The impact of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and specific learning disorders on academic performance in Spanish children from a low-middle- and a high-income population

IntroductionPast research has demonstrated that attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), specific learning disorders (SLD), and socioeconomic status (SES) affect a host of educational outcomes. However, there are no studies examining whether SES moderates the association between these neurodevelopmental disorders (ND) and the academic achievement of children and adolescents. The present investigation examined the impact of ADHD and SLD on academic performance in 1,287 Spanish students aged 5–17 from a low-middle (LM)- and a high-income population, when adjusted for comorbidity and demographic factors that may influence educational functioning.MethodsParents completed a questionnaire regarding demographic data along with the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Additionally, teachers provided information on learning difficulties trough the Protocol for Detection and Management of Dyslexia. Teacher’s Version. Academic performance across multiple domains (i.e., first language, foreign language, mathematics) was obtained from school records. ND were determined using standardized diagnostic methods based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders criteria. To examine the effects of ADHD and SLD on academic achievement and the potential moderating role of SES, a series of ordinal logistic regressions were conducted.ResultsEmotional/behavioral problems, learning difficulties, and ND were more frequent among individuals from the LM-income population. After controlling for gender, age, parental divorce/separation, grade retention, frequency of screen use, and daily meals, both ADHD and SLD were associated with worse educational outcomes. Lower SES also increased the risk for academic impairment, although the interactions with ADHD or SLD were not significant.ConclusionThese findings indicate that ADHD and SLD exert a pervasive impact on academic performance across different socioeconomic backgrounds. Therefore, early detection and effective intervention strategies aimed at students with these ND are crucial to improve their educational functioning and mitigate the negative consequences related to academic problems

The impact of psychopathology on academic performance in school-age children and adolescents

Anxiety; Depression; Psychiatric disordersAnsiedad; Depresión; Desórdenes psiquiátricosAnsietat; Depressió; Trastorns psiquiàtricsPsychiatric symptoms have consistently been associated with negative educational outcomes. However, possible confounding variables, such as comorbid mental and environmental conditions, have not been well addressed. This study examined whether mental health problems were significantly linked to academic performance in a Spanish school-based sample, after adjustment for co-occurring psychiatric symptoms and multiple contextual factors. Parents completed a questionnaire regarding child’s sociodemographic characteristics (i.e., gender, age, type of school, socioeconomic status, ethnicity), stressful events (i.e., adoption, parental divorce/separation, grade retention) and lifestyle (i.e., diet, sleep, screen time), along with the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Academic performance was obtained from school records. The sample comprised 7036 students aged 5–17 with full data on the CBCL. Mixed-effects ordinal logistic regression analyses were conducted to investigate the association between psychopathology and academic achievement, controlling for potential confounders. When examined separately, higher scores on the CBCL scales were related to lower grades, regardless of sociodemographic factors. However, after controlling for the presence of other psychiatric symptoms, we found that students who reported more anxious/depressed and thought problems were less likely to perform poorly, while those with increased levels of attention problems and delinquent behavior had higher risk for academic underachievement. These associations remained mainly the same once stressful events and lifestyle were taken into account. This investigation demonstrates that anxious/depressed symptoms, thought problems, attention problems, and delinquent behavior are independently associated with academic performance, which emphasize the need for preventive and treatment interventions targeted at students’ mental health to improve their psychological well-being and functioning at school.This work was funded by “la Caixa” Banking Foundation, Diputació de Barcelona, Diputació de Lleida, and Ministry of Health of Generalitat de Catalunya

The impact of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and specific learning disorders on academic performance in Spanish children from a low-middle- and a high-income population

