Abstract
Communicative differences are a feature of ADHD and measuring differences in verbal behavior can elucidate critical features of the disorder. This study focuses on quantity of verbal output through investigating the verbal productivity and length of turns in children with ADHD compared to age-matched typically developing (TD) children. The participants were twenty Saudi 4-5 year old boys. Ten were typically developing and ten had a diagnosis of ADHD. A 30 minute sample of speech during free play was collected from each child in conversation with an unfamiliar adult interlocutor (UI). All sessions were filmed and audio-recoded, the interactions transcribed then number of turns and whole words per turn counted. The results were statistically analyzed and showed that children with ADHD had a reduced verbal output with respect to total number of words, total number of verbal turns and average number of words per turn compared to typically developing children of similar age. It is argued that the differences are evidence of the negative effect of the core behavioral characteristics of ADHD on verbal pragmatic skills.
Highlights
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) refers to a cluster of pronounced difficulties in the areas of inattention, distractibility and hyperactivity that lead to significant impairment in academic and social functioning [1]
Mann-Whitney U test revealed that the total number of words in the ADHD group was significantly lower when compared with the typically developing (TD) group (Mann-Whitney U=10, Z=3.024, p=0.001)
The average number of words per turn in the sessions with unfamiliar adult interlocutor (UI) in the TD group ranged from a minimum of 1.9 to a maximum of 4.425 with a median of 2.467 and an IQR of 1.444 while in the ADHD group it ranged from a minimum of 1.111 to a maximum of 3.340 with a median of 1.618 and an IQR of 0.620
Summary
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) refers to a cluster of pronounced difficulties in the areas of inattention, distractibility and hyperactivity that lead to significant impairment in academic and social functioning [1]. Two-thirds of children with ADHD have an additional coexisting disorder [5] and more than one-third have at least three comorbid conditions [6] e.g., anxiety, conduct disorders, depression, and learning disability. Estimates of the overlap between speech and language disorders and ADHD vary from as low as 8% to as high as 90%, depending on the source and type of sample. In their seminal review of language deficits that are associated with ADHD, highlighted the predominance of difficulties in the area of verbal pragmatics (i.e., difficulties in social use of language) [7]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
