Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate how undergraduate students formally diagnosed with Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) and/or Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) perceive their experiences learning a global language. This study additionally evaluated if the perception of language acquisition differs for individuals with APD, ADHD, both disorders, or “typical” students when learning a spoken global language or ASL. With the use of on-line surveys, the researcher gathered quantitative and qualitative data from undergraduate college students, many of whom had a formal diagnosis of ADHD and/or APD. Major conclusions of the research included the findings that participants with ADHD and/or APD had more difficulty receptively understanding and remembering vocabulary than “typical” participants. Additionally, trends in the data indicated that participants with ADHD and/or APD experienced less difficulty in receptively communicating and remembering vocabulary in ASL than in spoken global languages. One implication of these findings is that colleges and universities should offer global languages that are not disproportionately difficult for students with ADHD and/or APD, in order for those students to not be at a disproportionate disadvantage compared to their “typical” peers.

Advisor

Goldberg, Donald

Department

Communication Sciences and Disorders

Disciplines

Accessibility | American Sign Language | Mental Disorders | Modern Languages | Speech Pathology and Audiology

Keywords

Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Auditory Processing Disorder (APD), foreign language learning, American Sign Language (ASL), undergraduate students

Publication Date

2025

Degree Granted

Bachelor of Arts

Document Type

Senior Independent Study Thesis

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