Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Psychology

Program Name/Specialization

Developmental Psychology

Faculty/School

Faculty of Arts

First Advisor

Alexandra Gottardo, PhD

Advisor Role

Thesis Advisor

Abstract

Children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms face challenges academically, behaviourally, and socioemotionally at entry to formal education. Yet, these symptoms are rarely investigated prior to school entry, reducing the time that parents can prepare by learning about the disorder, scaffolding their children’s skills, and mediating the risk of long-lasting consequences related to unpreparedness for school. Within the current study, we aimed to uncover specific skills and elements within children’s environments which may be targeted for intervention prior to entering formal education. More specifically, we examined the relationship between the home literacy environment (HLE), mental-state understanding, ADHD symptomology, and school readiness in Canadian preschool children ages 4 to 6 years old. Parents completed an online survey and parent-child dyads participated in a videoconferencing session. The survey included assessment of children’s ADHD symptomology (Conners 3-P(SF), mental-state understanding (Children’s Social Understanding Scale), and two measures of family HLE. First, an assessment of parental knowledge of children’s picture books, (Title Recognition Task) a proxy measure of the HLE, and second, survey questions more directly assessing the HLE (i.e., number of books in the home). The videoconferencing session included three tasks for the child and one for the parent-child dyad. The child was administered a standardized test of school readiness (Wide Range Achievement Test, 4th edition), a direct assessment of mental-state understanding (modified Smarties task), and an audio-visual measure of their picture book knowledge (Book Cover Recognition Task; BCRT), created for this study. The parent-child dyad participated in a shared book reading session as a final proxy measure of the HLE. Lastly, ADHD symptomology was observed and noted throughout the videoconferencing session. Correlations were computed to determine the degree of association between all variables. Unique variance in school readiness which may be explained by participants' mental-state understanding, ADHD symptomology, the family HLE, and control variables was examined. ADHD symptomology emerged as the strongest predictor of school readiness. Greater ADHD symptoms were correlated with diminished mental-state understanding and school readiness. Mental-state understanding was related to greater school readiness and, to a lesser degree, the HLE (as measured by book exposure only). Finally, the HLE was positively correlated with school readiness, when measured with book exposure. Shared book reading was not correlated with school readiness, mental-state understanding, nor ADHD symptomology. Contributions of the current study include the successful development of a new measure of preschool ADHD symptomology (ADHD observation rubric), an improved measure of children’s book exposure (BCRT), and the extension of the theory that it is the quantity of shared book reading interactions which contribute to school readiness and mental-state understanding, not the quality. Further implications are discussed.

Convocation Year

2026

Convocation Season

Spring

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Available for download on Tuesday, October 27, 2026

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