Editing Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (section)

=== Executive function and motivation ===
ADHD arises from a core deficit in executive functions (e.g., [[attentional control]], [[inhibitory control]], and [[working memory]]), which are a set of [[Cognition|cognitive processes]] that are required to successfully select and monitor behaviours that facilitate the attainment of one's chosen goals.<ref name="Malenka pathways" /><ref name="Executive functions" /> The executive function impairments that occur in ADHD individuals result in problems with staying organised, time keeping, [[procrastination]] control, maintaining concentration, paying attention, ignoring distractions, regulating emotions, and remembering details.<ref name="Brown_2008" /><ref name="Malenka ADHD neurosci" /><ref name="Malenka pathways" /> People with ADHD appear to have unimpaired long-term memory, and deficits in long-term recall appear to be attributed to impairments in working memory.<ref name="pmid24232170">{{cite journal |vauthors=Skodzik T, Holling H, Pedersen A |title=Long-Term Memory Performance in Adult ADHD |journal=[[Journal of Attention Disorders]] |volume=21 |issue=4 |pages=267–283 |date=February 2017 |pmid=24232170 |doi=10.1177/1087054713510561 |s2cid=27070077}}</ref> Due to the rates of brain maturation and the increasing demands for executive control as a person gets older, ADHD impairments may not fully manifest themselves until adolescence or even early adulthood.<ref name="Brown_2008" /> Conversely, brain maturation trajectories, potentially exhibiting diverging longitudinal trends in ADHD, may support a later improvement in executive functions after reaching adulthood.<ref name="Tarchi_2022" />

ADHD has also been associated with motivational deficits in children. Children with ADHD often find it difficult to focus on long-term over short-term rewards, and exhibit impulsive behaviour for short-term rewards.<ref name="Motivation">{{cite journal |vauthors=Modesto-Lowe V, Chaplin M, Soovajian V, Meyer A |title=Are motivation deficits underestimated in patients with ADHD? A review of the literature |journal=Postgraduate Medicine |volume=125 |issue=4 |pages=47–52 |date=July 2013 |pmid=23933893 |doi=10.3810/pgm.2013.07.2677 |quote=Behavioral studies show altered processing of reinforcement and incentives in children with ADHD. These children respond more impulsively to rewards and choose small, immediate rewards over larger, delayed incentives. Interestingly, a high intensity of reinforcement is effective in improving task performance in children with ADHD. Pharmacotherapy may also improve task persistence in these children.&nbsp;... Previous studies suggest that a clinical approach using interventions to improve motivational processes in patients with ADHD may improve outcomes as children with ADHD transition into adolescence and adulthood. |s2cid=24817804}}</ref>