Effects of attention on arithmetic and reading comprehension in children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder

Specific neurocognitive functions related to attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) affect their academic performance. However, whether neurocognitive functions in children with ADHD play the same role in both mathematics and language performance is unclear. This study aimed to investigate the effects of attention on academic performance of children with ADHD. A cognitive function assessment and Integrated Visual and Auditory Continuous Performance Test (IVA-CPT) were used to assess 639 children (aged 7–17 years) diagnosed with ADHD. Hierarchical regressions analyses were performed with cognitive function and IVA-CPT quotients as predictor variables and with performance on mathematics and language as dependent variables. The attention quotient in IVA-CPT assessing sustained attention significantly contribute to mathematical performance (number comparison and arithmetic) rather than language performance (word semantics and character rhyming) after controlling for other cognitive abilities. Among children with ADHD, attention ability rather than other cognitive functions can significantly predict mathematical performance but not language performance.