ERIC Number: EJ1019766
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2013
Pages: 17
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0022-2194
EISSN: N/A
Comorbidity between Reading Disability and Math Disability: Concurrent Psychopathology, Functional Impairment, and Neuropsychological Functioning
Willcutt, Erik G.; Petrill, Stephen A.; Wu, Sarah; Boada, Richard; DeFries, John C.; Olson, Richard K.; Pennington, Bruce F.
Journal of Learning Disabilities, v46 n6 p500-516 Nov-Dec 2013
Reading disability (RD) and math disability (MD) frequently co-occur, but the etiology of this comorbidity is not well understood. Groups with RD only (N = 241), MD only (N = 183), and RD + MD (N = 188) and a control group with neither disorder (N = 411) completed a battery of measures of internalizing and externalizing psychopathology, social and academic functioning, and 10 neuropsychological processes. Groups with RD only, MD only, and RD + MD were significantly impaired versus the control group on nearly all measures, and the group with RD + MD was more impaired than the groups with MD and RD alone on measures of internalizing psychopathology, academic functioning, and 7 of 10 neuropsychological constructs. Multiple regression analyses of the neuropsychological measures indicated that deficits in reading and math were associated with shared weaknesses in working memory, processing speed, and verbal comprehension. In contrast, reading difficulties were uniquely associated with weaknesses in phoneme awareness and naming speed, and math deficits were uniquely associated with weaknesses in set shifting. These results support multiple-deficit neuropsychological models of RD and MD and suggest that RD and MD are distinct but related disorders that co-occur because of shared neuropsychological weaknesses in working memory, processing speed, and verbal comprehension.
Descriptors: Comorbidity, Reading Difficulties, Behavior Disorders, Psychopathology, Neuropsychology, Physical Disabilities, Mathematical Aptitude, Etiology, Experimental Groups, Control Groups, Diagnostic Tests, Multiple Disabilities, Participant Characteristics, Screening Tests, Outcome Measures, Reading Achievement, Mathematics Achievement, Cognitive Ability, Social Cognition, Mental Disorders, Predictor Variables, Twins
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education; Middle Schools
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Colorado
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Stroop Color Word Test; Wisconsin Card Sorting Test
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A