Study of divergent thinking and task performance in children with ADHD through a modular robotic task

This study investigates the divergent thinking components and task performance of children with Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) using the CreaCube task, a manipulative robotic activity. We hypothesize that children with ADHD will exhibit higher levels of fluency, flexibility, and originality in their problem-solving compared to their neurotypical peers. The study included fifteen children aged 9 to 14, including seven diagnosed with ADHD and eight controls. The CreaCube task required participants to assemble modular robotic cubes. We examined the components of divergent thinking and the time it took to solve the task. Despite finding no significant differences between ADHD and neurotypical children, behavioral observations suggest distinct exploratory patterns among participants with ADHD. These preliminary findings show the potential of robotics-based tasks for studying creative problem-solving approaches in ADHD. Through this study, we show the relevance of educational robotics for capturing the interactive nature of creativity in children with ADHD.