Subsequent psychiatric disorders in attention deficit and hyperactivity receiving speech therapy

Background: Speech therapy (ST) might moderate the prognosis in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) comorbid with speech delay. This study investigated whether ST in children with ADHD was associated with a decreased risk of subsequent psychiatric disorders. Methods: The population-based National Health Insurance Research Database in Taiwan was used. Hazards of subsequent psychiatric disorders were compared between those that received ST and a propensity-score matched comparison group by Cox regression analyses. Results: Of 11,987 children with ADHD identified from the dataset, 2911 (24%) had received ST. The adjusted hazard ratio for any subsequent recorded psychiatric disorder was 0.72 (95% confidence interval 0.63~0.82) in children that received ST compared to the matched counterparts. This protective association was only statistically significant in the subgroup that received both medication and behavioral interventions. Conclusions: Speech therapy can moderate the effects of integrated early interventions in ADHD children with speech delay.