What do we share during a meal? Exploratory study of shared stories in ADHD children

Abstract

Introduction

Many research focus on the study of language in ADHD children. However, the discourse is beyond the language and provides access to child representations of the world, to its own history. The aim of our study was to compare and analyze the self-narratives during a family meal.

Method

Speeches of 5 children (6–10 years) were recorded, analyzed and then compared to a strictly matched control group. Once transcribed, the data were morphosyntactically annotated and processed using multivariate exploratory techniques. A thematic analysis was also realized to understand how ADHD children moved from one conversation topic to another.

Results

Our first results showed that ADHD children have more difficulty in producing self-narratives while they are doing something else (eat). Moments of sharing common stories are less frequent compared to the control group. The transition from one topic to another is made by direct associations (e.g. the child talks about what he is eating, and this leads him to think about the next day's dinner). The construction of the self-narratives is poorer compared to the control group, both in content and in length of utterances.

Conclusion

Interestingly, concerning ADHD children, it appears:

• – That these self-narratives exist;

• – but also that they are poorer;

• – that they allow, less frequently than in the control group, projections into the future or recollection of past events.

If ADHD children cannot access to these moments, special attention should be paid to this sharing of family history outside of daily activities.

Disclosure of interest

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.