A systematic review of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and mathematical ability: current findings and future implications

Maria Grazia Tosto; Sukhleen Kaur Momi; Philip Asherson; Karim Malki

doi:10.1186/s12916-015-0414-4

Table 2 Descriptive statistics of samples and of mathematical performance

From: A systematic review of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and mathematical ability: current findings and future implications

	Participants descriptive statistics by group				Mathematical test descriptive statistics
Publication	Age range whole sample	N (mean age, SD age)		On medication during test	Test name	N (mean score, SD score)		P value	Quality rating
Publication	Age range whole sample	ADHD group	Non-ADHD group	On medication during test	Test name	ADHD group	Non-ADHD group	P value	Quality rating
Antonini et al. [35]	7–11	49 (7.92, 1.11)^C	45 (8.29, 1.34)	No	WIAT-II	97.06 (13.19)^C	112.84 (18.7)	<0.0001 ^C	High
Antonini et al. [35]	7–11	53 (8.36, 1.30)^I	45 (8.29, 1.34)	No	WIAT-II	97.89 (13.79)^I	112.84 (18.7)	<0.0001 ^I	High
August et al. [49]	6–11	79 (8.90, 1.17)	61 (8.70, 1.19)	NR	WRAT-R	92.80 (16)	93.5 (17)	>0.05	High
Barry et al. [32]	8–14	30 (11.10, 1.30)^C	33 (11.24, 1.20)	No	MBA	1.52 (12.38)^a	10.39 (12.77)^a	<0.05	High
Barry et al. [32]	8–14	3 (11.10, 1.30)^I	33 (11.24, 1.20)	No	MBA	1.52 (12.38)^a	10.39 (12.77)^a	<0.05	High
Bauermeister et al. [31]	6–11	140 [(32.1%)^C; (17.1%)^I; (2.8%)^U] (8.31, 1.70)	NR (8.31, 1.70)	No	WPB-S	β = −0.33^I		<0.001	High
Benedetto-Nasho et al. [25]	7–11	14 (9.55, 1.01)	15 (9.02, 1.14)	No	MCW	21.66 (12.13)^P	47.32 (15.20)^P	<0.001 ^P	High
						52.53 (35.79)^A	76.98 (18.04)^A	<0.05 ^A
						11.31 (10.92)^E	36.79 (15.24)^E	<0.001 ^E
Biederman et al. [44]	Adults	84 (38.90, 9)	142 (NR)	Yes	WRAT-R	101.8 (15.30)	108.5 (14.70)	<0.001	High
Biederman et al. [37]	6–17	128 (10.60, 3.00)^b	109 (11.60, 3.70)^b	Yes	WRAT-R	96.8 (17.40)^b	111.30 (16.10)^b	< 0.05 ^b	High
Biederman et al. [37]	6–17	128 (14.40, 3.10)^f	109 (15.2, 3.70)^f	Yes	WRAT-R	93.4 (18.30)^f	109.50 (15.70)^f	< 0.05 ^f	High
Biederman et al. [46]	6–17	100 (9.0, NR)^Y	69 (8.90, NR)^Y	NR	WRAT-R	96.70 (16.50)^Y,b	111.70 (15.90)^Y,b	<0.001	High
		100 (9.0, NR)^Y	69 (8.90, NR)^Y			93.30 (18.30)^Y,f	110.10 (16.20)^Y,f
		40 (14.40, NR)^O	51 (15.20, NR)^O			96.80 (19.00)^O,b	111.10 (17.10)^O,b
		40 (14.40, NR)^O	51 (15.20, NR)^O			93.80 (18.20)^O,f	108.40 (14.80)^O,f
Biederman et al. [40]	6–18	140 (11.20, 3.40)	122 (12.20,	Yes	WRAT	95.50 (13.30)	106.20 (15.40)	<0.001	High
DuPaul et al. [5]	NR	95 (8.50, 1.20)^C	53 (8.50, 1.10)	Yes	WJ-III	94.50 (12.70)	113.40 (10.30)	<0.001	High
		31 (8.50, 1.20)^I
		10 (8.50, 1.20)^H
