Gender Differences in the Comorbidity of ADHD Symptoms and Specific Learning Disorders in a Population-Based Sample

Julia Kerner auch Koerner, Linda Visser, Josefine Rothe, Gerd Schulte-Körne and Marcus Hasselhorn
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Julia Kerner auch Koerner: Educational Psychology, Helmut-Schmidt-University Hamburg, 22043 Hamburg, Germany
Linda Visser: Center for Research on Individual Development and Adaptive Education of Children at Risk (IDeA), 60323 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Josefine Rothe: Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Technische Universität Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany
Gerd Schulte-Körne: Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatic and Psychotherapy, Ludwig-Maximilian-University Munich, 80336 Munich, Germany
Marcus Hasselhorn: Center for Research on Individual Development and Adaptive Education of Children at Risk (IDeA), 60323 Frankfurt am Main, Germany

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 15, 1-17

Abstract: Children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often exhibit comorbid specific learning disorders. In clinical samples, comorbidity in girls with ADHD tends to be more common than in boys with ADHD. However, this is not the case in studies of random samples. In this paper gender differences in the comorbidity of ADHD symptoms and learning disorders in reading, spelling and math are explored in a population-based sample of 2605 3rd and 4th graders (1304 girls) without symptoms of ADHD and 415 (141 girls) with symptoms of ADHD. Girls with ADHD symptoms had higher ratios of comorbid math disorders than boys with ADHD symptoms, but not with reading or spelling disorders. Math achievement was predicted by gender and by symptoms of inattention. Girls with ADHD symptoms and math disorders received the same amount of additional support from teachers or therapists as boys with ADHD symptoms and math disorders. Our results highlight the importance of exploring the increased comorbidity of specific learning disorders in children with ADHD symptoms and especially with math disorders in girls with ADHD symptoms. Implications for providing suitable interventions and preventing the accumulation of academic problems are discussed.

Keywords: ADHD; specific learning disorders; reading disorders; spelling disorders; math disorders; dyslexia; dyscalculia; sex differences; teacher support; academic achievement (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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