The Comorbidity of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria as an Impediment in Foreign Language Learning

Abstract

This article aims to show the relationship between the co-occurrence of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD) and their impact on foreign language learning. With the increasing social awareness of neurodiversity, i.e., differences in the characteristics of the human brain and, consequently, different ways of reasoning, perceiving the world, and the resulting behaviours, we are observing an increased interest in the diagnosis and psychotherapy of neurodevelopmental disorders (including ADHD, autism spectrum disorder, Asperger's syndrome, dyslexia, and dyspraxia). It is assumed that differences in information processing, learning methods, emotional reactions, and other neurobiological aspects are an integral part of the human neuropsychological spectrum and constitute the wealth of our population. Statistical data indicate that the concept of neurodiversity may affect as much as 15-20% of the general population. The study aims to show how the co-occurrence of two neurodevelopmental disorders—ADHD and RSD—affects learning foreign languages. The results presented included only those difficulties resulting from the co-occurrence of these two disorders and ignored variables resulting from only one. The research group included students learning foreign languages as part of their studies in applied linguistics who were diagnosed with ADHD and RSD. The observed difficulties were collected and compared, and conclusions were formulated.