Características de las funciones ejecutivas en niños con trastorno por déficit de atención e hiperactividad. Cuenca

Abstract

This study aims to describe the characteristics of executive functions in a population identified by the Student Counseling Departments of six educational institutions in Cuenca. This sample is comprised of 31 boys and girls between 7 and 12 years old with ADHD. The executive functions (EF) are the most complex cognitive functions carried out by a person and they are related to the planning, self-regulation, impulse control and decision-making. These executive processes represent the visualization of neurological processes that are established as the basis of the behavior of a person in the normative development. A quantitative approach with a descriptive scope of transversal sub-type was used in this study. A socio-demographic record and the Tower of London (TOL) were used as instruments. As shown in the results, the most affected dimensions in the executive functioning were evidenced in the total of movements, the initial time, the total time, and the violation of the rules. Qualitative observations were also registered, allowing to contrast the quantitative results in the dimensions mentioned before. The results show possible deficits in the executive planning processes, executive resolution of problems, driving inhibition and impulse control, attention control, cognitive flexibility, and adherence to the rules of behavior. Additionally, based on one of the objectives of this study, no significant differences between the socio-demographic variables, age and sex, were identified. These findings represent a limitation of the study due to the lack of homogeneity in the population.