[Phonological awareness in child with attention deficit disorder without learning disabilities]

Phonological awareness problems have been reported in children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, other researches found that phonological awareness problem appear only in children with learning disabilities (LD).

To analyze the performance on phonological awareness tasks of children aged 7 to11 years with ADHD combined type (ADHD/+H), and inattentive type (ADHD/-H) compared with one control group.

A non-randomized sample consisting of 96 children of both genders was selected. Children were attending to school in Medellin, Colombia. The sample was classified into three groups of 32 participants: ADHD/+H, ADHD/-H and control. LD was excluded using a standardized questionnaire for teachers (CEPA). Groups were sorted using a T score (3) 60 for cases and T score pound 50 for controls on a standardized questionnaire with DSM-IV-ADHD criteria, and on an ADHD-DSM-IV checklist. The performances of the three groups on phonological awareness tasks, as auditory discrimination, visual recognition, sequential repetition, oral segmentation, syllable inversion, similar words reading and writing, and pseudo-words reading and writing, were compared.

Differences between ADHD and control children on phonological awareness tasks scores were not found.

Children with ADHD without LD performed similarly to controls on phonological awareness tasks.