Efron et al. [41]	6 – 8	93 (7.3, 0.4)^C	212 (7.3, 0.4)	Yes	WRAT	90.2 (14.7)	102.8 (13.4)	<0.001	High
		64 (7.3, 0.4)^I				90.2 (14.7)	102.8 (13.4)	Subtypes = NS individually
		22 (7.3, 0.4)^H				β = –0.69		Subtypes = NS individually
Faraone et al. [18]	6–17	93 (10.7, 3.10)^b	120 (11.6, 3.70)^b	Yes	WRAT-R	103.60 (14.40)^b	111.30 (16.10)^b	<0.05 ^b	Medium
Faraone et al. [18]	6–17	83 (14.8, 3.20)^f	109 (15.5, 3.70)^f	Yes	WRAT-R	98.80 (16.10)^f	109.50 (15.70)^f	<0.05 ^f	Medium
Faraone et al. [45]	6–17	485 (10.90, NR)^Y	78 (10.80, NR)^Y	NR	WRAT-R	92.70 (22.50)^Y	110 (15.20)^Y	<0.001	High
Faraone et al. [45]	6–17	326 (10.90, NR)^O	54 (10.80, NR)^O	NR	WRAT-R	88 (25.00)^O	111.8 (15.7)^O	<0.001	High
Frick et al. [26]	7–12	92 (9.50, NR)^C	42 (10.60, NR)	No	BASIS	Underachievers: 14 % ^C, 7 % ^I	Underachievers:2%	<0.05 ^C	Medium
Frick et al. [26]	7–12	13 (9.50, NR)^I	42 (10.60, NR)	No	BASIS	Underachievers: 14 % ^C, 7 % ^I	Underachievers:2%	>0.05^I	Medium
Gremillion et al. [36]	6–12	266 (9.72, 1.50)	207 (9.79, 1.48)	No	WIAT-II	40.12 (9.39)	43.09 (9.22)	<0.001
						r = −0.27^C		<0.001	High
						r = −0.22^I		<0.001
						r = −0.28^H		<0.001
Greven et al. [50]	NR	2191 (12, NR)^MZ		NR	UNT, NNPT,CKT	Genetic correlation:			High
		3930 (12, NR)^DZ				r_a = –0.41 (95 % CI: –0.47, –0.37)^I		Significant
						r_c = 0.12 (95 % CI: –0.12, 0.35)^I		NS
						r_e = –0.20 (95 % CI: –0.23, –0.16)^I		Significant
						r_a = –0.22 (95 % CI: –0.28, –0.17)^H		Significant
						r_c = –0.27 (95 % CI: –0.44, –0.04)^H		Significant
						r_e = 0.00 (95 % CI: –0.04, 0.04)^H		NS
						Phenotypic correlation:
						r = –0.26 (95 % CI: –0.28, –0.24)^I		Significant
						r = –0.18 (95 % CI: –0.20, –0.16)^H		Significant
Hart et al. [19]	NR	271 (9.82, 0.99)^MZ		NR	WJ-III	Genetic Covariance:		<0.05 ^I	High
		159 (9.82, 0.99)^DZ				covar = 0.36 (95 % CI: 0.23, 0.50)^I
						covar = 0.31 (95 % CI: 0.27, 0.43)^H
						Shared environment:		<0.05 ^H
						covar = 0.90 (95 % CI: 0.84, 0.92)^I
						covar = 0.90 (95 % CI: 0.89, 0.92)^H
Kaufmann & Nuerk [20]	8.8 –11.7	16 (10.20, 1.40)	16 (10.40, 1.30)	NR	NV-CNR	91.4 (10.16)	97.27 (2.55)	0.02	Medium
					NV-CNR	75 (24.15)	81.25 (17.08)	0.02
					V-CNR	96.15 (4.58)	98.44 (2.54)	0.45
						97.92 (3.02)	95.83 (11.39)
						99.06 (2.02)	99.69 (1.25)
					SMC	94.8 (5.61)	96.68 (3.12)	0.65
					CMC	56.26 (20.20)	68.36 (18.45)	0.30
					WMC	70.84 (25.97)	79.16 (17.87)	0.50
Kempton et al. [28]	6–12	15 (8.65, 1.53)	15 (8.81, 1.48)	No	WRAT	83.00 (10.92)	88.6 (15.72)	>0.05	High
Laasonen et al. [33]	18–55	30 (31.60, 8.17)	40 (37.15, 11.70)	No	WAIS-III	10.90 (3.17)	12.18 (2.40)	>0.05	Medium
Lamminmäki et al. [39]	NR	17 (8.67, 1.28)^C	22 (8.92, 1.4)	Yes	WJ-III	Z-score:	–0.53 (0.83)	0.070	High
