1
|
Conte G, Quadrana L, Zotti L, Di Garbo A, Oliveri M. Prismatic adaptation coupled with cognitive training as novel treatment for developmental dyslexia: a randomized controlled trial. Sci Rep 2024; 14:7148. [PMID: 38531968 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-57499-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2023] [Accepted: 03/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Despite intense and costly treatments, developmental dyslexia (DD) often persists into adulthood. Several brain skills unrelated to speech sound processing (i.e., phonology), including the spatial distribution of visual attention, are abnormal in DD and may represent possible treatment targets. This study explores the efficacy in DD of rightward prismatic adaptation (rPA), a visuomotor adaptation technique that enables visuo-attentive recalibration through shifts in the visual field induced by prismatic goggles. A digital intervention of rPA plus cognitive training was delivered weekly over 10 weeks to adolescents with DD (aged 13-17) assigned either to treatment (N = 35) or waitlist (N = 35) group. Efficacy was evaluated by repeated measures MANOVA assessing changes in working memory index (WMI), processing speed index (PSI), text reading speed, and words/pseudowords reading accuracy. rPA treatment was significantly more effective than waitlist (p ≤ 0.001; ηp2 = 0.815). WMI, PSI, and reading speed increased in the intervention group only (p ≤ 0.001, ηp2 = 0.67; p ≤ 0.001, ηp2 = 0.58; p ≤ 0.001, ηp2 = 0.29, respectively). Although modest change was detected for words and pseudowords accuracy in the waitlist group only (words: p ≤ 0.001, d = 0.17, pseudowords: p = 0.028; d = 0.27), between-group differences were non-significant. rPA-coupled cognitive training enhances cognitive and reading abilities in adolescents with DD. This innovative approach could have implications for early remedial treatment.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Giulia Conte
- Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry Division, Department of Human Neuroscience, Sapienza University of Rome, 108 via dei Sabelli, 00185, Rome, Italy.
| | - Lauro Quadrana
- Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry Division, Department of Human Neuroscience, Sapienza University of Rome, 108 via dei Sabelli, 00185, Rome, Italy
| | - Lilian Zotti
- Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry Division, Department of Human Neuroscience, Sapienza University of Rome, 108 via dei Sabelli, 00185, Rome, Italy
| | - Agnese Di Garbo
- NeuroTeam Life & Science, 112 via della Libertà, 90143, Palermo, Italy
| | - Massimiliano Oliveri
- Department of Biomedicine, Neurosciences and Advanced Diagnostics (BiND), University of Palermo, 129 via del Vespro, 90127, Palermo, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Lievore R, Cardillo R, Mammarella IC. Let's face it! The role of social anxiety and executive functions in recognizing others' emotions from faces: Evidence from autism and specific learning disorders. Dev Psychopathol 2024:1-13. [PMID: 38327107 DOI: 10.1017/s0954579424000038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/09/2024]
Abstract
Youth with different developmental disorders might experience challenges when dealing with facial emotion recognition (FER). By comparing FER and related emotional and cognitive factors across developmental disorders, researchers can gain a better understanding of challenges and strengths associated with each condition. The aim of the present study was to investigate how social anxiety and executive functioning might underlie FER in youth with and without autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and specific learning disorders (SLD). The study involved 263 children and adolescents between 8 and 16 years old divided into three groups matched for age, sex, and IQ: 60 (52 M) with ASD without intellectual disability, 63 (44 M) with SLD, and 140 (105 M) non-diagnosed. Participants completed an FER test, three executive functions' tasks (inhibition, updating, and set-shifting), and parents filled in a questionnaire reporting their children's social anxiety. Our results suggest that better FER was consistent with higher social anxiety and better updating skills in ASD, while with lower social anxiety in SLD. Clinical practice should focus on coping strategies in autistic youth who could feel anxiety when facing social cues, and on self-efficacy and social worries in SLD. Executive functioning should also be addressed to support social learning in autism.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rachele Lievore
- Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | - Ramona Cardillo
- Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
- Department of Women's and Children's Health, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | - Irene C Mammarella
- Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Sankalaite S, Huizinga M, Warreyn P, Dewandeleer J, Baeyens D. The association between working memory, teacher-student relationship, and academic performance in primary school children. