Abstract

We have hypothesized, on the basis of neuropsychological findings and of previous studies, that temporal processing is an important component not only in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders (ADHD), but also in various forms of Special Educational Needs such as Specific Learning Disorders (SLD), Borderline Intellectual Functioning (BIF). Two studies have been carried out on the specific abilities of processing temporal stimuli. The first study compared 60 children with Special Educational Needs, with 60 children from the same classes, with typical development and learning. The second study compared three groups of children, all with Special Educational Needs: 27 ADHD, 27 SLD, 16 BIF. The results showed significant difficulties in time management in students with Special Educational Needs, with a worst performance in BIF compared to SLD, also with respect to ADHD in the discrimination of intervals.