ADHD and PRAGMATIC LANGUAGE
BY: Allison Holtz
What is ADHD?
- Most commonly diagnosed disorder in children (El Sady, Nabeih, Mostafa, & Sadek, 2013)
- Neuropsychiatric Disorder
- Effects attention and hyperactivity
- 4:1 male to female ratio (NIMH)
What is Pragmatic Language?
- Social Interactions
- Verbal and Nonverbal Communication Skills
- Turn-Taking and Play
- Having a Conversation/ Topic Maintenance
How Are They Connected?
- High prevalence of pragmatic difficulties in children with ADHD
- Social problems reported in 52%-82% of children with ADHD (Staikova, Gomes, Tartter, McCabe, & Halperin, 2013)
ASSESSMENTS
- Surveys or Questionnaires
- Behavioral Analyses
- Standardized Tests
- TOPL-2, CASL
INTERVENTION
- Tailored to child
- Play-Based Intervention
- Executive Function Therapy
- Learning how to have a conversation (turn taking, vocal intensity, listening skills)
References
- National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) [Website]. Retrieved from http://www.nimh.nih.gov/
- El Sady, S. R., Nabeih, A. A., Mostafa, E. A., & Sadek, A. A. (2013). Language impairment in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in preschool children. Egyptian Journal of Medical Human Genetics, 14(4), 383-389. doi:10.1016/j.ejmhg.2013.05.001
- Staikova, E., Gomes, H., Tartter, V., McCabe, A., & Halperin, J. M. (2013). Pragmatic deficits and social impairment in children with ADHD. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, and Allied Disciplines, 54(12), 1275-1283. doi:10.1111/jcpp.12082
- Image 1: ADHD word picture, http://www.foh.hhs.gov/eapnews/consortium/adhd.html
- Image 2: Children playing, http://www.autism-community.com/autism-spectrum-disorders/classic-autism/