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ADHD and bilingualism in young adults: Comparing executive functioning and bilingual vocabulary /
The ADHD vocabulary size advantage: Monolingual and bilingual young adults with ADHD have larger vocabularies than controls
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Description: Individuals with ADHD and bilinguals have each widely been considered vulnerable to vocabulary deficits compared to their peers. However, the interaction of ADHD and bilingualism in affecting vocabulary in both languages has yet to be studied. We tested whether a 'double disadvantage' exists for bilinguals with ADHD by measuring the vocabularies of 391 young adults. In Study 1, we categorized them into one of four groups: monolinguals and bilinguals with and without ADHD. Individuals with ADHD had larger vocabularies than those without ADHD, in monolinguals and bilinguals alike, and in both the dominant and non-dominant languages. In Study 2, bilingualism and ADHD status were assessed continuously. Bilingualism and ADHD interacted in both languages such that those with greater ADHD symptomatology had larger vocabularies, particularly for monolinguals and less balanced bilinguals. These findings refute the notion of a "double disadvantage" and instead point to an overall ADHD vocabulary advantage.
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