Comprehension skills: A comparison of language-impaired preschool children with and without attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

The purpose of the present investigation was to (1) determine the prevalence of attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in preschool aged children who had also been diagnosed with a speech and/or language disorder and (2) compare the comprehension skills of language impaired preschool children with and without ADHD. Thirty children with impaired receptive and expressive language skills (LI), 15 LI-Only and 15 with LI and a diagnosis of ADHD, were administered three measures of language comprehension. These measures were the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised (PPVT-R), the Test for the Auditory Comprehension of Language-Revised (TACL-R), and the Preschool Language Assessment Instrument (PLAI). Of interest was whether the children with the dual diagnosis of language impairment and ADHD demonstrate any significant differences from their language impaired peers on these measures. Results indicated 48% of the children diagnosed with a speech and/or language disability also received a diagnosis of ADHD. ADHD was more common (71%) in children with impaired receptive and expressive language skills than in children with impaired expressive skills only (42%), or with impaired speech skills only (12%). A Chi-square indicated a significant difference in the proportion of ADHD versus non ADHD children in children diagnosed with some type of speech and/or language disorder. Additional results indicated that as a group the LI-ADHD children differed significantly only on Subtest III on the TACL-R (Elaborated Sentences) and the Total Score of this measure. The groups did not significantly differ on any of the remaining measures. These findings indicate the presence of a language disorder and ADHD frequently overlap in preschool children. Further, the presence of ADHD in the LI child seems to selectively impair the child's ability to understand complex sentences. These findings suggest that professional working with children need to be on the lookout for children who may exhibit this dual diagnosis so that appropriate diagnosis and treatment can be provided. Lastly, the findings indicate a need for further research to explore other possible language differences between these two groups of children.