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1240741. [PMID: 37809289 PMCID: PMC10556679 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1240741] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2023] [Accepted: 09/07/2023] [Indexed: 10/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Early relationships with teachers play an important role in children's development and significantly influence students' cognitive and academic performance. Studies suggest that working memory (WM) is a strong predictor of academic achievement, especially of reading and arithmetic outcomes. The associations between teacher-student relationship (TSR) quality, children's WM skills and their academic performance have been reported in numerous observational studies. However, the potentially bidirectional and temporal nature of the relationships between these constructs is understudied. Methods The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between primary school children's WM and TSR by applying a cross-lagged design and measuring these constructs at three time points throughout the academic year. More exploratively, this study investigated how WM and TSR bidirectionally relate to children's academic performance. Results The findings of this study revealed a temporal relationship between WM and TSR: between WM-related problems in the classroom at baseline and conflict at 3-month follow-up, and between closeness at 3-month follow-up and WM-related problems in the classroom at 5-month follow-up. Moreover, the findings showed a bidirectional relationship between arithmetic performance and WM-related problematic behaviour. Discussion This study highlights that relationships between the teacher and students play an important role in supporting students' cognitive and academic development. Importantly, this study suggests that children with WM problems may benefit from interventions that focus on improving their relationships with teachers. Additionally, the findings propose that interventions targeting WM may also have positive effects on children's academic performance.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Simona Sankalaite
- Parenting and Special Education Research Unit, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Mariëtte Huizinga
- Department of Educational and Family Studies, Faculty of Behavioural and Movement Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Petra Warreyn
- Department of Experimental Clinical and Health Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Jolien Dewandeleer
- Parenting and Special Education Research Unit, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Dieter Baeyens
- Parenting and Special Education Research Unit, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Pellegrino M, Ben-Soussan TD, Paoletti P. A Scoping Review on Movement, Neurobiology and Functional Deficits in Dyslexia: Suggestions for a Three-Fold Integrated Perspective. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2023; 20:3315. [PMID: 36834011 PMCID: PMC9966639 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20043315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2022] [Revised: 02/08/2023] [Accepted: 02/12/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Developmental dyslexia is a common complex neurodevelopmental disorder. Many theories and models tried to explain its symptomatology and find ways to improve poor reading abilities. The aim of this scoping review is to summarize current findings and several approaches and theories, focusing on the interconnectedness between motion, emotion and cognition and their connection to dyslexia. Consequently, we present first a brief overview of the main theories and models regarding dyslexia and its proposed neural correlates, with a particular focus on cerebellar regions and their involvement in this disorder. After examining different types of intervention programs and remedial training, we highlight the effects of a specific structured sensorimotor intervention named Quadrato Motor Training (QMT). QMT utilizes several cognitive and motor functions known to be relevant in developmental dyslexia. We introduce its potential beneficial effects on reading skills, including working memory, coordination and attention. We sum its effects ranging from behavioral to functional, structural and neuroplastic, especially in relation to dyslexia. We report several recent studies that employed this training technique with dyslexic participants, discussing the specific features that distinguish it from other training within the specific framework of the Sphere Model of Consciousness. Finally, we advocate for a new perspective on developmental dyslexia integrating motion, emotion and cognition to fully encompass this complex disorder.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Michele Pellegrino
- Research Institute for Neuroscience, Education and Didactics, Patrizio Paoletti Foundation for Development and Communication, 06081 Assisi, Italy
| | - Tal Dotan Ben-Soussan
- Research Institute for Neuroscience, Education and Didactics, Patrizio Paoletti Foundation for Development and Communication, 06081 Assisi, Italy
| | | |
Collapse
|
5
|
Wang J, Huo S, Wu KC, Mo J, Wong WL, Maurer U. Behavioral and neurophysiological aspects of working memory impairment in children with dyslexia. Sci Rep 2022; 12:12571. [PMID: 35869126 PMCID: PMC9307804 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-16729-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2022] [Accepted: 07/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
AbstractThe present study aimed to identify behavioral and neurophysiological correlates of dyslexia which could potentially predict reading difficulty. One hundred and three Chinese children with and without dyslexia (Grade 2 or 3, 7- to 11-year-old) completed both verbal and visual working memory (n-back) tasks with concurrent EEG recording. Data of 74 children with sufficient usable EEG data are reported here. Overall, the typically developing control group (N = 28) responded significantly faster and more accurately than the group with dyslexia (N = 46), in both types of tasks. Group differences were also found in EEG band power in the retention phase of the tasks. Moreover, forward stepwise logistic regression demonstrated that both behavioral and neurophysiological measures predicted reading difficulty uniquely. Dyslexia was associated with higher frontal midline theta activity and reduced upper-alpha power in the posterior region. This finding is discussed in relation to the neural efficiency hypothesis. Whether these behavioral and neurophysiological patterns can longitudinally predict later reading development among preliterate children requires further investigation.
