ADHD And Hearing Loss: A Study Examing The Co-occurrence Of The Two Disorders

Abstract

This paper will present information obtained from a nationwide dataset on the incidence of co-occurring Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and hearing loss. These disorders are frequently studied separately, but there is a lack of research on the co-occurrence of the disorders. A secondary data analysis was conducted in order to answer four primary research questions: 1) What are the demographic characteristics of children who have co-occurring HL and ADHD? 2) Is the incidence of ADHD co-occurring with HL higher than the expected incidence of ADHD for this population based on general U.S. prevalence? 3) Among those with past or current HL, what predicts a diagnosis of ADHD? 4) Does the severity of HL change the risk of co-occurring ADHD? The demographic characteristics of subjects with co-occurring ADHD are reported, along with odds ratios. The incidence of co-occurrence in this sample was 20.0%, which is higher than previously reported prevalence.