Executive Functions in ADHD: The Influence of Self-Regulation Strategies

Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are inattentive and impulsive. They have difficulties waiting their turn, they are more likely to interrupt another person speaking, or they might not finish reading a problem in a math exam. Likewise,children with ADHD have difficulties performing tasks measuring executive functions (i.e., inhibition, updating, shifting; Miyake et al., 2000). Therefore, ADHD is associated with selfregulation problems such as failure to inhibit inappropriate responses or to delay gratifications. As making if-then plans (i.e., forming implementation intentions; Gollwitzer, 1999) has been found to benefit self-control even in individuals whose action control is chronically hampered (e.g., critical samples such as patients with frontal lobe damage), we analyzed whether response inhibition and delay of gratification is facilitated in children with and without ADHD who have formed respective if-then plans. Indeed, children with ADHD who furnished a suppression goal with if-then plans improved inhibition of an unwanted response on a Go/No-Go task to the same level observed in children without ADHD. Furthermore, a combination of implementation intentions andpsychostimulant medication resulted in the highest level of suppression performance in children with ADHD. Also, inpatient and outpatient children with ADHD increased delay of gratification performance after having formed respective if-then plans and resisted tempting distractions while performing a demanding task. Recent results from behavioral and neurological experimental studies with children, adolescents, and adults with ADHD are presented and discussed.