Collapse
|
6
|
Alt M, Fox A, Levy R, Hogan TP, Cowan N, Gray S. Phonological working memory and central executive function differ in children with typical development and dyslexia. DYSLEXIA (CHICHESTER, ENGLAND) 2022; 28:20-39. [PMID: 34569679 PMCID: PMC8844040 DOI: 10.1002/dys.1699] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2021] [Revised: 07/02/2021] [Accepted: 09/03/2021] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
The primary purpose of this study was to compare the working memory performance of monolingual English-speaking second- grade children with dyslexia (N = 82) to second-grade children with typical development (N = 167). Prior to making group comparisons, it is important to demonstrate invariance between working memory models in both groups or between-group comparisons would not be valid. Thus, we completed invariance testing using a model of working memory that had been validated for children with typical development (Gray et al., 2017) to see if it was valid for children with dyslexia. We tested three types of invariance: configural (does the model test the same constructs?), metric (are the factor loadings equivalent?), and scalar (are the item intercepts the same?). Group comparisons favoured the children with typical development across all three working memory factors. However, differences in the Focus-of-Attention/Visuospatial factor could be explained by group differences in non-verbal intelligence and language skills. In contrast, differences in the Phonological and Central Executive working memory factors remained, even after accounting for non-verbal intelligence and language. Results highlight the need for researchers and educators to attend not only to the phonological aspects of working memory in children with dyslexia, but also to central executive function.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mary Alt
- Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
| | - Annie Fox
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, MGH Institute of Health Professions, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Roy Levy
- T. Denny Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA
| | - Tiffany P Hogan
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, MGH Institute of Health Professions, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Nelson Cowan
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, Missouri, USA
| | - Shelley Gray
- Department of Speech and Hearing Science, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Bernabini L, Bonifacci P, de Jong PF. The Relationship of Reading Abilities With the Underlying Cognitive Skills of Math: A Dimensional Approach. Front Psychol 2021; 12:577488. [PMID: 33716850 PMCID: PMC7946841 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.577488] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2020] [Accepted: 01/21/2021] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Math and reading are related, and math problems are often accompanied by problems in reading. In the present study, we used a dimensional approach and we aimed to assess the relationship of reading and math with the cognitive skills assumed to underlie the development of math. The sample included 97 children from 4th and 5th grades of a primary school. Children were administered measures of reading and math, non-verbal IQ, and various underlying cognitive abilities of math (counting, number sense, and number system knowledge). We also included measures of phonological awareness and working memory (WM). Two approaches were undertaken to elucidate the relations of the cognitive skills with math and reading. In the first approach, we examined the unique contributions of math and reading ability, as well as their interaction, to each cognitive ability. In the second approach, the cognitive abilities were taken to predict math and reading. Results from the first set of analyses showed specific effects of math on number sense and number system knowledge, whereas counting was affected by both math and reading. No math-by-reading interactions were observed. In contrast, for phonological awareness, an interaction of math and reading was found. Lower performing children on both math and reading performed disproportionately lower. Results with respect to the second approach confirmed the specific relation of counting, number sense, and number system knowledge to math and the relation of counting to reading but added that each math-related marker contributed independently to math. Following this approach, no unique effects of phonological awareness on math and reading were found. In all, the results show that math is specifically related to counting, number sense, and number system knowledge. The results also highlight what each approach can contribute to an understanding of the relations of the various cognitive correlates with reading and math.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Luca Bernabini
- Department of Psychology, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Paola Bonifacci
- Department of Psychology, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Peter F de Jong
