Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

The DDlab group investigates socio-relational, emotional, and cognitive processes in children and adolescents with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). A core objective of our work is to examine the similarities and differences between ADHD and other neurodevelopmental conditions—particularly Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD)—with a specific focus on differential diagnosis and transdiagnostic symptom dimensions.

Our current research activities are structured around three main lines of inquiry:

• Socio-relational competencies, with a specific focus on aggressive and prosocial behaviors in children with ADHD and ODD. This line explores both distal factors (e.g., parenting practices) and proximal mechanisms (e.g., emotional states, cognitive processes, physiological arousal) that shape children’s social functioning.
• Self-perception of competence, focusing on the Positive Illusory Bias often observed in children and adolescents with ADHD. We examine how inflated self-perceptions relate to emotional well-being and behavioral outcomes, and how these patterns differ across clinical profiles.
• Emotional dysregulation and digital media use in individuals with ADHD, investigating how challenges in emotional regulation may interact with digital media engagement. This line of research is conducted in collaboration with Prof. Lisa B. Thorell (Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden).

Through these research avenues, DDlab aims to advance the understanding of the psychological mechanisms underlying behavioral and emotional difficulties in ADHD, with the ultimate goal of informing evidence-based clinical assessment and intervention strategies.

Crisci, G., Cardillo R., Mammarella, I.C. (2024).
Social perception, social performance and social knowledge in children and adolescents with ADHD and with Autism. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology.

Cardillo R., Crisci, G., Seregni S., Mammarella, I.C. (2023).
Social perception in children and adolescents with ADHD: The role of higher-order cognitive skills. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 135, 104440.

Crisci, G., Caviola, S., Cardillo, R., & Mammarella, I. C. (2021).
Executive functions in neurodevelopmental disorders: Comorbidity overlaps between attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder and specific learning disorders. Frontiers in human neuroscience, 15, 35.

Crisci, G., Cardillo, R., & Mammarella, I. C. (2021).
The Processes Underlying Positive Illusory Bias in ADHD: The Role of Executive Functions and Pragmatic Language Skills. Journal of Attention Disorders, 26(9), 1245-1256.

Capodieci, A., Crisci, G., & Mammarella, I. C. (2019).
Does Positive Illusory Bias Affect Self-Concept and Loneliness in Children With Symptoms of ADHD?. Journal of attention disorders, 23(11), 1274-1283.

Crisci, G., Capodieci, A., & Mammarella, I. C. (2018).
Children with Symptoms of ADHD: Relationship between Internalizing Problems and Social Skills. Psicologia Clinica dello Sviluppo, 22(3), 515-533.

Mammarella, I. C., Cardillo, R., & Caviola, S. (2019).
La memoria di lavoro nei disturbi del neurosviluppo: Dalle evidenze scientifiche alle applicazioni cliniche ed educative. Franco Angeli.

Salviato, C., Cornoldi, C., & Mammarella, I. C. (2020).
Intervento per le difficoltà socio-relazionali: Programma cognitivo-comportamentale sulle social skills per ragazzi con autismo, ADHD e altri disturbi. Erickson.