Abstract
Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the characteristics of language profiles according to whether or not Korean children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) also have ADHD, and to examine the relationship with executive function.
Methods: Participants in the study were boys with ADHD aged 6 to 11 years who visited the clinic from January 2012 to December 2013. In this study, 25 boys with ASD were included, and completed scales included the Korean version of Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (K-ADI-R), Korean version of Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (K-ADOS), Korean ADHD Rating Scale (K-ARS), and Korean-Conners’ Parent Rating Scale (K-CPRS). They also completed neuropsychological tests and assessed language profiles. Patients were categorized into two groups (with ADHD and without ADHD). T-test and Multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) was used for analysis.
Results: Statistically, no difference was found in receptive and expressive language ability between the ASD groups with and without ADHD. However, a lower score in Test of Problem solving (TOPS) was observed for ASD with ADHD than for ASD without ADHD, with problem solving and finding cues showing significant differences.
Conclusions: These findings suggest that language profiles in the ASD group without ADHD could be similar to those in the ASD group with ADHD, but comorbid ADHD could lead to more difficulty in linguistic ability for problem solving and could be related with executive function of the frontal lobe.
Key Worlds: Autism Spectrum Disorder, Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Language, Executive Function.