Sensory Processing Disorders and ADHD Subtypes

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to explore sensory processing patterns with children ages 5 to 12 years who are diagnosed with two subtypes of ADHD, inattention and hyperactive- impulsive and with children who do not have ADHD. The study delineated children with ADHD from a control group of children without ADHD and how sensory processing issues affect the population with ADHD. The participants were parents or caregivers of children aged 5 to 12 years diagnosed with ADHD and parents or caregivers of children aged 5 to 12 years without a diagnosis of ADHD. The participants totaled 45 with 26 participants in the ADHD group and 19 participants in the non ADHD group. Parents or caregivers completed the SSP Caregiver Questionnaire, the Sensory Processing Measure [SPM], and the Connors Parent Rating Scale-Revised: Short Form. The independent t-test was the statistical procedure used to determine whether the means of the ADHD and non-ADHD groups were statistically different from each other. A Pearson correlation was calculated to measure the degree of association between the children with ADHD and non-ADHD with the types of sensory processing patterns. Finding suggested that children who score high on these ADHD scales have more sensory processing difficulties. Children with hyperactivity ADHD scored a significantly higher mean then children with inattention on an auditory subtest and on a under responsive subtest. Children with inattentive ADHD scored a significantly higher mean than children with hyperactivity on a touch subtest.