Listening Comprehension Skills in Children with Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder: A Review Study

Abstract

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity that may begin in early childhood and continue into adolescence and adulthood and are incompatible with the developmental level of the individual. Most children with ADHD are at risk of facing significant academic problems throughout their educational life. In recent studies aiming to reveal the causes of academic problems experienced by children with ADHD, academic problems have been associated with the difficulties in reading and listening comprehension skills of children with ADHD. The relatively common prevalence of ADHD, the extent of academic problems experienced by children with ADHD, and the lack of clarity about reading difficulties require further examination of the relationship between ADHD and reading and listening comprehension skills, which are often based on the same language and cognitive skills. Listening comprehension, which is defined as the ability to understand, interpret, organise and evaluate the ideas and thoughts in a speech heard or a text read aloud, is one of the most important early literacy skills necessary for the ultimate goal of reading, which is reading comprehension. In this review study, listening comprehension skills of children with ADHD were discussed together with the literature.