Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Book cover Research in Clinical Pragmatics

Part of the book series: Perspectives in Pragmatics, Philosophy & Psychology ((PEPRPHPS,volume 11))

Abstract

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is a common neuropsychiatric disorder diagnosed on the basis of inattention as well as hyperactivity and impulsivity symptoms. These symptoms include and cause many kinds of pragmatic difficulties. These difficulties are manifested both in terms of understanding and expressing verbal and nonverbal language. Reported difficulties include, for example, excessive talking, poor conversational turn-taking, problems in topic maintenance, lack of coherence in narratives, difficulties in paying attention to relevant factors in communication and difficulties in understanding irony. Individuals with ADHD also often have difficulties with social perception (e.g. advanced theory of mind), language and other neuropsychiatric skills that, for their part, weaken the pragmatic language skills. Pragmatic and social language difficulties may increase social and societal difficulties of individuals with ADHD.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 99.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 129.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 179.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    Photographs: Author’s own.

  2. 2.

    In some questions a high score means weaknesses while in others it means strengths.

References

  • American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Armstrong, M. B., & Nettleton, S. K. (2004). Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and preschool children. Seminars in Speech and Language, 25(3), 225–232.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Arnsten, A. F., & Rubia, K. (2012). Neurobiological circuits regulating attention, cognitive control, motivation, and emotion: Disruptions in neurodevelopmental psychiatric disorders. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 51(4), 356–367.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bauermeister, J. J., Shrout, P. E., Chávez, L., Rubio-Stipec, M., Ramírez, R., Padilla, L., Anderson, A., García, P., & Canino, G. (2007). ADHD and gender: Are risks and sequela of ADHD the same for boys and girls?. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 48(8), 831–839.

    Google Scholar 

  • Biederman, J. (2005). Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: A selective overview. Biological Psychiatry, 57(11), 1215–1220.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bishop, D. V. M. (1998). Development of the Children’s Communication Checklist (CCC): A method for assessing qualitative aspects of communicative impairment in children. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 39(6), 879–891.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bishop, D. V. M. (2003). The Children’s communication checklist-2. London: The Psychological Corporation.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bishop, D. V. M. (2015). The Children’s communication checklist-2 (CCC-2), Lasten kommunikointitaitojen kysely, toinen painos (A. Yliherva, S. Loukusa, & R. Väisänen, Trans.) Helsinki: Hogrefe Psykologien Kustannus Oy. (Original work published in 2003.).

    Google Scholar 

  • Bishop, D., & Baird, G. (2001). Parent and teacher report of pragmatic aspects of communication: Use of the Children’s Communication Checklist in a clinical setting. Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology, 43(12), 809–818.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blain-Brière, B., Bouchard, C., & Bigras, N. (2014). The role of executive functions in the pragmatic skills of children age 4–5. Frontiers in Psychology. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00240.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bruce, B., Thernlund, G., & Nettelbladt, U. (2006). ADHD and language impairment: A study of the parent questionnaire FTF (Five to Fifteen). European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 15(1), 52–60.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Caillies, S., Bertot, V., Motte, J., Raynaud, C., & Abely, M. (2014). Social cognition in ADHD: Irony understanding and recursive theory of mind. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 35(11), 3191–3198.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Camarata, S., & Gibson, T. (1999). Pragmatic language deficits in attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities Research Reviews, 5, 207–214.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chandler, C. (2010). The science of ADHD: A guide for parents and professionals. Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Duinmeijer, I., de Jong, J., & Scheper, A. (2012). Narrative abilities, memory and attention in children with specific language impairment. International Journal of Language and Communication Disorders, 47(5), 542–555.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Geurts, H., & Embrechts, M. (2008). Language profiles in ASD, SLI, and ADHD. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 38(10), 1931–1943.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Geurts, H. M., Verte, S., Oosterlaan, J., Roeyers, H., Hartman, C. A., Mulder, E. J., et al. (2004). Can the Children’s Communication Checklist differentiate between children with autism, children with ADHD, and normal controls? Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 45(8), 1437–1453.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gibbs, R. W. (2011). A dynamical, self-organized view of context for human action. In M. Dynel & J. Nijakowska (Eds.), Cognition, conduct & communication CCC 2011, Book of abstracts, 8. Lodz: Wydawnictwo Primum Verbum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gibbs, R. W., & Colston, H. I. (2012). Interpreting figurative meaning. New York: Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Gillam, R., & Pearson, N. (2004). Test of narrative language. Austin: Pro-Ed.

