Executive function deficits in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and autism spectrum disorder.

Executive function deficits have been reported in both autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, little is known regarding which, if any, of these impairments are unique vs. shared in children with ADHD versus ASD.

Working memory and inhibitory control deficits in children with ADHD: an experimental evaluation of competing model predictions.

Introduction: Children with ADHD demonstrate difficulties on many different neuropsychological tests. However, it remains unclear whether this pattern reflects a large number of distinct deficits or a small number of deficit(s) that broadly impact test performance. The current study is among the first experiments to systematically manipulate demands on both working memory and inhibition, with implications for competing conceptual models of ADHD pathogenesis.

Central executive training for ADHD: Impact on organizational skills at home and school. A randomized controlled trial.

Objective: The current randomized controlled trial (RCT) was the first to examine the benefits of central executive training (CET, which trains the components of working memory [WM]) for reducing organizational skills difficulties relative to a carefully matched neurocognitive training intervention (inhibitory control training [ICT]).

Method: A carefully phenotyped sample of 73 children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity-impulsivity disorder (ADHD; ages 8-13, = 10.15, = 1.

Central executive training for ADHD: Effects on academic achievement, productivity, and success in the classroom.

Objective: Central executive training (CET) is a "Level 2" evidence-based treatment for improving ADHD-related executive dysfunction and behavioral symptoms, but the extent to which these gains extend to the disorder's well-documented academic difficulties is unknown.

Method: Across two clinical trials, 108 children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) 8-13 years old ( = 10.29, = 1.

Executive functioning rating scales: Ecologically valid or construct invalid?

Objective: Executive functions are commonly measured using rating scales and performance tests. However, replicated evidence indicates weak/nonsignificant cross-method associations that suggest divergent rather than convergent validity. The current study is the first to investigate the relative concurrent and predictive validities of executive function tests and ratings using (a) multiple gold-standard performance tests, (b) multiple standardized rating scales completed by multiple informants, and (c) both performance-based and ratings-based assessment of academic achievement-a key functional outcome with strong theoretical links to executive function.

A randomized controlled trial of central executive training (CET) versus inhibitory control training (ICT) for ADHD.

Objective: Executive function deficits are well-established in ADHD. Unfortunately, replicated evidence indicates that executive function training for ADHD has been largely unsuccessful. We hypothesized that this may reflect insufficient targeting, such that extant protocols do not sufficiently and specifically target the neurocognitive systems associated with phenotypic ADHD behaviors/impairments.

Rethinking hyperactivity in pediatric ADHD: Preliminary evidence for a reconceptualization of hyperactivity/impulsivity from the perspective of informant perceptual processes.

Hyperactivity is a core ADHD symptom that has been both positively and negatively associated with cognition and functional outcomes. The reason for these conflicting findings is unclear but may relate to subjective assessments that conflate excess physical movement (hyperactivity) with verbally intrusive/impulsive behaviors. The current study adopted a model-driven, rational-empirical approach to distinguish excess physical movement symptoms from other, auditorily perceived behaviors assessed under the "hyperactivity/impulsivity" umbrella.

Working memory and short-term memory deficits in ADHD: A bifactor modeling approach.

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has been associated with large magnitude impairments in working memory, whereas short-term memory deficits, when detected, tend to be less pronounced. However, confidence in these findings is limited due to task impurity combined with methodological and statistical limitations of the current evidence base. A well-characterized, clinically evaluated sample of 172 children ages 8-13 years ( = 10.

State special education criteria for identifying intellectual disability: A review following revised diagnostic criteria and Rosa's Law.

Across the last century, the condition known as (ID) has been labeled by assorted terms, its key features have varied, and recommendations for its identification have been divided. In light of recent changes to the diagnostic criteria for ID and to federal legislation, this study was designed to compile and summarize information about the state special education criteria for this condition and its associated assessment process, as they guide school-based and associated practices. Authors independently double-coded components of all ID regulations and guidelines from the 50 United States and the District of Columbia in pairs, which was then checked and corrected for inconsistencies.

Neural activity in catecholaminergic populations following sexual and aggressive interactions in the brown anole, Anolis sagrei.

Social behaviors in vertebrates are modulated by catecholamine (CA; dopamine, norepinephrine, epinephrine) release within the social behavior neural network. Few studies have examined activity across CA populations in relation to social behaviors. The involvement of CAs in social behavior regulation is especially underexplored in reptiles, relative to other amniotes.

Aggression- and sex-induced neural activity across vasotocin populations in the brown anole.

Activity within the social behavior neural network is modulated by the neuropeptide arginine vasotocin (AVT) and its mammalian homologue arginine vasopressin (AVP). However, central AVT/AVP release causes different behavioral effects across species and social environments. These differences may be due to the activation of different neuronal AVT/AVP populations or to similar activity patterns causing different behavioral outputs.