Speech Therapy Treatments For ADHD

Are you concerned that your child has trouble paying attention to you when you’re talking?

Has their school told you that your child is easily distracted?

Your child may have attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD.

To help manage your child’s ADHD, you might be wondering “where can I find a speech therapy clinic near me?”

We’re District Speech, a speech therapy clinic near you, and we can help.

But what is ADHD, and how can a speech therapy clinic help?

Keep reading to find out.

What Is ADHD?

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, is a lifelong brain disorder that makes it hard for a person to pay attention.

Some people with ADHD have trouble sitting still or controlling their behavior.

A person with ADHD may have trouble in school and making friends.

ADHD can also affect speech and language development.

This is one of the lesser known, but still important facts about ADHD.

A speech-language pathologist, or speech therapist, can help.

It’s interesting to note that ADHD is not considered a learning disability, even though it can cause issues with learning.

So while there is some overlap with learning disability speech therapy and ADHD, they’re not exactly the same.

What Are The Symptoms Of ADHD?

A child with ADHD may have trouble concentrating or appear not to pay attention.

Their mind may wander and they might start thinking about other things that aren’t what they should be focusing on.

They might struggle to stay on track with minor tasks and bounce from one activity to another, or start a new activity without finishing the first one.

They may also try to multitask.

A child with ADHD might also have trouble retaining new information and appear restless, fidgety, or hyperactive.

They may be impatient and unwilling to wait their turn when playing a game, for example.

On the other hand, they may outperform others on other tasks.

How Can ADHD Affect Speech And Language Development?

There are a number of ways that ADHD can affect speech and language development.

These are less well known symptoms that more people should know about.

Check out this list to learn more about how ADHD can affect speech and language development.

1. Social Communication Skills

Children with ADHD might struggle with social norms, such as when to pause, observe, listen, and make a plan with other people.

If your child has trouble paying attention, these social processes may move too quickly for them and confuse them.

2. Literacy Skills

Many children with ADHD struggle with some aspect of reading or writing.

An estimated 25-40% of children with ADHD also have dyslexia, which is a learning difficulty associated with reading and writing.

Writing is also often affected because it is a complex process that requires several skills to work together at the same time.

If your child has trouble following along with you as you read, that could be an early sign you should seek early intervention speech therapy.

3. Speech Sound Skills

Some children with ADHD also have speech and/or articulation challenges.

When a child makes errors on specific sounds or groups of sounds, this is often classified as a speech sound disorder.

Speech sound disorders include childhood apraxia of speech and phonological disorders.

Because children with ADHD often struggle with self monitoring, they may not notice and correct these errors as readily.

4. Executive Function

Executive function is one of the main areas of language that is impacted in children with ADHD.

Executive function is the ability to translate something from an abstract thought process to an action.

Setting goals, staying on track, and finishing the goal all rely on executive function.

Executive function also helps us stay calm when frustrated, change plans, and manage time.

How Can A Speech Therapist For ADHD Help?

There are many ways that a speech therapist can help with your child’s ADHD.

If your child is struggling with social communication because of their ADHD, a speech language evaluation can assess your child’s social language skills, such as making inferences and problem solving.

If your child has problems with literacy, a speech therapist can evaluate your child’s literacy skills to help parents understand exactly where the breakdowns are occurring.

In the case of speech sound difficulties due to ADHD, a speech therapist can teach the correct pronunciation of sounds.

And when ADHD is impairing your child’s executive function, a speech language evaluation can help pinpoint specific areas of executive function.

Each child with ADHD has different needs, which might include other learning disabilities or support around different social skills.

An experienced speech therapist can work with your child on speech, language, and social problems.

Book Your Appointment With District Speech Today

If you’d like to learn more about ADHD and the speech and language problems that are associated with it, we can help.

Our trained speech therapists are experienced in working with children with ADHD and can help your child learn how to plan and organize to get tasks done.

We can also teach them to take turns and pay attention when talking to others.

Our speech therapists can also work with your child’s teacher to find ways to help them in school.

Whatever your child needs, District Speech is here for you as a source of knowledge and support.

Book an appointment with us today.