Past research has demonstrated that attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), specific learning disorders (SLD), and socioeconomic status (SES) affect a host of educational outcomes. However, there are no studies examining whether SES moderates the association between these neurodevelopmental disorders (ND) and the academic achievement of children and adolescents. The present investigation examined the impact of ADHD and SLD on academic performance in 1,287 Spanish students aged 5-17 from a low-middle (LM)- and a high-income population, when adjusted for comorbidity and demographic factors that may influence educational functioning. Parents completed a questionnaire regarding demographic data along with the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Additionally, teachers provided information on learning difficulties trough the Protocol for Detection and Management of Dyslexia. Teacher's Version. Academic performance across multiple domains (i.e., first language, foreign language, mathematics) was obtained from school records. ND were determined using standardized diagnostic methods based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders criteria. To examine the effects of ADHD and SLD on academic achievement and the potential moderating role of SES, a series of ordinal logistic regressions were conducted. Emotional/behavioral problems, learning difficulties, and ND were more frequent among individuals from the LM-income population. After controlling for gender, age, parental divorce/separation, grade retention, frequency of screen use, and daily meals, both ADHD and SLD were associated with worse educational outcomes. Lower SES also increased the risk for academic impairment, although the interactions with ADHD or SLD were not significant. These findings indicate that ADHD and SLD exert a pervasive impact on academic performance across different socioeconomic backgrounds. Therefore, early detection and effective intervention strategies aimed at students with these ND are crucial to improve their educational functioning and mitigate the negative consequences related to academic problems

Functioning assessment short test (FAST): validity and reliability in adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Quocient de l'espectre de l'autisme; Anàlisi factorial; FiabilitatCociente del espectro autista; Análisis factorial; FiabilidadAutism Spectrum quotient; Factor analysis; ReliabilityBackground The assessment of functional impairment is crucial both for the diagnosis and the therapeutic approach to autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The purpose of the present study was to evaluate whether the FAST is a reliable and valid tool to assess functional impairment in adults with Level 1 ASD and to study the differences in psychosocial functioning between younger and older adults with ASD. Methods A case–control study was carried out in a sample of 150 participants, 71 adults with Level 1 ASD, and 79 adults without psychiatric history records. Results Results showed good psychometric properties in terms of validity and reliability. Cronbach’s alpha for the total scale was .91 and the area under the curve was .98. The study also showed that adults with ASD present different profiles of functional impairment depending on their age: while younger patients present greater impairment in autonomy, older patients show more difficulties in interpersonal relationships. Conclusions Our results support the use of the FAST in the evaluation of adaptive functioning in adults with Level 1 ASD.The author ISR is currently funded by the Pla estratègic de recerca i innovació en salut (PERIS) 2016–2020 (SLT006/17/00287) and Instituto de Salud Carlos III (PI18/01788). The funders played no part in study design, collection, management, and interpretation of the data; writing the report; or the decision to submit the report for publication

Functioning assessment short test (FAST) : validity and reliability in adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Altres ajuts: PERIS, SLT006/17/00287The assessment of functional impairment is crucial both for the diagnosis and the therapeutic approach to autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The purpose of the present study was to evaluate whether the FAST is a reliable and valid tool to assess functional impairment in adults with Level 1 ASD and to study the differences in psychosocial functioning between younger and older adults with ASD. A case-control study was carried out in a sample of 150 participants, 71 adults with Level 1 ASD, and 79 adults without psychiatric history records. Results showed good psychometric properties in terms of validity and reliability. Cronbach's alpha for the total scale was.91 and the area under the curve was.98. The study also showed that adults with ASD present different profiles of functional impairment depending on their age: while younger patients present greater impairment in autonomy, older patients show more difficulties in interpersonal relationships. Our results support the use of the FAST in the evaluation of adaptive functioning in adults with Level 1 AS

The impact of psychopathology on academic performance in school-age children and adolescents