- Research Institute of Child Development and Education, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Gray S, Fox AB, Green S, Alt M, Hogan TP, Petscher Y, Cowan N. Working Memory Profiles of Children With Dyslexia, Developmental Language Disorder, or Both. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2019; 62:1839-1858. [PMID: 31112436 PMCID: PMC6808376 DOI: 10.1044/2019_jslhr-l-18-0148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2018] [Revised: 08/20/2018] [Accepted: 01/23/2019] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Purpose Compared to children with typical development, children with dyslexia, developmental language disorder (DLD), or both often demonstrate working memory deficits. It is unclear how pervasive the deficits are or whether the deficits align with diagnostic category. The purpose of this study was to determine whether different working memory profiles would emerge on a comprehensive battery of central executive, phonological, visuospatial, and binding working memory tasks and whether these profiles were associated with group membership. Method Three hundred two 2nd graders with typical development, dyslexia, DLD, or dyslexia/DLD completed 13 tasks from the Comprehensive Assessment Battery for Children-Working Memory ( Gray, Alt, Hogan, Green, & Cowan, n.d. ) that assessed central executive, phonological, and visuospatial/attention components of working memory. Results Latent class analyses yielded 4 distinct latent classes: low overall (21%), average with high number updating (30%), average with low number updating (12%), and high overall (37%). Children from each disability group and children from the typically developing group were present in each class. Discussion Findings highlight the importance of knowing an individual child's working memory profile because working memory profiles are not synonymous with learning disabilities diagnosis. Thus, working memory assessments could contribute important information about children's cognitive function over and above typical psychoeducational measures.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Annie B Fox
- MGH Institute of Health Professions, Charlestown Navy Yard, Boston, MA
| | | | | | - Tiffany P Hogan
- MGH Institute of Health Professions, Charlestown Navy Yard, Boston, MA
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
9
|
Calhoun SL, Pearl AM, Fernandez-Mendoza J, Durica KC, Mayes SD, Murray MJ. Sleep Disturbances Increase the Impact of Working Memory Deficits on Learning Problems in Adolescents with High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder. J Autism Dev Disord 2019; 50:1701-1713. [DOI: 10.1007/s10803-019-03928-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
|
10
|
Cockcroft K, Milligan R. Working Memory Structure in Atypical Development: HIV-infected and HIV-exposed, Uninfected School Beginners. Dev Neuropsychol 2019; 44:248-272. [PMID: 30623681 DOI: 10.1080/87565641.2018.1564309] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Not much is known about the structure of working memory in atypical development. We undertook a detailed comparison of the functional organization of working memory in HIV-infected (n = 95; Mage = 7.42 years), and HIV-exposed (n = 86; Mage = 7.36 years) children, together with an uninfected, unexposed typically developing comparison group (n = 92; Mage = 7.05 years). Participants were in their first year of formal education. Within-group comparisons of five models showed that a four-factor model with separate verbal and visuospatial storage and processing accounted for the typically developing group, while working memory was structurally undifferentiated in the HIV-affected groups.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kate Cockcroft
- a Department of Psychology, School of Human and Community Development , University of the Witwatersrand , Johannesburg , South Africa
| | - Robyn Milligan
- a Department of Psychology, School of Human and Community Development , University of the Witwatersrand , Johannesburg , South Africa
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Milligan R, Cockcroft K. Working Memory Profiles in HIV-Exposed, Uninfected and HIV-Infected Children: A Comparison with Neurotypical Controls. Front Hum Neurosci 2017; 11:348. [PMID: 28729828 PMCID: PMC5498467 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2017.00348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2017] [Accepted: 06/19/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
This study compared the working memory profiles of three groups of children, namely HIV-infected (HIV-I; n = 95), HIV-exposed, uninfected (HIV-EU; n = 86) and an HIV-unexposed, uninfected, (HIV-UU; n = 92) neurotypical control group. Working memory, an executive function, plays an important role in frontal lobe-controlled behaviors, such as motivation, planning, decision making, and social interaction, and is a strong predictor of academic success in school children. Memory impairments have been identified in HIV-I children, particularly in visuospatial processing. Verbal working memory has not been commonly investigated in this population, while it is unknown how the working memory profiles of HIV-EU children compare to their HIV-I and HIV-UU peers. Of interest was whether the working memory profiles of the HIV-EU children would be more similar to the HIV-I group or to the uninfected control group. The results revealed no significant differences in working memory performance between the HIV-I and HIV-EU groups. However, this does not mean that the etiology of the working memory deficits is the same in the two groups, as these groups showed important differences when compared to the control group. In comparison to the controls, the