Behavior and Speech Features of Children with ADHD

Background/Objectives: The goal of the study was to identify the peculiarities of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) on the base of the behavioral characteristics and acoustic features of speech of children with ADHD and ADHD with comorbidity-ADHD and autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and ADHD and intellectual disabilities (ID)-within the framework of one test task. Behavioral characteristics were selected using DSM-V criteria; acoustic features of speech were considered by researchers as speech markers of ASD and ID detected for different languages. Methods: The study includes 92 children aged 5-13 years with ADHD, ADHD and ID, ADHD and ASD, and control groups of children diagnosed with ASD, ID and typically developing (TD) children. The children were tested using the test task "co-op play". Video and audio recordings of children performing the test task were collected. We used a complex approach to study the peculiarities of children with ADHD through expert analysis of children's behavior and play, acoustic spectrographic analysis of speech and questionnaires about early childhood development filled out by parents. Results: The characteristics of behavior, play, and acoustic features of speech of children with ADHD and ADHD and comorbidity were revealed. Children with ADHD had lower behavior scores in the play situation on the expert assessment than TD children, with the greatest differences for characteristics of play, "Playing for toy", and of behavior "Displaced activity" and "Losing attention". The speech of children with ADHD is characterized by low values of the third formant and the difference between the first two formants, compared to the corresponding speech features of children from other groups. The speech of children with ADHD+ASD is characterized by maximal pitch values (high voice), while that of children with ADHD+ID is characterized by low vowel articulation index values. Conclusions: Based on the analysis of behavior and speech of children with TD, ADHD, ADHD and comorbidity performing the "co-op play" test task, the set of characteristics specific to ADHD was identified. The obtained data expand our understanding of the specificity of children with ADHD and may contribute to the development of qualified support for families with children with ADHD.