Verbal Learning & Memory Function among Children with ADHD and Emotional Disorders

Memory function and learning process are commonly observed impaired among children with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD). However, children with Emotional Disorders (ED) too report inability to attend, register and recall the stimuli that eventually result in poor academic performance. The present study aimed to study the nature of impairment in verbal learning and memory function among children with ADHD and ED. The study further aimed to explore the effect of severity of illnesses over the degree of impairment in verbal learning and memory function in both the groups. Twenty children meeting the ICD-10 criteria for ADHD and twenty children meeting the ICD-10 criteria under F-93 for Emotional Disorders (ED) were assessed on the measure of verbal learning & memory and compared with twenty age and education matched normal control group. Children with ADHD and ED performed poorly on the measure of verbal learning and memory in comparison of normal control, but the degree of impairment was observed relatively higher among ADHD children than children with ED. However, severity of illness was not observed a contributory factor for the impairment in verbal learning and memory function in both the groups. Impairment in verbal learning and memory function is not confined only to the children with ADHD but these are now recognizable among children with Emotional Disorders too. Both the groups (Children with ADHD and ED) reflected impaired memory and learning function but in terms of degree of impairment the children with ADHD were always found standing towards higher side than children with emotional disorder.