Semantic language as a mechanism explaining the association between ADHD symptoms and reading and mathematics underachievement. J Abnorm Child Psychol 2012 Nov;40(8):1339-49
Date
06/05/2012Pubmed ID
22661106Pubmed Central ID
PMC4278425DOI
10.1007/s10802-012-9650-7Scopus ID
2-s2.0-84867891248 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 32 CitationsAbstract
ADHD is associated with academic underachievement, but it remains unclear what mechanism accounts for this association. Semantic language is an underexplored mechanism that provides a developmental explanation for this association. The present study will examine whether semantic language deficits explain the association between ADHD and reading and mathematics underachievement, taking into account alternative explanations for associations, including verbal working memory (WM) impairments, as well as specificity of effects to inattentive and hyperactive-impulsive ADHD symptom domains. Participants in this cross-sectional study were 546 children (54 % male) ages six to twelve (M = 9.77, SD = 1.49). ADHD symptoms were measured via maternal and teacher report during structured interviews and on standardized rating forms. Children completed standardized semantic language, verbal WM, and academic testing. Semantic language fully mediated the ADHD-reading achievement association and partially mediated the ADHD-mathematics achievement association. Verbal WM also partially mediated the ADHD-mathematics association but did not mediate the ADHD-reading achievement association. Results generalized across inattentive and hyperactive-impulsive ADHD symptom domains. Semantic language explained the association between ADHD and reading underachievement and partially explained the association between ADHD and mathematics underachievement. Together, language impairment and WM fully explained the association between ADHD and reading underachievement, in line with developmental models suggesting that language and WM conjointly influence the development of attention and subsequent academic achievement. This work has implication for the development of tailored interventions for academic underachievement in children with ADHD.
Author List
Gremillion ML, Martel MMAuthor
Monica L. Gremillion PhD Assistant Professor in the Anesthesiology department at Medical College of WisconsinMESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
Attention Deficit Disorder with HyperactivityChild
Cross-Sectional Studies
Dyslexia
Educational Status
Female
Humans
Language Development
Language Disorders
Male
Mathematics
Semantics