Psychiatric symptoms have consistently been associated with negative educational outcomes. However, possible confounding variables, such as comorbid mental and environmental conditions, have not been well addressed. This study examined whether mental health problems were significantly linked to academic performance in a Spanish school-based sample, after adjustment for co-occurring psychiatric symptoms and multiple contextual factors. Parents completed a questionnaire regarding child's sociodemographic characteristics (i.e., gender, age, type of school, socioeconomic status, ethnicity), stressful events (i.e., adoption, parental divorce/separation, grade retention) and lifestyle (i.e., diet, sleep, screen time), along with the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Academic performance was obtained from school records. The sample comprised 7036 students aged 5-17 with full data on the CBCL. Mixed-effects ordinal logistic regression analyses were conducted to investigate the association between psychopathology and academic achievement, controlling for potential confounders. When examined separately, higher scores on the CBCL scales were related to lower grades, regardless of sociodemographic factors. However, after controlling for the presence of other psychiatric symptoms, we found that students who reported more anxious/depressed and thought problems were less likely to perform poorly, while those with increased levels of attention problems and delinquent behavior had higher risk for academic underachievement. These associations remained mainly the same once stressful events and lifestyle were taken into account. This investigation demonstrates that anxious/depressed symptoms, thought problems, attention problems, and delinquent behavior are independently associated with academic performance, which emphasize the need for preventive and treatment interventions targeted at students' mental health to improve their psychological well-being and functioning at schoo

Genetic association study of childhood aggression across raters, instruments, and age

Genòmica; Comportament humàGenómica; Comportamiento humanoGenomics; Human behaviourChildhood aggressive behavior (AGG) has a substantial heritability of around 50%. Here we present a genome-wide association meta-analysis (GWAMA) of childhood AGG, in which all phenotype measures across childhood ages from multiple assessors were included. We analyzed phenotype assessments for a total of 328 935 observations from 87 485 children aged between 1.5 and 18 years, while accounting for sample overlap. We also meta-analyzed within subsets of the data, i.e., within rater, instrument and age. SNP-heritability for the overall meta-analysis (AGGoverall) was 3.31% (SE = 0.0038). We found no genome-wide significant SNPs for AGGoverall. The gene-based analysis returned three significant genes: ST3GAL3 (P = 1.6E–06), PCDH7 (P = 2.0E–06), and IPO13 (P = 2.5E–06). All three genes have previously been associated with educational traits. Polygenic scores based on our GWAMA significantly predicted aggression in a holdout sample of children (variance explained = 0.44%) and in retrospectively assessed childhood aggression (variance explained = 0.20%). Genetic correlations (rg) among rater-specific assessment of AGG ranged from rg = 0.46 between self- and teacher-assessment to rg = 0.81 between mother- and teacher-assessment. We obtained moderate-to-strong rgs with selected phenotypes from multiple domains, but hardly with any of the classical biomarkers thought to be associated with AGG. Significant genetic correlations were observed with most psychiatric and psychological traits (range |rg|: 0.19–1.00), except for obsessive-compulsive disorder. Aggression had a negative genetic correlation (rg = ~−0.5) with cognitive traits and age at first birth. Aggression was strongly genetically correlated with smoking phenotypes (range |rg|: 0.46–0.60). The genetic correlations between aggression and psychiatric disorders were weaker for teacher-reported AGG than for mother- and self-reported AGG. The current GWAMA of childhood aggression provides a powerful tool to interrogate the rater-specific genetic etiology of AGG.We very warmly thank all participants, their parents, and teachers for making this study possible. The project was supported by the “Aggression in Children: Unraveling gene-environment interplay to inform Treatment and InterventiON strategies” project (ACTION). ACTION received funding from the European Union Seventh Framework Program (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement no 602768. Cohort-specific acknowledgements and funding information may be found in the Supplementary text

L'impacte del trastorn per dèficit d'atenció i hiperactivitat i el trastorn específic de l'aprenentatge en el rendiment acadèmic. l'efecte modulador del nivell socioeconòmic