    Google Scholar 

  • Green, B. C., Johnson, A., & Bretherton, L. (2014). Pragmatic language difficulties in children with hyperactivity and attention problems: An integrated review. International Journal of Language and Communication Disorders, 49(1), 15–29.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Helland, W. A., & Heimann, M. (2007). Assessment of pragmatic language impairment in children referred to psychiatric services: A pilot study of the Children’s Communication Checklist in a Norwegian sample. Logopedics Phoniatrics Vocology, 32(1), 23–30.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Helland, W. A., Biringer, E., Helland, T., & Heimann, M. (2012). Exploring language profiles for children with ADHD and children with Asperger syndrome. Journal of Attention Disorders, 16(1), 34–43.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hurtig, T., Ebeling, H., Taanila, A., Miettunen, J., Smalley, S. L., McGough, J. J., et al. (2007). ADHD symptoms and subtypes: Relationship between childhood and adolescent symptoms. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 46(12), 1605–1613.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kadesjö, B., Janols, L. O., Korkman, M., Mickelsson, K., Strand, G., Trillingsgaard, A., et al. (2004). The FTF (Five to Fifteen): The development of a parent questionnaire for the assessment of ADHD and comorbid conditions. European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 13(3), 3–13.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kim, O. H., & Kaiser, A. P. (2000). Language characteristics of children with ADHD. Communication Disorders Quarterly, 21(3), 154–165.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Korkman, M., Kirk, U., & Kemp, S. L. (2008). NEPSY-II: Lasten neuropsykologinen tutkimus [The NEPSY-II: Children’s neuropsychological investigation]. Helsinki: Psykologien Kustannus Oy.

    Google Scholar 

  • Laucht, M., Skowronek, M. H., Becker, K., Schmidt, M. H., Esser, G., Schulze, T. G., & Rietschel, M. (2007). Interacting effects of the dopamine transporter gene and psychosocial adversity on attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms among 15-year-olds from a high-risk community sample. Archives of General Psychiatry, 64(5), 585–590.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lohmann, H., Tomasello, M., & Meyer, S. (2005). Linguistic communication and social understanding. In J. W. Astington & J. A. Baird (Eds.), Why language matters for theory of mind (pp. 245–265). New York: Oxford University Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Loukusa, S., & Moilanen, I. (2009). Pragmatic inference abilities in individuals with Asperger syndrome or high-functioning autism. A review. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 3(4), 890–904.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Loukusa, S., Mäkinen, L., Gabbatore, I., Laukkanen-Nevala, P., & Leinonen, E. (Submitted) Understanding of contextual and social meanings in typically developing 4- to 8-year-old children. Manuscript submitted for publication.

    Google Scholar 

  • Loukusa, S., Mäkinen, L., Kuusikko-Gauffin, S., Ebeling, H., & Moilanen, I. (2014). Theory of mind and emotion recognition skills in children with specific language impairment, autism spectrum disorder and typical development: Group differences and connection to knowledge of grammatical morphology, word-finding abilities and verbal working memory. International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders, 49(4), 498–507.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Luo, F., & Timler, G. R. (2008). Narrative organization skills in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and language impairment. Application of the causal network model. Clinical Linguistics & Phonetics, 22(1), 25–46.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mäkinen, L., Loukusa, S., Laukkanen, P., Leinonen, E., & Kunnari, S. (2014). Linguistic and pragmatic aspects of narration in Finnish typically developing children and children with specific language impairment. Clinical Linguistics & Phonetics, 28(6), 413–427.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Martin, I., & McDonald, S. (2003). Weak central coherence, no theory of mind, or executive dysfunction? Solving the puzzle of pragmatic language disorders. Brain and Language, 85(3), 451–466.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Miller, C. A. (2006). Developmental relationships between language and theory of mind. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 15(2), 142–154.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Milosky, L. M. (1992). Children listening: The role of world knowledge in language comprehension. In R. S. Chapman (Ed.), Processes in language acquisition and disorders (pp. 20–44). St Louis: Mosby-Year Book.

