Consequences of Co-Occurring Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder on Children's Language Impairments

Abstract

Purpose Co-occurring attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and communication disorders represent a frequently encountered challenge for school-based practitioners. The purpose of the present study was to examine in more detail the clinical phenomenology of co-occurring ADHD and language impairments (LIs). Method Measures of nonword repetition, sentence recall, and tense marking were collected from 57 seven- to nine-year-old children. The performances of children with ADHD+LI status were compared with those of children with specific language impairment (SLI) and children with typical development (TD). Results ADHD status had no independent detrimental impact on the affected children’s LIs (SLI = ADHD+LI < TD). A modest positive correlation was found between the severity of children’s ADHD symptoms and their sentence recall performance, suggesting a tendency for affected children who had higher levels of ADHD symptoms to perform better than those children with lower levels. Conclusion These outcomes are difficult to reconcile with attention-deficit/information-processing accounts of the core deficits associated with SLI. Potential protective mechanisms associated with ADHD status are discussed.

Language Impairment in the Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Context

“…Information on this question is limited. Redmond, Ash, and Hogan (2015) administered measures of tense marking, nonword repetition, and sentence recall to children with SLI, ADHD+LI, and TD. The results indicated that performance levels associated with the SLI and ADHD+LI groups were very similar, indicating that ADHD had no independent detrimental impact on children's LI.…”

Markers, Models, and Measurement Error: Exploring the Links Between Attention Deficits and Language Impairments

“…For instance, demonstration that ADHD+LI < SLI in performance on either tense marking, nonword repetition, or sentence recall would provide support to the premise that components of information processing that have been implicated in ADHD represent potential causal contributors to children's language impairments. Redmond, Ash, and Hogan (2015) compared the performances of children with ADHD+LI on tense marking, nonword repetition and sentence recall to those of a matched group of children with SLI and those of children with TD. Data for some of the participants in the SLI and TD group were taken from the Redmond et al (2011) study sample.…”

Are working memory and behavioral attention equally important for both reading and listening comprehension? A developmental comparison

“…Although attention is related to working memory, the correlations for both ratings scales and objective tests with working memory are typically moderate (e.g., Swanson, 2011 ). In relation to attention and comprehension, several studies have demonstrated a relation between ADHD and poor reading and listening comprehension (Brock & Knapp, 1996 ; Martinussen & Mackenzie, 2015 ; McInnes, Humphries, Hogg-Johnson, & Tannock, 2003 ; Redmond, Ash, & Hogan, 2015 ). This is most likely due to children with ADHD having fewer cognitive resources to allocate to the integration of ideas within a text and the construction of the mental model, evidenced by poorer recall of the central ideas in a text (Miller et al 2013 ).…”