Attention deficit/hyperactivity in SLI children increases risk of speech/language disorders in first-degree relatives: A preliminary report

• Published in: Journal of communication disorders Vol. 34; no. 4; pp. 339 - 354
• Main Authors: Kovac, Ilija, Garabedian, Berdj, Du Souich, Christele, Palmour, Roberta M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Elsevier Inc 01-07-2001; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Attention deficit; Attention Deficit Disorders; Biological and medical sciences; Biological Influences; Child clinical studies; Children; Familial aggregation; Family Characteristics; Genetics; Hyperactivity; Incidence; Individual Characteristics; Language and communication disorders; Language Impairments; Medical sciences; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Specific language disorder; Speech Impairments; Subtype; Canada; North America; America; Quebec; Specific language disorder; Attention deficit; Hyperactivity; Subtype; Familial aggregation; Human; Nervous system diseases; Family study; Clinical form; Language disorder; Communication disorder; Family story; Concomitant disease; French; Attentional disorder; Risk factor; Typology; Neurological disorder; Child
• ISSN: 0021-9924; 1873-7994
• DOI: 10.1016/S0021-9924(01)00054-5

Specific language impairment (SLI) or developmental dysphasia denotes the inability to acquire normal expression and/or comprehension of language in the absence of peripheral hearing impairment, neurological disorder, and mental retardation. The presence of attention deficit/hyperactivity in some SLI children has previously been documented. This family history study used 27 SLI families, identified through the parents from the Dysphasia Association, to examine the relationship between attention deficit/hyperactivity in SLI children and the risk to first-degree relatives. All SLI children were clinically diagnosed with speech/language disorder; medical records were searched for the presence of any of the exclusion criteria noted above. The 13 SLI children with medical record of attention deficit/hyperactivity had a significantly higher chance of having first-degree relatives with speech/language disorders than 14 SLI children without such record (15/27 and 4/46, respectively). This preliminary report suggests that additional study is warranted to investigate the relationship between speech/language disorders and attention deficit/hyperactivity in families of SLI children.
Learning outcomes: As a result of this activity, the participant will be able to describe the SLI phenotype, its prevalence, and complexity and to recognize the relationship between comorbid attention deficit/hyperactivity in SLI children and the risk of speech/language disorder in their relatives.