Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a
neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by age-inappropriate
poor attention span as well as features of
hyperactivity and impulsivity or both [1]. It is the most
common neurobehavioral disorder presenting for treatment
in childhood. ADHD is often chronic, with prominent
symptoms, and impairment spanning into adulthood. It is
often associated with cooccurring anxiety, mood, and
disruptive disorders, as well as substance abuse [2].
A pathophysiological explanation for ADHD symptomatology
relates to deficits in prefrontal cortex-mediated
executive brain function, also known as response inhibition
[3]. Neuroimaging is allowing researchers to further
study the ways in which medications affect neurophysiology,
providing more precise insights into ADHD and its
etiology, diagnosis, and treatment [4]. Neuropsychological
studies have implicated the frontal cortical regions
of the brain and the circuits linking them to the basal
ganglia as critical to executive function, attention, and
the ability to exercise inhibition [5].
There may be a greater likelihood for the causal pathway to
be from hyperactivity-inattention symptoms to scholastic
deficits. This is consistent with findings showing that
inattention symptoms contribute to later reading difficulties
[6]. It was found that the severity of ADHD affects
academic performance in school, with psychiatric morbidity
[7]. Children with ADHD are up to five times more
likely to require special needs education than children
without ADHD [8,9]
Central auditory processing disorder [(C)APD] is defined
as a hearing disorder resulting from impaired brain
function and characterized by poor discrimination,
separation, grouping, localization, or ordering of sounds.
It is a common cause of poor scholastic performance as it
is reported to contribute significantly to academic and
behavioral dysfunctions among school-aged children [10].
In USA, (C)APD is included in the ‘specific learning
disability’ category under the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act. It is defined under Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act as a disability that causes
problems in comprehending the social and interpersonal
content of language [11].
Since the introduction of (C)APD, there has been a debate
about its relation to ADHD. Although the comorbidity of
(C)APD with ADHD has been well documented [12],
some researchers argued that (C)APD and ADHD may be
overlapping but independent disorders [13], whereas other
investigators argued that there are similarities between
both disorders. There is a similarity between ADHD and
(C)APD in symptomatology as well as in psychoeducational
and behavioral sequelae [14]. Research findings
concluded that a diagnosis of ADHD places the child at
risk (50–80%) for (C)APD [15]. Chermak and Museik
suggested that understanding the relationship between
the attention deficits of ADHD and (C)APD hinges on the
interaction between perception and higher-level cognitive
processing [16]. Although several studies were conducted
to evaluate (C)APD in ADHD, debate still exists on the
relation of both disorders [14,17,18]. Accordingly, this
study was conducted to explore the relationship between
ADHD and (C)APD.