HIV-I group experienced difficulties with processing tasks irrespective of whether they drew on a verbal or visuospatial modality. This appears to stem from a generalized executive function deficit that also interferes with working memory. In the HIV-EU group, difficulties occurred with verbally based tasks, irrespective of whether they required storage or processing. For this group, the dual demands of complex processing and using a second language seem to result in demand exceeding capacity on verbal tasks. Both groups experienced the greatest difficulties with verbal processing tasks for these different reasons. Thus, disruption of different cognitive abilities could result in similar working memory profiles, as evidenced in this study. This has implications for the underlying developmental neurobiology of HIV-I and HIV-EU children, as well the choice of appropriate measures to assist affected children.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Kate Cockcroft
- Department of Psychology, School of Human and Community Development, University of the WitwatersrandJohannesburg, South Africa
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Bosman AMT, Janssen M. Differential relationships between language skills and working memory in Turkish-Dutch and native-Dutch first-graders from low-income families. READING AND WRITING 2017; 30:1945-1964. [PMID: 29056823 PMCID: PMC5630646 DOI: 10.1007/s11145-017-9760-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
In the Netherlands, Turkish-Dutch children constitute a substantial group of children who learn to speak Dutch at the age of four after they learned to speak Turkish. These children are generally academically less successful. Academic success appears to be affected by both language proficiency and working memory skill. The goal of this study was to investigate the relationship between language skills and working memory in Turkish-Dutch and native-Dutch children from low-income families. The findings revealed reduced Dutch language and Dutch working-memory skills for Turkish-Dutch children compared to native-Dutch children. Working memory in native-Dutch children was unrelated to their language skills, whereas in Turkish-Dutch children strong correlations were found both between Turkish language skills and Turkish working-memory performance and between Dutch language skills and Dutch working-memory performance. Reduced language proficiencies and reduced working-memory skills appear to manifest itself in strong relationships between working memory and language skills in Turkish-Dutch children. The findings seem to indicate that limited verbal working-memory and language deficiencies in bilingual children may have reciprocal effects that strongly warrants adequate language education.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anna M. T. Bosman
- Department of Special Education, Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, Montessorilaan 3, 6525 HR Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Marije Janssen
- Department of Special Education, Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, Montessorilaan 3, 6525 HR Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Flex College, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Maehler C, Schuchardt K. The importance of working memory for school achievement in primary school children with intellectual or learning disabilities. RESEARCH IN DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES 2016; 58:1-8. [PMID: 27567244 DOI: 10.1016/j.ridd.2016.08.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2016] [Revised: 07/21/2016] [Accepted: 08/18/2016] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Given the well-known relation between intelligence and school achievement we expect children with normal intelligence to perform well at school and those with intelligence deficits to meet learning problems. But, contrary to these expectations, some children do not perform according to these predictions: children with normal intelligence but sub-average school achievement and children with lower intelligence but average success at school. Yet, it is an open question how the unexpected failure or success can be explained. AIMS This study examined the role of working memory sensu Baddeley (1986) for school achievement, especially for unexpected failure or success. METHOD AND PROCEDURES An extensive working memory battery with a total of 14 tasks for the phonological loop, the visual-spatial sketchpad and central executive skills was presented in individual sessions to four groups of children differing in IQ (normal vs. low) and school success (good vs. poor). OUTCOMES AND RESULTS Results reveal that children with sub-average school achievement showed deficits in working memory functioning, irrespective of intelligence. By contrast, children with regular school achievement did not show deficits in working memory, again irrespective of intelligence. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS Therefore working memory should be considered an important predictor of academic success that can lead both to unexpected overachievement and failure at school. Individual working memory competencies should be taken into account with regard to diagnosis and intervention for children with learning problems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Maehler
- University of Hildesheim, Universitätsplatz 1, D- 31141 Hildesheim, Germany.