    Google Scholar 

  • Neuman, R. J., Lobos, E., Reich, W., Henderson, C. A., Sun, L. W., & Todd, R. D. (2007). Prenatal smoking exposure and dopaminergic genotypes interact to cause a severe ADHD subtype. Biological Psychiatry, 61(12), 1320–1328.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Paul, R., & Norbury, C. F. (2012). Language disorders from infancy through adolescence: Listening, speaking, reading, writing, and communicating (4th ed.). St Louis: Elsevier.

    Google Scholar 

  • Perkins, M. (2007). Pragmatic impairment. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Petersen, P. D., & Grahe, J. E. (2012). Social perception and cue utilization in adults with ADHD. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 31(7), 663–689.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Phelps-Terasaki, D., & Phelps-Gunn, T. (1992). Test of pragmatic language. San Antonio: Psychological Corporation.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pina, F., Flavia, M., & Patrizia, O. (2013). Relationship between weak central coherence and mental states understanding in children with autism and in children with ADHD. Mediterranean Journal of Clinical Psychology, 1(1), 1–19.

    Google Scholar 

  • Polanczyk, G., Willcutt, E. G., Salum, G. A., Kieling, C., & Rohde, L. A. (2014). ADHD prevalence estimates across three decades: An updated systematic review and meta-regression analysis. International Journal of Epidemiology, 43(2), 434–442.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Prutting, C. A., & Kirchner, D. M. (1987). A clinical appraisal of the pragmatic aspects of language. The Journal of Speech and Hearing Disorders, 52(2), 105–119.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Purvis, K. L., & Tannock, R. (1997). Language abilities in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, reading disabilities, and normal controls. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 25(2), 105–119.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ramtekkar, U. P., Reiersen, A. M., Todorov, A. A., & Todd, R. D. (2010). Sex and age differences in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms and diagnoses: Implications for DSM-V and ICD-11. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 49(3), 217–228.

    Google Scholar 

  • Renz, K., Pugzles Lorch, E., Milich, R., Lemberger, C., Bodner, A., & Welsh, R. (2003). On-line story representation in boys with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 31(1), 93–104.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rints, A., McAuley, T., & Nilsen, E. S. (2015). Social communication is predicted by inhibitory ability and ADHD traits in preschool-aged children: A mediation model. Journal of Attention Disorders, 19(10), 901–911.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rizzutti, S., Sinnes, E. G., Scaramuzza, L. F., Freitas, L., Pinheiro, D., Palma, S. M., et al. (2008). Clinical and neuropsychological profile in a sample of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorders. Arquivos de Neuropsiquiatria, 66(4), 821–827.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rucklidge, J., & Tannock, R. (2002). Neuropsychological profiles of adolescents with ADHD: Effects of reading difficulties and gender. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 43(8), 988–1003.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rumpf, A.-L., Kamp-Becker, I., Becker, K., & Kauschke, C. (2012). Narrative competence and internal state language of children with Asperger syndrome and ADHD. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 33(5), 1395–1407.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Scassellati, C., & Bonvicini, C. (2015). Role of dopaminergic and noradrenergic systems as potential biomarkers in ADHD diagnosis and treatment. In J. M. Norvilitis (Ed.), ADHD – New directions in diagnosis and treatment (pp. 55–83). InTech.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sciberras, E., Mueller, K. L., Efron, D., Bisset, M., Anderson, V., Schilpzand, E. J., et al. (2014). Language problems in children with ADHD: A community based study. Pediatrics, 133(5), 793–800.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Semrud-Clikeman, M. (2010). The role of inattention and social perception and performance in two subtypes of ADHD. Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology, 25(8), 771–780.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sharma, A., & Couture, J. A. (2014). Review of the pathophysiology, etiology, and treatment of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Annals of Pharmacotherapy, 48(2), 209–225.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Skounti, M., Philalithis, A., & Galanakis, E. (2007). Variations in prevalence of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder worldwide. European Journal of Pediatrics, 166(2), 117–123.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sperber, D., & Wilson, D. (1995). Relevance: Communication and cognition (2nd ed.). Oxford: Blackwell.

