[Different verbal behavior in children with attention deficit between 7 and 12 years of age].

INTRODUCTION

According to factor brain organization of cognition model, it has been proposed that there are specific a shared underlie factors in the structure of each cognitive functions.

OBJECTIVE

To determine if children with attention deficit disorder (ADD) have different verbal abilities than controls, and if verbal behaviors are related to inattention and hyperactive symptoms.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

32 children with attention deficit without hyperactivity (ADD/-H), 28 children with attention deficit hyperactivity (ADD/+H), according to DSM-IV criteria and higher than 60-T-Score on an ADHD checklist, and 32 control children were selected. Age, sex, school achievement, and socioeconomic status were controlled. All children had a WISC-R performance intelligence quotient (PIQ) > 80 and were 7-to-12-year old. Verbal test to assess comprehension, inferences, narrative, fluency, analogies and rapid naming were applied.

RESULTS

Children from both ADD groups obtained significant lower WISC-R verbal intelligence quotient (VIQ), PIQ, full scale IQ (FSIQ), and phonologic fluency score than controls (ANOVA-Bonferroni's correction p < 0.005). ADD/+H children performed significant lower than controls in narrative and analogies (p < 0.005). An analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), using FSIQ as covariable, showed that phonologic verbal fluency continued presenting significant differences between control and ADD children. Inattention-hyperactivity checklist scores had significant inverse and mild correlations with inferences, items recalled in a narrative, phonologic verbal fluency, and analogies (r > -0.20, p < 0.05). There were significant and small correlations between inattention score and rapid naming errors, and between Inattention and rapid naming time (r > 0.20, p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Our data found different verbal production, fluency and speed in ADD/+H and ADD/-H children. There were shared underlie relations between verbal abilities and behavioral symptoms.