Whisper Characteristics Of Children With Adhd And Its Role In Executive Function Tasks

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most frequently encountered childhood disorders in an educational setting. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders,Fourth Edition—Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR; APA, 2000) distinguishes three subtypes of ADHD (Hyperactive-Impulsive Type, Inattentive Type, and Combined Type)which are determined by the pattern of symptoms observed.Congnitive neropsychology theory tends to explain the core deficit of ADHD in a view of brain congnitive impairment. Interalization of speeeh is an important tool for organize and construct in congnitive process which is jointed with congnitive arousal and sustained attention.The current study sought to examine Barkley's theory, that the nature of one of the four proposed exeutive function deficits in children with ADHD, namely private speech.Using a variety of experimental tasks, the current study sought to examine private speech of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and normal controls children in two executive functioning tasks.The data allowed us to explore the underlying mechanisms of delay of self-regulation private speech and their deficits in executive functioning of children with ADHD.Forty-four children (22 children with ADHD and 22 matched controls) aged 6-12 years participated.This study includes two experimentals. Experimental 1 investigated private speech of children with ADHD and normal controls children during Continuous Performance Test-II task. Experimental 2 investigated private speech of children of the same two group during problem-solving tasks.The results showed that:(1) During the Continuous Performance Test-II task, children with ADHD have displayed longer time and lower correct rate to complete the task than the normal control group, indicating that children with ADHD displayed significancely poorer performance in the inhibition/attention task.(2) Although during the Continuous Performance Test-II task, children of ADHD produced total private speech as much as their normal controls,but children with ADHD produced more task relevant external and more task-relevant internal private speech.(3) During problem-solving tasks, children with ADHD produced more task-irrelevant and task-relevant external private speech than control children, but did not differ in their use of task-relevant internal private speech, suggesting that they may have employed a less mature strategy to aid in self-regulation.The results of the current study lend support to Barkley's model of ADHD. Children with ADHD have implicated self-directed overt and internalized speech, their internalization of speeeh was delayed. They may have employed a less mature strategy to aid in self-regulation. Consistent with Yygotskian view that private speech has an adaptive function in the self-regulation of behaviour.The implication of the current study is that there should be an increased awareness of the developmental nature and functional significance of private speech in children with ADHD. The results of this study may provide some suggestions on intervention of children with ADHD.