Sense of Time in Neurodevelopmental Disorders: ADHD and Developmental Dyscalculia from a Dimensional and Transdiagnostic Perspective

Highlights: What are the main findings? Children with a formal diagnosis of ADHD or DD showed lower SoT performance compared to typically developing peers. Attention and hyperactivity impairments had a greater association with SoT skills than mathematical difficulties alone. What are the implications of the main findings? From a transdiagnostic perspective, SoT difficulties are better understood within dimensionally derived groups rather than categorical diagnostic groups. Assessing specific cognitive traits, such as SoT skills, could support a more tailored clinical approach, improving diagnostic accuracy, clinical utility, and intervention planning. Background: Sense of Time (SoT) refers to a range of cognitive abilities involved in the time processing (TP) and management (TM) of temporal durations. Impairments in these abilities can impact various domains of daily life, including academic, social, and recreational activities. Recent evidence suggests that children with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs), particularly ADHD and Developmental Dyscalculia (DD), often exhibit deficits in time-related cognitive functions. Adopting a transdiagnostic approach, the present study investigates the relationships among SoT skills, inattention and hyperactivity, and mathematical difficulties, considering both categorical and dimensional perspectives. Methods: A total of 811 children completed SoT assessments (computerized tasks and self- and proxy-report questionnaires), mathematical tests, and questionnaires measuring attention and hyperactivity traits (self and proxy report). Results: Correlational analyses revealed significant associations between SoT and attention/hyperactivity, as well as between SoT and mathematical abilities. Group differences in TP and TM variables were examined using both categorical (diagnostic groups) and dimensionally derived group approaches. The results indicated more marked contrasts using the dimensional approach. Specifically, attentional and executive control difficulties appeared to have greater associations with TP and TM skills than mathematical difficulties alone. No evidence for attentional X mathematical difficulties interaction emerged. Conclusions: The SoT abilities were impaired in children with both ADHD and DD. A transdiagnostic dimensional approach allows for a more nuanced understanding of SoT profiles across different types of atypical development within the NDDs spectrum. Practical and clinical implications are discussed.