OBJECTIVE

The present study aimed to investigate the effect of working memory, vocabulary, and grammar on narrative comprehension in children with ADHD.

METHOD

Participants were 25 schoolchildren with ADHD and 25 typically developing (TD) children matched for chronological age and performance IQ. Children were assessed with the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Third Edition (WISC-III), a verbal IQ test, and a story recall task.

RESULTS

It was shown that children with ADHD recall less information from the stories than did TD children, while they are less sensitive to the importance of the information they recall. Moreover, it was found that children with ADHD experience problems in answering factual questions. Further analysis revealed that deficiencies in narrative comprehension may be accounted for by problems in working memory.

CONCLUSION

The discussion focuses on the role of working memory in narrative comprehension and the implications of these findings for intervention approaches.