Peer-reviewed research

Research Review: Language problems in children with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder - a systematic meta-analytic review

Hanna Korrel et al., Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 2017 · DOI 10.1111/jcpp.12688

Read on October 16, 2026

What it is: A systematic review and meta-analysis of 21 studies comparing children with ADHD and children without it on expressive, receptive, pragmatic and overall language measures. Children with ADHD scored lower in every language domain that was tested.
How much weight it carries: Peer-reviewed and widely cited, with a registered search across three databases. The included studies vary in age and design, and the authors say the deficits may reflect psychiatric or social factors rather than language-specific problems.

Facts taken from this source

A 2017 systematic review and meta-analysis of language in children with ADHD included 21 studies, with 1,209 children with ADHD and 1,101 controls.
“Twenty-one studies were included in the systematic review (ADHD = 1,209; Control = 1,101)” (Abstract, Results)
Across the studies, children with ADHD scored well below controls on expressive language, with a weighted mean effect size of 1.23.
“Follow-up meta-analyses found evidence for large deficits in the ADHD groups overall (10/11 studies met p < .05; weighted mean ES [WMES]: 1.04); expressive (10/10 met p < .05; WMES: 1.23)” (Abstract, Results)