    Google Scholar 

  • 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, 54(12), 1275–1283.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Taanila, A. M., Hurtig, T. M., Miettunen, J., Ebeling, H. E., & Moilanen, I. K. (2009). Association between ADHD symptoms and adolescents’ psychosocial well-being: A study of the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1986. International Journal of Circumpolar Health, 68(2), 133–144.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tannock, R., Purvis, K. L., & Schachar, R. J. (1993). Narrative abilities in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and normal peers. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 21(1), 103–117.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thapar, A., Cooper, M., Eyre, O., & Langley, K. (2013). Practitioner review: What have we learnt about the causes of ADHD? Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 54(1), 3–16.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thomas, R., Sanders, S., Doust, J., Beller, E., & Glasziou, P. (2015). Prevalence of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Pediatrics, 135(4), e994–e1001.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Trabasso, T., Van den Broek, P., & Suh, S. (1989). Logical necessity and transitivity of causal relations in stories. Discourse Processes, 12(1), 1–25.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Väisänen, R., Loukusa, S., Moilanen, I., & Yliherva, A. (2014). Language and pragmatic profile in children with ADHD measured by Children’s Communication Checklist 2nd edition. Logopedics Phoniatrics Vocology, 39(4), 179–187.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Verschueren, J. (1995). The pragmatic perspective. In J. Verschueren, J. O. Östman, & J. Blommaert (Eds.), Handbook of pragmatics. Manual (pp. 1–19). Amsterdam: John Benjamins B.V.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Willcutt, E. G., Doyle, A. E., Nigg, J. T., Faraone, S. V., & Pennington, B. F. (2005). Validity of the executive function theory of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: A meta-analytic review. Biological Psychiatry, 57(11), 1336–1346.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • World Health Organisation. (1993). International classification of diseases. Geneva: Author.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zentall, S. S. (1988). Production deficiencies in elicited language but not in the spontaneous verbalizations of hyperactive children. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 16(6), 657–673.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zentall, S. S., Gohs, D. E., & Culatta, B. (1983). Language and activity of hyperactive and comparison children during listening tasks. Exceptional Children, 50(3), 255–266.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

Many thanks are due to Dr Leena Mäkinen, who helped me with data collection and made important comments on the manuscript. I wish to thank Adjunct Professor, Anneli Yliherva, and Speech and Language Therapist, Raija Väisänen, for collaboration with the Finnish version of the CCC-2. I would also like to thank student of logopedics, Krista Nissilä, for scoring the results of the CCC-2 in individuals with ADHD; Dr Sanna Kuusikko-Gauffin for assistance in interpreting the NEPSY-II results; and the Child Psychiatry and Child Neurology clinics at Oulu University Hospital for their help with recruiting children with ADHD. Special thanks are due to the children and parents who participated in this study. Finally, I thank the Academy of Finland for its financial support.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Child Language Research Center, Research Unit of Logopedics, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland

    Soile Loukusa

Authors
  1. Soile Loukusa
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Soile Loukusa .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Arts and Humanities, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, United Kingdom

    Louise Cummings

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2017 Springer International Publishing AG

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Loukusa, S. (2017). Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. In: Cummings, L. (eds) Research in Clinical Pragmatics. Perspectives in Pragmatics, Philosophy & Psychology, vol 11. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47489-2_4

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47489-2_4

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-47487-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-47489-2

  • eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation