Evaluation of p300 and spectral resolution in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and specific learning disorder

This study aims to examine auditory processing, P300 values and functional impairment levels among children with Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Specific Learning Disorder (SLD), ADHD+SLD and healthy controls. Children with ADHD (n = 17), SLD (n = 15), ADHD+SLD (n = 15), and healthy controls (n = 15) between the ages of 7–12 were evaluated with K-SADS, Weiss Functional Impairment Rating Scale, Turgay DSM-IV Disruptive Behavior Disorders Rating Scale, The Mathematics, Reading, Writing Assessment Scale and Children's Auditory Performance Scale (CHAPS). Auditory P300 event-related potentials and Spectral-Temporally Modulated Ripple Test (SMRT) were applied. Three patient groups were found to be riskier than healthy controls according to the CHAPS. There was no significant difference between the groups in the SMRT. In post-hoc analyses of P300 parietal amplitudes, ADHD, SLD, and ADHD+SLD were found to be significantly lower than the control group. The amplitudes of the ADHD+SLD were by far the lowest. It has been shown that auditory performance skills and p300 amplitudes are lower in children diagnosed with only ADHD or SLD compared to the control group, with the lowest values observed in ADHD+SLD. This study suggests that the difficulties with attention and cognitive functions in the ADHD+SLD are more severe than ADHD and/or SLD without comorbidity.