Bilingualism and Cognitive Functioning in ADHD: Exploring the Impact on Executive Abilities

Abstract

Purpose: Bilingualism is a common practice worldwide. It was believed that bilingualism might affect cognitive skills in children with Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This study aimed to investigate the effect of bilingualism on the cognition of Egyptian children with ADHD. Methods: The study included 40 Egyptian children 5-7 years of age, all diagnosed with mild to moderate ADHD, recruited from the phoniatric clinic at the National Research Center. They were divided into two groups, 20 each. Group 1 goes to 2 similar Experimental language schools where the kids study Arabic and English. In comparison, Group 2 goes to three similar national Arabic schools where the children study only Arabic subjects. The 40 students are average students as per their school report. There was no history of delayed language development or speech and language therapy. Two Language assessment tools were administered: Preschool Language Scales Fifth Edition (PLS-5) to assess the English language and Receptive Expressive Arabic Language Scale (REAL Scale) to assess Arabic language development for Group 1; only the REAL Scale was applied to Group 2 to assess their Arabic language development. IQ was applied to both groups. Results: There was no systematic advantage or
disadvantage of bilingualism on cognitive performance in children with ADHD. Conclusion: Early English language learning does not affect cognition in Children with ADHD