Abstract

adhd is the most commonly diagnosed neurodevelopmental disorder in schoolchildren. Evidence indicates that executive functions, such as processing speed and working memory, are affected in students with adhd, although there is no definitive agreement on their systematic presence in this disorder. This research aims to determine whether processing speed and working memory correspond to cognitive variables in adhd. A total of 138 students aged 10 to 17 years participated. adhd was determined with the vadtrs scale; processing speed was assessed with a graphomotor speed task and working memory with a digit task. A cross-sectional, univariate, intersubject design was used for data analysis. The vadtrs detected one group with adhd (N = 97) and one without adhd (N = 41). Processing speed and working memory tasks were applied to both groups; analyses detected significant differences in these variables between the adhd and non- adhd groups. The adhd group was divided according to presentation; no significant differences were detected in processing speed; working memory showed significantly lower performance in the inattentive and combined adhd presentations. Processing speed and working memory appear to distinguish between subjects with and without adhd, processing speed does not appear to distinguish between presentations, and working memory appears impaired in those presentations in which the attentional component is defining. © 2023, Fundacion para el Avance de la Psicologia. All rights reserved.