Abstract
OBJECTIVES: To investigate the characteristics of auditory processing (AP) in preschool children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) using Preschool Auditory Processing Assessment Scale (hereafter referred to as "auditory processing scale"). METHODS: A total of 41 children with ADHD and 41 typically developing (TD) children were assessed using the auditory processing scale, SNAP-IV rating scale, and Conners' Kiddie Continuous Performance Test (K-CPT). The auditory processing scale score was compared between the TD and ADHD groups. The correlations of the score with SNAP-IV and K-CPT scores were assessed. RESULTS: Compared with the TD group, the ADHD group had significantly higher total score of the auditory processing scale and scores of all dimensions except visual attention (P<0.05). In the children with ADHD, the attention deficit dimension score of the SNAP-IV rating scale was positively correlated with the total score of the auditory processing scale (r(s30)=0.531, P<0.05; r(s27)=0.627, P<0.05) as well as the scores of its subdimensions, including auditory decoding (r(s)=0.628, P<0.05), auditory attention (r(s)=0.492, P<0.05), and communication (r(s)=0.399, P<0.05). The hyperactivity-impulsivity dimension score of the SNAP-IV rating scale was positively correlated with the hyperactivity-impulsivity dimension score of the auditory processing scale (r(s)=0.429, P<0.05). In the children with ADHD, the attention deficit dimension score of the K-CPT was positively correlated with the total score (r(s30)=0.574, P<0.05; r(s27)=0.485, P<0.05) and the hyperactivity-impulsivity dimension score (r(s)=0.602, P<0.05) of the auditory processing scale. CONCLUSIONS: Preschool children with ADHD have the risk of AP abnormalities, and the auditory processing scale should be used early for the screening and evaluation of AP abnormalities in children.