Developmental delays in children with ADHD

Abstract

Objective: ADHD is often comorbid with other disorders, but it is often assumed that academic, language, or motor c skills problems are secondary to ADHD rather than that attention problems are secondary to the other disorder or both disorders have a shared etiology. We assessed for comorbid developmental disorders and which cognitive processes were impaired in children with ADHD. Method: Measures of intelligence, language, motor skills, social cognition, and executive functions were administered to children with ADHD (n = 53) and age/sex-matched typical children. Results: Clinically significant deficits were 2 to 7 times as common in children with ADHD as in typical children, and the structure of ability differed in the two groups. Abilities were less differentiated in children with ADHD. Conclusion: The results indicate a need for comprehensive screening for developmental disorders in children with ADHD and imply that research needs to focus on how ADHD and developmental disorders may share an etiology.