Learning and Memory Impairments in Children and Adolescents With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Abstract

There are relatively few studies on learning and delayed memory with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The objective of the present study was to examine acquisition, free delayed memory, and recognition skills in medication naive children and adolescents aged 8–16 years with ADHD combined subtype (36 participants) and inattentive subtype (45) compared to 50 healthy controls (HC) aged 8–17 years. Learning and delayed memory were assessed with the Hopkins Verbal Learning Test–Revised and the Brief Visuospatial Memory Test–Revised, which have compatible methods of administration, test format, and score ranges. The results showed that children with both ADHD subtypes scored significantly below HC in acquisition, free delayed memory, and recognition, even when controlling for the effect of IQ. Comparing phases in the learning process showed an initial deficit in acquisition but no increase in effect size in subsequent testing of free delayed memory or recognition. The study indicates that learning and delayed memory processes are impaired in both combined and inattentive subtypes of ADHD and that the deficits are not merely an artifact of IQ. The study indicates that emphasis must be put on the acquisition phase and how students with ADHD organize and encode new information.