New research published in the journal Child Neuropsychology suggests that children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) showed more inconsistent reaction times when asked to do short term memory exercises compared to other ADHD-free children of the same age.

The study was done by associate professor Dr. Julie Schweitzer of the M.I.N.D Institute & Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California-Davis, and colleagues.
 
“We think poor memory is a characteristics present in many children and adults with ADHD,” Dr. Schweitzer said.
 
The study involved 25 children with ADHD and 25 children without the disorder. They were all asked to do a series of computer based mental arithmetic exercises. For example, the kids were asked to add a number on one screen to a number on another screen without using pencil and paper, and they had to decide whether a given sum was right or not.
 
“We found that the children with ADHD were much less consistent in their response times,” but their answers were as accurate as those from the other group,” said Wendy Buzy, study lead author and a graduate student when the experiments were conducted. “Once we controlled for omission errors, the accuracy of the two groups was the same,” she said.
 
ADHD is one of the most well-recognized childhood developmental problems. The condition is characterized by inattention, hyperactivity and impulsiveness. According to government estimates, ADHD affects more than 4.4 million children. The bad news is that ADHD symptoms continue in adulthood for about 60 percent of children with ADHD, thus having repercussions on adults’ daily activity.According to a study released by researchers at the Netherlands Institute of Mental Health and Addiction, lack of concentration in adults with ADHD costs each of them 22.1 days of “role performance” per year including 8.7 extra days of absence.