El Trastorn per dèficit d'Atenció i Hiperactivitat (TDAH) i el Trastorn Específic de l'Aprenentatge (TA) son els trastorns del neurodesenvolupament més prevalents entre la població infanto-juvenil. La literatura científica ha demostrat una forta relació negativa entre la presència d'aquests dos trastorns, el baix nivell socioeconòmic amb el baix rendiment acadèmic a la infància i adolescència. Aquesta relació està ben establertes però no hi ha estudis que examinin si el nivell socioeconòmic modula l'associació entre aquests trastorns i el rendiment acadèmic en les diferents matèries troncals (primera llengua, matemàtiques i anglès). Paral·lelament, la conjuntura educativa a Catalunya posa de manifest un sistema educatiu en què la prevalença de l'abandonament prematur de l'escolarització i formació és una de les més elevades d'Europa. En aquest context, recentment ha crescut l'interès en la implementació de mesures de prevenció de l'abandonament i fracàs escolar al nostre entorn. Els objectius del present treball de tesi doctoral son per una banda millorar el coneixement existent sobre el Qüestionari de punts forts i dificultats (SDQ), que es tracta d'una eina per a la detecció precoç de trastorns psicopatològics en la infància i adolescència, incloent l'estudi de les propietats psicomètriques de l'instrument i l'establiment de dades normatives en població catalana i per altra banda, ampliar el coneixement sobre l'impacte del TDAH i el TA en el rendiment acadèmic i analitzar, mitjançant un estudi d'associació, de quina manera el nivell socioeconòmic pot modular aquesta interacció. El primer estudi determina que l'instrument SDQ presenta unes propietats psicomètriques adequades, fet que en justifica el seu ús com a eina per facilitar el cribratge dels trastorns psicopatològics en la infància i l'adolescència. Tot i que el qüestionari ha estat validat internacionalment, es tracta del primer estudi en l'àmbit espanyol que analitza les característiques psicomètriques en una gran mostra de nens i adolescents, considerant tots els informants: pares, mestres i adolescents, i un ampli rang d'edat (de 5 a 17 anys). El segon estudi ha confirmat que el TDAH i el TA s'associen a la presència del baix rendiment acadèmic en les matèries específiques (primera llengua, llengua estrangera i matemàtiques) i que aquesta relació es manté inclús tenint en compte els estils de vida o situacions estressants que poden influir negativament en el rendiment acadèmic (edat, gènere, separació dels pares o divorci, repetició escolar, freqüència d'exposició a pantalles i hàbits d'alimentació). Pel que fa al nivell socioeconòmic, s'ha comprovat que prediu el baix rendiment acadèmic en aquestes assignatures, però, en canvi, no modifica el risc que ja confereixen per si sols els trastorns del neurodesenvolupament. Aquests treballs en el seu conjunt, estimulen una línia de recerca centrada en la detecció precoç dels trastorns del neurodesenvolupament amb l'objectiu de prevenir el baix rendiment acadèmic, millorar la qualitat de vida dels pacients i de les seves famílies.El Trastorno por déficit de Atención e Hiperactividad (TDAH) y el Trastorno Específico del Aprendizaje (TA) son los trastornos del neurodesarrollo más prevalentes entre la población infanto-juvenil. La literatura científica ha demostrado una fuerte relación negativa entre la presencia de estos dos trastornos, el bajo nivel socioeconómico con el bajo rendimiento académico. Esta relación está bien establecida pero no hay estudios que examinen si el nivel socioeconómico modula la asociación entre estos trastornos y el rendimiento académico para las diferentes asignaturas (primera lengua, matemáticas e inglés). La coyuntura educativa en Cataluña pone de manifiesto un sistema educativo en el que la prevalencia del abandono prematuro de la escolarización y formación en es una de las más elevadas de Europa. En este contexto, recientemente ha crecido el interés en la implementación de medidas de prevención del abandono y fracaso escolar en nuestro entorno. Los objetivos del presente trabajo de tesis doctoral son los siguientes: En primer lugar, mejorar el conocimiento existente sobre el Cuestionario de puntos fuertes y dificultades (SDQ), que se trata de una herramienta para la detección precoz de trastornos psicopatológicos en la infancia y adolescencia, incluyendo el estudio de las propiedades psicométricas del instrumento y el