A study of the performance on auditory processing tests and Conners rating scale as discriminates of children having attention deficit-hyperactive disorder
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Abstract
Attention Deficit-Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) is plagued by numerous definitional and diagnostic problems. The symptoms of ADHD do not appear to form a unitary dimension which is demonstrated by the DSM-IV in which categories of behavior are presented as various identifiers related to specific behaviors , i.e., inattentive, impulsive, or hyperactive, which can be given to a child diagnosed as having ADHD. The relationship of ADHD to other disorders such as auditory processing disorder (APD) have not been addressed by DSM criteria. However, some researchers believe a close relationship does exist between ADHD and APD.
This study examined the relationship of observed behaviors of children having ADHD and their performance on an auditory processing test battery, the SCAN test. The behaviors of the children were rated by their parents using the Conners Rating Scale, parents version (CRS). The CRS rates a child's level of hyperactivity from "average" to "very much above average." A t-score of 70 or above is interpreted as "very much above average." Conners offers no additional interpretation of t-scores higher than 70. The study found that children having ADHD who had CRS scores greater than 89 also had SCAN test performance scores that were poor enough to cause them to also be diagnosed as having APD. This finding suggests that there is a co-morbid relationship between ADHD children having high behavior rating scale t-scores and poor auditory processing performance. The impUcation of the study is that children who perform poorly on the SCAN test and have high CRS t-scores above 89 should be considered as having APD are at an extreme risk for having co-occurring ADHD. Additional implications for educational considerations can be given to this group of children in regards to managing APD and ADHD in the classroom and at home.