ADHD
The role of the SLP
ASHA
symptoms, assessment, intervention
Weaknesses in pragmatics
- poor social skills
- interrupting
- talking out of turn
- poor topic maintenance
(Hill, 2000)
Weaknesses in literacy
- difficulty with reading comphrension because of weaknesses in fluency and processing speed (Paul & Norbury, 2012)
- can often appear in children without co-occurring reading disorder (Jacobson et al., 2011)
Consider symptoms when asking clinical question
- often co-occurs with language disorders (Mueller & Tomblin, 2012)
- more severe the symptoms, more likely to have language disorder (Mueller & Tomblin, 2012)
- symptoms of ADHD sometimes require specific strategies during intervention (Paul and Norbury, 2012)
Educate other Professionals and advocate for language screenings
- ADHD symptoms are a risk factor for reading disorders (Greven et al., 2012)
- best practice suggests language evaluations should be a part of every ADHD assessment and diagnosis (HIll, 2000)
- Educate and assist other professionals in recognizing language impairments that often accompany ADHD (HIll, 2000)
- Advocate for use of CCC-2 when full evaluation can not be completed (Timler, 2014)
Children's Communication Checklist-2
screening tool to use with newly diagnosed children
Provide assessment Input
- ASHA (2014) defines SLPs as one of the professionals who provide input for the doctor to make a diagnosis
- observe conversation, assess planning and organization skills
- assess pragmatic language
- perform a comprehensive evaluation of speech and language
(ASHA, 2014)
Ways to Provide INtervention
- as with all interventions it will be individualized to the child
- assist in changing the home or classroom environment
- help with planning and completing tasks
- Specific language goals may focus on pragmatics or study skills
(ASHA, 2014)