establecimiento de baremos para la población catalana. En segundo lugar, ampliar el conocimiento sobre el impacto del TDAH y el TA en el rendimiento académico y analizar, mediante un estudio de asociación, cómo el nivel socioeconómico puede modular esta interacción. El primer estudio determina que el cuestionario SDQ presenta unas propiedades psicométricas adecuadas, lo que justifica su uso como herramienta para facilitar el cribado de los trastornos psicopatológicos en la infancia y la adolescencia. Aunque el cuestionario ha sido validado internacionalmente, se trata del primer estudio en nuestro ámbito que analiza las características psicométricas en una gran muestra de niños y adolescentes, considerando a todos los informantes: padres, maestros y adolescentes, y para un amplio rango de edad (de 5 a 17 años). El segundo estudio ha confirmado que el TDAH y el TA se asocian a la presencia de un bajo rendimiento académico en primera lengua, lengua extranjera y matemáticas, y que, esta relación se mantiene incluso teniendo en cuenta los estilos de vida o situaciones estresantes que pueden influir negativamente en el rendimiento académico (edad, género, separación de los padres o divorcio, repetición escolar, frecuencia de exposición a pantallas y hábitos de alimentación). Por lo que respecta al nivel socioeconómico, se ha comprobado que predice el bajo rendimiento académico en estas asignaturas, pero, en cambio, no modifica el riesgo que ya confieren por sí solos los trastornos del neurodesarrollo. Estos trabajos en su conjunto, estimulan una línea de investigación centrada en la detección precoz de los trastornos del neurodesarrollo con el objetivo de prevenir el bajo rendimiento académico, mejorar la calidad de vida de los pacientes y sus familias.Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Specific Learning Disorder (SLD) are the most prevalent neurodevelopmental disorders among the child and adolescent population. Scientific literature has shown a strong negative relationship between the presence of these two disorders, low socioeconomic level and with low academic performance. This relationship is well established, but there are no studies that examine whether socioeconomic level modulates the association between these disorders and academic performance for different subjects (first language, mathematics, and English). Catalonia's Educational situation reveals a system in which the prevalence of early school leaving and training is one of the highest in Europe. Implementation of measures to prevent school dropout and failure in our environment has recently grown. The aim of this doctoral thesis are to improve existing knowledge about the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), which is a tool for the early detection of psychopathological disorders in childhood and adolescence, including the study of the psychometric properties of the instrument and the establishment of scales for the Catalan population and to study the impact of ADHD and SLD on academic performance and to analyze, through an association study, how socioeconomic level can modulate this interaction. First study determines that the SDQ has adequate psychometric properties, which justifies it as a useful tool for psychopathological screening in childhood and adolescence. Although the questionnaire has been internationally validated, it is the first study that analyzes the psychometric characteristics in a large sample of children and adolescents, considering all informants: parents, teachers, and adolescents, and for a wide age range. Second study has confirmed that ADHD and SLD are associated with low academic performance in the first language, foreign language and mathematics, and how this relationship is maintained even taking into account lifestyles or stressful situations that may negatively influence academic performance (age, gender, parental separation or divorce, school repetition, frequency of exposure to screens and eating habits). Regarding socioeconomic level, it has been proven that predicts poor academic performance, but, on the other hand, it does not modify the risk that neurodevelopmental disorders already confer by themselves. These works as a whole, stimulate a line of research focused on the early detection of neurodevelopmental disorders with the aim of preventing low academic performance, improving the quality of life of patients and their families

