Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Current Psychology, cilt.45, sa.5, 2026 (SSCI, Scopus)
Social difficulties are common and hard to overcome in children with ADHD. The factors behind these social problems are unclear. Research shows that children with ADHD struggle with facial emotion recognition (FER). FER and atypical sensory processing issues are linked to poor social functioning. This study explored the relationship between FER and sensory processing in children with ADHD and their impact on behavior and social skills. The study included 100 children aged 6–10 years (50 children diagnosed with ADHD and 50 typically developing children matched by age and sex). Parents were asked to complete the sociodemographic form, Conners Parent Rating Scale-Revised Short, Child Behavior Checklist for Ages 6–18 (CBCL), and Sensory Profile. Children completed a FER task from the Karolinska Directed Emotional Faces database. Results showed that children with ADHD had more impaired FER ability, atypical sensory processing, and social/behavioral problems than typically developed children. Atypical sensory processing is related to increased social and externalizing problems in both groups. However, hypersensitivity in ADHD was linked to better recognition of some emotions (fear, surprise, and disgust), which should be considered in social skills training. Also, we found that as sensory-seeking behaviors became atypical, externalizing problems increased, and ADHD was found to moderate this relationship in all clinical severities of ADHD. These findings may help us better understand the complex relationship between sensory problems, externalizing behavior, and ADHD by facilitating the development of more efficacious interventions in this domain.