ADHD and Time
Visual Abstract
Time perception differences in children with and without ADHD
Comparing Time Perception in Children With and Without ADHD
Julie B Meaux, John J Chelonis
Summarized by:
Charles Li, MD
December 8, 2023
study source
J Pediatr Health Care
2003 Mar-Apr
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What they studied
The main research question was to compare time perception in children with and without ADHD.
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What they found
The study found that children with ADHD had significantly greater discrepancies in time perception.
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Why it matters
These findings suggest that ADHD may impact how children perceive and estimate time.
Objectives
The study aimed to compare how children with and without attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) perceive time. Specifically, it investigated their ability to estimate time using a time reproduction task. This task was designed to assess how accurately the children could judge and reproduce time intervals.
Study Quote
The purpose of this study was to compare time perception in children with and without attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) with use of a time reproduction task.
Methods
The research involved a sample of 60 children, half diagnosed with ADHD and the other half without this condition. The children's ages ranged from 9 to 12 years. The methodology employed a unique approach: children observed a light, guessed the duration it was on, and then held a lever down for what they thought was the same amount of time. This process was repeated across 16 trials with varying time lengths of 3, 6, 12, or 24 seconds, totaling 64 trials.
Study Quote
The sample consisted of 60 children (30 with ADHD and 30 without ADHD) ranging in age from 9 to 12 years. Children were asked to watch a light, verbally estimate how long the light was illuminated, and hold a lever in a depressed position for the same amount of time they thought the ligh...
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Results
Children with ADHD displayed a significant discrepancy in their time reproduction task, with notably greater errors compared to the control group. This discrepancy became more pronounced over longer time intervals. These results highlight a distinct challenge faced by children with ADHD in accurately perceiving time.
Study Quote
Children with ADHD had significantly greater absolute discrepancy scores on the time reproduction task (F(1,58) = 10.878; P <.01) than did children in the control group. In addition, children with ADHD had greater increases in absolute discrepancy scores across time intervals (F(3,174...
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Conclusions
The study concluded that children with ADHD have a significantly impaired perception of time compared to those without ADHD. This adds to our understanding of the challenges faced by children with ADHD. It underscores the importance of considering time perception difficulties in the overall management and support strategies for children with ADHD.
Study Quote
The findings of this study indicate that children with ADHD have impaired time perception compared with children who do not have ADHD.
Impaired Time Perception in ADHD
Children with ADHD struggle more with estimating time, which can affect daily activities and learning.
Greater Discrepancy Over Time
The longer the time interval, the more inaccurate the time estimation in children with ADHD.
Potential Impact on Daily Life
This impaired perception might affect daily tasks and learning in children with ADHD.
Context
This paper contributes to our understanding of ADHD in children, especially in time perception. It resonates with other research findings, such as a study by Toplak et al., 2005, which found that adolescents with ADHD faced higher thresholds in visual duration discrimination tasks.
Furthermore, Smith et al., 2002, supported this by showing that children with ADHD particularly struggle with perceiving shorter time spans. This aligns with the current study's findings, highlighting a consistent trend across research that ADHD may fundamentally affect how time is perceived and processed.