more errors in solving problems with updating requirements than those without updating requirements. In contrast, typically-developing children did not show any differences in problems performance on problems with and without updating requirements. Fine grained analyses of children's problem solving processes showed that children with ADHD found more difficult to select the appropriate data prior to calculation and to choose and execute the correct solution than typically-developing children. The difficulty to select the appropriate data results more severe in problems with updating requirements. Overall, these results support the hypothesis that the learning difficulties of children with ADHD are related to their executive dysfunctions, that negatively affect complex tasks requiring updating of to-be-processed information.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2016 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2016.09.001