L’impacte del trastorn per dèficit d’atenció i hiperactivitat i el trastorn específic de l’aprenentatge en el rendiment acadèmic. l’efecte modulador del nivell socioeconòmic

El Trastorn per dèficit d’Atenció i Hiperactivitat (TDAH) i el Trastorn Específic de l’Aprenentatge (TA) son els trastorns del neurodesenvolupament més prevalents entre la població infanto-juvenil. La literatura científica ha demostrat una forta relació negativa entre la presència d’aquests dos trastorns, el baix nivell socioeconòmic amb el baix rendiment acadèmic a la infància i adolescència. Aquesta relació està ben establertes però no hi ha estudis que examinin si el nivell socioeconòmic modula l’associació entre aquests trastorns i el rendiment acadèmic en les diferents matèries troncals (primera llengua, matemàtiques i anglès). Paral·lelament, la conjuntura educativa a Catalunya posa de manifest un sistema educatiu en què la prevalença de l’abandonament prematur de l’escolarització i formació és una de les més elevades d’Europa. En aquest context, recentment ha crescut l’interès en la implementació de mesures de prevenció de l’abandonament i fracàs escolar al nostre entorn. Els objectius del present treball de tesi doctoral son per una banda millorar el coneixement existent sobre el Qüestionari de punts forts i dificultats (SDQ), que es tracta d’una eina per a la detecció precoç de trastorns psicopatològics en la infància i adolescència, incloent l’estudi de les propietats psicomètriques de l’instrument i l’establiment de dades normatives en població catalana i per altra banda, ampliar el coneixement sobre l’impacte del TDAH i el TA en el rendiment acadèmic i analitzar, mitjançant un estudi d’associació, de quina manera el nivell socioeconòmic pot modular aquesta interacció. El primer estudi determina que l’instrument SDQ presenta unes propietats psicomètriques adequades, fet que en justifica el seu ús com a eina per facilitar el cribratge dels trastorns psicopatològics en la infància i l’adolescència. Tot i que el qüestionari ha estat validat internacionalment, es tracta del primer estudi en l’àmbit espanyol que analitza les característiques psicomètriques en una gran mostra de nens i adolescents, considerant tots els informants: pares, mestres i adolescents, i un ampli rang d’edat (de 5 a 17 anys). El segon estudi ha confirmat que el TDAH i el TA s’associen a la presència del baix rendiment acadèmic en les matèries específiques (primera llengua, llengua estrangera i matemàtiques) i que aquesta relació es manté inclús tenint en compte els estils de vida o situacions estressants que poden influir negativament en el rendiment acadèmic (edat, gènere, separació dels pares o divorci, repetició escolar, freqüència d’exposició a pantalles i hàbits d’alimentació). Pel que fa al nivell socioeconòmic, s’ha comprovat que prediu el baix rendiment acadèmic en aquestes assignatures, però, en canvi, no modifica el risc que ja confereixen per si sols els trastorns del neurodesenvolupament. Aquests treballs en el seu conjunt, estimulen una línia de recerca centrada en la detecció precoç dels trastorns del neurodesenvolupament amb l’objectiu de prevenir el baix rendiment acadèmic, millorar la qualitat de vida dels pacients i de les seves famílies.El Trastorno por déficit de Atención e Hiperactividad (TDAH) y el Trastorno Específico del Aprendizaje (TA) son los trastornos del neurodesarrollo más prevalentes entre la población infanto-juvenil. La literatura científica ha demostrado una fuerte relación negativa entre la presencia de estos dos trastornos, el bajo nivel socioeconómico con el bajo rendimiento académico. Esta relación está bien establecida pero no hay estudios que examinen si el nivel socioeconómico modula la asociación entre estos trastornos y el rendimiento académico para las diferentes asignaturas (primera lengua, matemáticas e inglés). La coyuntura educativa en Cataluña pone de manifiesto un sistema educativo en el que la prevalencia del abandono prematuro de la escolarización y formación en es una de las más elevadas de Europa. En este contexto, recientemente ha crecido el interés en la implementación de medidas de prevención del abandono y fracaso escolar en nuestro entorno. Los objetivos del presente trabajo de tesis doctoral son los siguientes: En primer lugar, mejorar el conocimiento existente sobre el Cuestionario de puntos fuertes y dificultades (SDQ), que se trata de una herramienta para la detección precoz de trastornos psicopatológicos en la infancia y adolescencia, incluyendo el estudio de las propiedades