		17 (8.67, 1.28)^C				–1.33 (0.06)^C
		20 (9.78, 1.33)^I				–0.88 (0.96)^I
		8 (8.60, 1.29)^H				–0.50 (1.14)^H
Lewandowski et al. [21]	10–13	17 (11, NR)^C	27 (11, NR)	Yes	WJ-III	92.59 (14.71)	102.11 (13.42)	<0.05	High
		7 (11, NR)^I
		3 (11, NR)^H
Massetti et al. [38]	4–6^b	85 (5.20, 0.70)^C	130 (5.20, 0.08)	Yes	WJ-III	β = −2.55, z = −1.92^C (refers to longitudinal performance of children exhibiting ADHD-C symptoms across all waves of assessment)		0.060^C	High
	4–6^b	14 (5.70, 0.50)^I				β = −6.49, z = −3.34^I (refers to overall longitudinal performance)		<0.001 ^I
	12–14 ^f	26 (5.10, 0.80)^H				β = 0.40, z = 0.18^H (refers to overall longitudinal performance)		0.360^H
						β = −7.27, z = −3.61^C,f (overall performance using DSM-IV number of impairment settings to define subtypes)		<0.001 ^C,f
						ADHD-I & ADHD-H^f = NS		>0.05
Mayes & Calhoun [42]	6–16	724 (9, 2)	149 (9, 2)	Yes	WIAT, WIAT-II, WRAT-III	9 %^d	4 %^d	<0.001	Medium
Mealer et al. [22]	6–13	20 (8.90, 2.08)	20 (8.50, 1.93)	No	WISC - III	8.70 (3.52)	10.60 (2.7)	0.063	Medium
Papaioannou et al. [48]	6–11		835 (103.90, 17.60)	NR	STAA	Z-score:	Z-score:	0.003 ^C	High
		24 (109.30, 17.10)^C				−0.80 (1.11)^C	08 (0.97)	0.003 ^C
		31 (103.90, 16.40)^H				−0.25 (0.99)^H		>0.5^H
		33 (100.10, 16.40)^I				−0.78 (1.07)^I		0.0001 ^I
Penny et al. [29]	6–12	32 (8.65, 1.48)^C	19 (8.40, 1.40)	No	WRAT-III	82.20 (17)	89.80 (15)	>0.05	Medium
Penny et al. [29]	6–12	1^I	19 (8.40, 1.40)	No	WRAT-III	82.20 (17)	89.80 (15)	>0.05	Medium
Roy-Byrne et al. [34]	18–64	46 (33.10, 9.70)	46 (39.50, 11.20)	No	WRAT-R	90.20 (19.90)	100.60 (23.90)	>0.05	High
Rucklidge et al. [23]	13–16	24 (14.68, 1.51)^F	28 (15.31, 1.04)^F	No	WRAT-III	96.33 (13.85)^F	112.78 (12.34)^F	<0.001	High
Rucklidge et al. [23]	13–16	35 (14.80, 1.22) ^M	20 (14.8, 1.22)^M	No	WRAT-III	90.57 (15.697)^M	108.20 (10.11)^M	NR	High
Schachar & Tannock [30]	7–11	22 (9.20, 1.20)	16 (9.0, 1.4)	NR	WRAT-R	92.40 (9.00)	97.60 (13.80)	>0.05	Medium
Seidman et al. [24]	6–17	43 (NR, NR)	36 (NR, NR)	Yes	WRAT-R	95.70 (16.00)	107.60 (14.30)	<0.05	Medium
Thorell [27]	6–7	21 (6.30, 0.49)	124 (6.30, 0.49)	NR	NS	r = –0.28^I		<0.001 ^I	Medium
Thorell [27]	6–7	21 (6.30, 0.49)	124 (6.30, 0.49)	NR	NS	r = –0.13^H		>0.05^H	Medium
Todd et al. [43]	7–17	149 (13.70, 3.00)^C	731 (14.20, 3.10)	Yes	WRAT-III	87.3 (13.60)^C		<0.001 ^C	High
		243 (14.30, 3.00)^I				89.40 (13.50)^I	96.60 (13.40)	<0.001 ^I
		31 (15.30, 3.10)^H				95.50 (11.20)^H		>0.05^H
Zentall et al. [47]	7–15	107 (NR, NR)	121 (NR, NR)	NR	CAT	55.64 (2.97)	75.11 (3.00)	<0.001	High
					TAT	F(2,223) = 58.5 (addition)	61.23 (NR)	<0.001
						F(2,223) = 27.95 (subtraction)	32.60 (NR)
						F(2,205) = 75.23 (multiplication)	91.79 (NR)

