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Language Difficulties in Children with ADHD
This study appeared in the October 1998 issue of the Journal of Child Neurology (pages 493-497). The authors of this paper call attention to the frequent presence of language difficulties in children with ADHD - an important problem that is often overlooked.
From an initial sample of 3208 children who were screened for ADHD, just over 5% were identified as having ADHD. These children, along with a randomly selected sample of the non- ADHD children, were then given IQ tests and language evaluations. Among the children with ADHD, 45% were identified as having language difficulties, and this occurred more often in girls than in boys. The percentage of children with language problems was much higher, of course, than for children without ADHD. In fact, children's performance on the language evaluation was more discrepant for the ADHD and non-ADHD children than was their performance on a routine IQ test. This is important because the authors note that the language difficulties for many children with ADHD were not reflected in their IQ test results.
In discussing these results, the authors indicate that undiagnosed, and hence, untreated language difficulties may contribute substantially to the academic difficulties experienced by many children with ADHD. They argue, therefore, that language evaluations should be part of the routine assessment of children with ADHD.
This is the first study that I have seen of this issue, but it is a well conducted study and the concern it raises about unaddressed language problems in children with ADHD is certainly an important one. If you have concerns about possible language difficulties in your child that may be contributing to difficulties with academic functioning, pursuing an evaluation of your child's language functioning should be considered. This can generally be obtained at no charge through the public school system.
Note: This article originally appeared in Attention Research Update, an online newsletter written by Dr. David Rabiner, a Duke University psychologist and former member of CHADD's Professional Advisory Board. You can learn more about Attention Research Update and sign up for a free subscription at www.helpforadd.com.