psicométricas del instrumento y el establecimiento de baremos para la población catalana. En segundo lugar, ampliar el conocimiento sobre el impacto del TDAH y el TA en el rendimiento académico y analizar, mediante un estudio de asociación, cómo el nivel socioeconómico puede modular esta interacción. El primer estudio determina que el cuestionario SDQ presenta unas propiedades psicométricas adecuadas, lo que justifica su uso como herramienta para facilitar el cribado de los trastornos psicopatológicos en la infancia y la adolescencia. Aunque el cuestionario ha sido validado internacionalmente, se trata del primer estudio en nuestro ámbito que analiza las características psicométricas en una gran muestra de niños y adolescentes, considerando a todos los informantes: padres, maestros y adolescentes, y para un amplio rango de edad (de 5 a 17 años). El segundo estudio ha confirmado que el TDAH y el TA se asocian a la presencia de un bajo rendimiento académico en primera lengua, lengua extranjera y matemáticas, y que, esta relación se mantiene incluso teniendo en cuenta los estilos de vida o situaciones estresantes que pueden influir negativamente en el rendimiento académico (edad, género, separación de los padres o divorcio, repetición escolar, frecuencia de exposición a pantallas y hábitos de alimentación). Por lo que respecta al nivel socioeconómico, se ha comprobado que predice el bajo rendimiento académico en estas asignaturas, pero, en cambio, no modifica el riesgo que ya confieren por sí solos los trastornos del neurodesarrollo. Estos trabajos en su conjunto, estimulan una línea de investigación centrada en la detección precoz de los trastornos del neurodesarrollo con el objetivo de prevenir el bajo rendimiento académico, mejorar la calidad de vida de los pacientes y sus familias.Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Specific Learning Disorder (SLD) are the most prevalent neurodevelopmental disorders among the child and adolescent population. Scientific literature has shown a strong negative relationship between the presence of these two disorders, low socioeconomic level and with low academic performance. This relationship is well established, but there are no studies that examine whether socioeconomic level modulates the association between these disorders and academic performance for different subjects (first language, mathematics, and English). Catalonia’s Educational situation reveals a system in which the prevalence of early school leaving and training is one of the highest in Europe. Implementation of measures to prevent school dropout and failure in our environment has recently grown. The aim of this doctoral thesis are to improve existing knowledge about the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), which is a tool for the early detection of psychopathological disorders in childhood and adolescence, including the study of the psychometric properties of the instrument and the establishment of scales for the Catalan population and to study the impact of ADHD and SLD on academic performance and to analyze, through an association study, how socioeconomic level can modulate this interaction. First study determines that the SDQ has adequate psychometric properties, which justifies it as a useful tool for psychopathological screening in childhood and adolescence. Although the questionnaire has been internationally validated, it is the first study that analyzes the psychometric characteristics in a large sample of children and adolescents, considering all informants: parents, teachers, and adolescents, and for a wide age range. Second study has confirmed that ADHD and SLD are associated with low academic performance in the first language, foreign language and mathematics, and how this relationship is maintained even taking into account lifestyles or stressful situations that may negatively influence academic performance (age, gender, parental separation or divorce, school repetition, frequency of exposure to screens and eating habits). Regarding socioeconomic level, it has been proven that predicts poor academic performance, but, on the other hand, it does not modify the risk that neurodevelopmental disorders already confer by themselves. These works as a whole, stimulate a line of research focused on the early detection of neurodevelopmental disorders with the aim of preventing low academic performance, improving the quality of life of patients and their families.Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Programa de Doctorat en Psiquiatri