Descriptives of samples and of mathematical performance. Numbers in bold highlight significant results
N, Sample size; SD, Standard deviation; NR, Not reported; 95 % CI, 95 % confidence interval; Z-score, Represents achievement scores normalized and residualized for intelligence scores; r_a, Genetic correlation; r_c, Shared environmental correlation; r_e, Non-shared environmental correlation; covar, Covariance; ^C, Predominantly combined-type; ^I, Predominantly inattentive-type; ^H, Predominantly hyperactive-type; ^U, Unspecified; ^MZ, Monozygotic twin pairs; ^DZ, Dizygotic twin pairs; ^Y, Young; ^O, Old (adolescents); ^b, Baseline; ^f, Follow-up; ^F, Female; ^M, Male; ^a, The values demonstrate discrepancy between predicted achievement on the Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test Composite [58] and actual math achievement on the Mini Battery of Achievement (MBA) test [59] with a positive score representing actual achievement above the predicted score as estimated by participant’s intellectual level, and a negative score representing actual achievement below the predicted score; ^P, Productivity (number of math problems attempted out of the total); ^A, Accuracy (percentage of problems answered correctly out of those attempted); ^E, Efficiency (number of correctly completed items out of total number of items available); ^d, Discrepancy between Intelligence quotient (IQ) and mathematics score
NB: on average, ADHD children scored lower on the test than their intended IQ (<IQ of 104.8) and controls scored higher on the test than their intended IQ (>IQ of 97.5)
Tests: WIAT-II, Wechsler Individual Achievement Test – Second Edition; WRAT-R, Wide Range Achievement Test-Revised; MBA, Woodcock-McGrew-Werder Mini-Battery of Achievement; WPB-S, Woodcock Psychoeducational Battery–Spanish; MCW, Math computational worksheet; WRAT, Wide Range Achievement Test; WJ-III, Woodcock-Johnson III achievement test; BASIS, Basic Achievement Skills Individual Screener; UNT, Understanding Number test; NNPT, Non-numerical Processes test; CKT, Computation and Knowledge test; BA, Basic arithmetic; NV-CNR, Core numerical representations – non-verbal magnitude representations; V-CNR, Core numerical representations – verbal representations; SMC, Simple mental calculation; CMC, Complex mental calculation; WMC, Written mental calculation; WAIS-III, Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale – Third edition; WJ-R, Woodcock-Johnson achievement test-Revised; WIAT-NO, Wechsler Individual Achievement Test Numerical Operations; WIAT, Wechsler Individual Achievement Test; WRAT-III, Wide Range Achievement Test-Third Edition; WISC-III, Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children – Third Edition; STAA , Screening test of arithmetic ability; PMS, Pupil Monitoring System; NS, Not specified; CAT, California Achievement Test; TAT, Timed Arithmetic Trial

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