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Although students with stronger executive functions (EFs) tend to do better on math computation (MC) assessments than students with weaker EFs, stressful testing situations may lower or affect their mathematical ability. Rumination is one maladaptive coping strategy that can negatively affect EF processes, but little is known about how it impacts the relationship between EFs and MC. This study aimed to examine the relationship between students' performance on a standardized MC task and ratings of EF ability as a function of their level of rumination. In a sample of students from Grades 4 to 6 (n = 72, mean age = 10.74), there was an interaction between EF scores and rumination in predicting MC. Students with weaker EF scores demonstrated worse math performance than students with stronger EF scores. Interestingly, their level of rumination moderated this association. Specifically, EF difficulties were only associated with less proficient MC performance among high ruminators; this association was not observed among those students reporting low rumination levels. For school psychologists, these findings provide insight into the potential causes of poor MC performance among students with average or better EFs.

Objective: To examine whether cognitive enhancement can be delivered through play to preschoolers with ADHD and whether it would affect severity of ADHD symptoms. Method: Twenty-nine 4- and 5-year-old children and their parents participated in separate group sessions (3-5 children/group). Child groups were introduced games designed to enhance inhibitory control, working memory, attention, visuospatial abilities, planning, and motor skills. Parent groups were encouraged playing these games with their children at least 30 to 45 min/day and taught strategies for scaffolding difficulty levels and dealing with obstacles to daily playing. Results: Parent ratings and session attendance indicated considerable satisfaction with the program. Parent (p < 0.001) and teacher (p = 0.003) ratings on the ADHD-Rating Scale-IV (ADHD-RS-IV) indicated significant improvement in ADHD severity from pre- to post-treatment, which persisted 3 months later. Conclusion: This play-based intervention for preschoolers with ADHD is readily implemented at home. Preliminary evidence suggests efficacy beyond the termination of active treatment.

Objective: To investigate the effects of methylphenidate (MPH) on components of working memory (WM) in children with ADHD and determine whether MPH produces differential effects on WM in children with comorbid anxiety (ANX). Method: Participants were a clinical sample of 130 children with ADHD, aged 6 to 12 years old (32% comorbid ANX). Each child participated in an acute randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial with single challenges of three MPH doses. Four WM measures were used that varied in processing demands (storage versus manipulation of information) and modality (auditory-verbal; visual-spatial). Results: MPH improved auditory-verbal manipulation but only in the non-ANX children with ADHD. It had no effect on auditory-verbal storage of information. Also, MPH improved the ability to manipulate visual-spatial information in both ADHD groups, but beneficial effects on visual-spatial storage were evident only in children without comorbid ANX. Conclusions: Findings provide insight into potential mechanisms underlying individual differences in treatment response in ADHD, which may facilitate more targeted treatments. (Contains 3 tables.)

Background: To investigate the effects of methylphenidate (MPH) on components of working memory (WM) in attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and determine the responsiveness of WM measures to MPH. Methods: Participants were a clinical sample of 50 children and adolescents with ADHD, aged 6 to 16 years old, who participated in an acute randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial with single challenges of three MPH doses. Four components of WM were investigated, which varied in processing demands (storage versus manipulation of information) and modality (auditory-verbal; visual-spatial), each of which was indexed by a minimum of two separate measures. Results: MPH improved the ability to store visual-spatial information irrespective of instrument used, but had no effects on the storage of auditory-verbal information. By contrast, MPH enhanced the ability to manipulate both auditory-verbal and visual-spatial information, although effects were instrument specific in both cases. Conclusions: MPH effects on WM are selective: they vary as a function of WM component and measurement.

Objective: To investigate the effect of methylphenidate (MPH) on visual-spatial memory, as measured by subtests of the Cambridge Neuropsychological Testing Automated Battery (CANTAB), in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Visual-spatial memory is a core component of working memory that has been shown to be impaired in ADHD, irrespective of comorbid reading and/or language problems. Method: A clinic-referred sample of school-age children with a confirmed DSM-IV diagnosis of ADHD (n = 26) completed tests of visual-spatial memory, planning ability, and recognition memory in an acute, randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover trial with three single fixed doses of MPH. MPH effects on right-handed and left-handed motor control were also assessed. Results: MPH significantly improved performance on a self-ordered, updating visual-spatial working memory task and on maintenance of visual-spatial information but had no effects on measures of visual-spatial planning ability or recognition memory. Also, MPH significantly improved left-handed motor control. Conclusions: Beneficial effects of MPH on visual-spatial processing in ADHD are selective and restricted to visual-spatial memory.