Profile of reading difficulties in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: a literature review

ABSTRACT Purpose: to characterize the reading alterations in individuals with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Methods: PubMed and SciELO platforms from 2006 to 2016 with the keywords "reading" and "attention deficit hyperactivity disorder", with their equivalents in Portuguese, were searched. Results: seven hundred ninety articles were found in the two databases, of which 119 were relevant. After a full reading, twenty five articles were selected for the analysis, according to relevance and other exclusion/inclusion criteria. In 21 of the studies, individuals with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder presented worse performance in reading, as compared with their peers. Of these, 14 studies identified a delay in some skills that are important for reading: processing speed, reading accuracy, phonological awareness, comprehension and/or orthographic processing. Conclusion: these results corroborate other studies that have verified the presence of a deficit in academic performance, especially in reading skills, in individuals with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, that may persist in their adulthood.