Social and Emotional Competence in Children with ADHD and/or Learning Disabilities

Abstract Children with developmental disorders frequently demonstrate serious social competence deficits. The majority of research indicates poor prognosis for later life for these children with significant social competence deficits. This article reviews the social and emotional development of children, with an emphasis on the processes that may be adversely impacted in children with hyperactivity, impulse control deficits, inattention, and/or perceptual deficits. The goal of this article is to encourage theoretically based empirical research that examines the underlying causes of social competence deficits in children so that more specific and targeted interventions can be developed in this area.