Neurodivergent students. A continuum of skills with an emphasis on creativity and executive functions

This study analyses Executive Functions (EF) and Creativity among neurodivergent students -including students with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Dyslexia, Intellectual Disability (ID), Giftedness-, and a group with Neurotypical development. A sample of 181 secondary school students participated in the study. Creativity was assessed by using the PIC-J test, focusing on verbal and figural components of divergent thinking, while EF were evaluated through Nesplora Ice-Cream, a virtual reality tool assessing flexibility, working memory, and inhibition. Results showed statistically significant differences in Verbal Creativity, especially in Originality: students with ADHD outperformed their Neurotypical peers, while those with ID showed the lowest scores. Although no statistically significant differences emerged in Figural Creativity, students with ADHD showed the lowest scores in Elaboration or Figural details, whereas those with Dyslexia exhibited high levels of Figural Originality, similar to their Neurotypical peers. Concerning EF, students with ID had the highest scores in Interference and Perseveration, indicating poorer Flexibility. In contrast, Gifted students performed better than the other groups in Working Memory, while students with ADHD did not exhibit special difficulties in EF. These findings emphasize the importance of personalized interventions for Neurodivergent students, that recognize and capitalize on their unique strengths while addressing specific challenges.

Brain mechanisms of temporal processing in impulsivity: Relevance to attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder

In this article, we critique the hypothesis that different varieties of impulsivity, including impulsiveness present in attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, encompass an accelerated perception of time. This conceptualisation provides insights into how individuals with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder have the capacity to maximise cognitive capabilities by more closely aligning themselves with appropriate environmental contexts (e.g. fast paced tasks that prevent boredom). We discuss the evidence for altered time perception in attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder alongside putative underlying neurobiological substrates, including a distributed brain network mediating time perception over multiple timescales. In particular, we explore the importance of temporal representations across the brain for time perception and symptom manifestation in attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, including a prominent role of the hippocampus and other temporal lobe regions. We also reflect on how abnormalities in the perception of time may be relevant for understanding the aetiology of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and mechanism of action of existing medications.

ADHD and Interfering Thoughts in High and Low Conflict Conditions

BACKGROUND

Individuals with an ADHD diagnosis have increased levels of interfering thoughts, especially in the form of mind wandering. This was mostly investigated in sustained attention tasks; hence it is unclear whether the findings are only due to their difficulties in those types of tasks. Moreover, it is unclear how the amount of control invested in the task will affect those differences between control and ADHD groups.

METHOD

ADHD and matched control groups performed the Stroop task under high and low conflict conditions while measuring their interfering thoughts level.

RESULTS

Individuals with ADHD have more interfering thoughts compared to a control group even when they are able to change their control level according to the task conflict.

CONCLUSION

Interfering thoughts are an independent predictor of ADHD impairments, observed regardless of the degree of control invested in the task.

Prepulse Inhibition and P50 Suppression in Relation to Creativity and Attention: Dispersed Attention Beneficial to Quantitative but Not Qualitative Measures of Divergent Thinking

The current study investigated whether lower sensory and sensorimotor gating were related to higher levels of creativity and/or attentional difficulties in a natural population of primary school children (9- to 13-year-old). Gating abilities were measured with P50 suppression and prepulse inhibition of the startle reflex (PPI). The final sample included 65 participants in the P50 analyses and 37 participants in the PPI analyses. Our results showed that children with a high P50 amplitude to testing stimuli scored significantly higher on the divergent outcome measures of fluency and flexibility but not originality compared to children with a lower amplitude. No significant differences were found on any of the creativity measures when the sample was split on average PPI parameters. No significant differences in attention, as measured with a parent questionnaire, were found between children with low or high levels of sensory or sensorimotor gating. The data suggest that quantitative, but not qualitative measures of divergent thinking benefit from lower psychophysiological gating and that attentional difficulties stem from specific instead of general gating deficits. Future studies should take the effect of controlled attention into consideration.

Intelligent Recognition of Hospital Image Based on Deep Learning: The Relationship between Adaptive Behavior and Family Function in Children with ADHD

Chronic diseases are gradually becoming the main threat to human health. By designing an efficient hospital management platform to quickly identify the corresponding chronic diseases, it can effectively reduce the labor cost, improve the accuracy of disease identification, and improve treatment efficiency. ADHD is a common behavioral disorder in school-age children, and it is also one of the most common chronic health problems in this period. The internationally recognized prevalence of ADHD is 3%–9%. ADHD often brings adverse effects on children's life and studying and at the same time increases difficulties for their families. Therefore, this paper designs an intelligent management platform for public hospitals based on a deep learning algorithm, evaluates the current situation and influencing factors of ADHD children through the child adaptive behavior scale and the family function assessment scale, and designs its intelligent platform by using a new technology of fNIRS. According to the nonlinearity and unsteadiness of the fNIRS signal, this paper proposes a motion noise removal method based on EMD algorithm methods: to automatically identify children with ADHD and improve the cognitive function of children with ADHD by intervention technology. The data are from the outpatients of the Department of Child Psychology of the First People's Hospital of Tianshui City in Gansu Province in 2018. The results showed that there were significant differences in the adaptive behavior scale (CABS) and fad scores between the two groups. In the seven dimensions of family function, there were significant differences between the two groups (P < 0.01). fNIRS management platform can effectively identify ADHD patients with high recognition accuracy. The intelligent management platform can significantly reduce the number of physical examination personnel, prolong the diagnosis and treatment time, reduce a lot of repetitive work, and improve the efficiency of diagnosis and treatment. At the same time, this technology also provides great help for better research and improvement of ADHD patients and provides a reference for the information intelligent construction of modern hospitals.

The Positive Aspects of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder among Famous People

OBJECTIVE

The shortage of clinical data regarding adult patients with often results in adults with ADHD being stigmatized and being inadequately treated. In this paper, famous people who potentially have ADHD were analyzed to understand better, the life-long progression of ADHD.

METHODS

131 people were analyzed as potential candidates for ADHD. A grading system for the candidates was developed: class 1, compatible with ADHD; class 2, likely; class 3, less likely; class 4, uncertain with a shortage of data; and class 5, not compatible. Initially, 39 subjects in class 4 and 12 in class 5 were excluded from the analysis. Finally, 80 subjects (30 in class 1, 33 in class 2, and 17 in class 3) were analyzed for sociodemographic data and psychiatric comorbidities.

RESULTS

88.8% were men and 47.5% of the subjects were married once. In terms of occupation, 45.0% of the subjects were cultural professionals and 25.0% were chief executives. Narcissistic personality disorder was the most frequently noted comorbidity, followed by substance-related and addictive disorder.

CONCLUSION

Famous people with ADHD in this study revealed high skill levels in occupation, offering positive aspects of ADHD in adults.