| | - Kirsten Schuchardt
- University of Hildesheim, Universitätsplatz 1, D- 31141 Hildesheim, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Maehler C, Schuchardt K. Working memory in children with specific learning disorders and/or attention deficits. LEARNING AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.lindif.2016.05.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
|
15
|
Yim D, Kim SY, Yang Y. Factor Analysis of Working Memory Tasks Based on Information Processing Characteristics: Predictive Factors of Receptive Vocabulary and Quick Incidental Learning in Children with Typically Developing and Receptive Vocabulary Delay. COMMUNICATION SCIENCES AND DISORDERS-CSD 2015. [DOI: 10.12963/csd.15241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
|
16
|
Kudo MF, Lussier CM, Swanson HL. Reading disabilities in children: A selective meta-analysis of the cognitive literature. RESEARCH IN DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES 2015; 40:51-62. [PMID: 25725389 DOI: 10.1016/j.ridd.2015.01.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2014] [Revised: 12/29/2014] [Accepted: 01/16/2015] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
This article synthesizes literature that compares the academic, cognitive, and behavioral performance of children with and without reading disabilities (RD). Forty-eight studies met the criteria for the meta-analysis, yielding 735 effect sizes (ESs) with an overall weighted ES of 0.98. Small to high ESs in favor of children without RD emerged on measures of cognition (rapid naming [ES = 0.89], phonological awareness [ES = 1.00], verbal working memory [ES = 0.79], short-term memory [ES = 0.56], visual-spatial memory [ES = 0.48], and executive processing [ES = 0.67]), academic achievement (pseudoword reading [ES = 1.85], math [ES = 1.20], vocabulary [ES = 0.83], spelling [ES = 1.25], and writing [ES = 1.20]), and behavior skills (ES = 0.80). Hierarchical linear modeling indicated that specific cognitive process measures (verbal working memory, visual-spatial memory, executive processing, and short-term memory) and intelligence measures (general and verbal intelligence) significantly moderated overall group effect size differences. Overall, the results supported the assumption that cognitive deficits in children with RD are persistent.
Collapse
|
17
|
Engel de Abreu PMJ, Abreu N, Nikaedo CC, Puglisi ML, Tourinho CJ, Miranda MC, Befi-Lopes DM, Bueno OFA, Martin R. Executive functioning and reading achievement in school: a study of Brazilian children assessed by their teachers as "poor readers". Front Psychol 2014; 5:550. [PMID: 24959155 PMCID: PMC4050967 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00550] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2014] [Accepted: 05/18/2014] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
This study examined executive functioning and reading achievement in 106 6- to 8-year-old Brazilian children from a range of social backgrounds of whom approximately half lived below the poverty line. A particular focus was to explore the executive function profile of children whose classroom reading performance was judged below standard by their teachers and who were matched to controls on chronological age, sex, school type (private or public), domicile (Salvador/BA or São Paulo/SP) and socioeconomic status. Children completed a battery of 12 executive function tasks that were conceptual tapping cognitive flexibility, working memory, inhibition and selective attention. Each executive function domain was assessed by several tasks. Principal component analysis extracted four factors that were labeled “Working Memory/Cognitive Flexibility,” “Interference Suppression,” “Selective Attention,” and “Response Inhibition.” Individual differences in executive functioning components made differential contributions to early reading achievement. The Working Memory/Cognitive Flexibility factor emerged as the best predictor of reading. Group comparisons on computed factor scores showed that struggling readers displayed limitations in Working Memory/Cognitive Flexibility, but not in other executive function components, compared to more skilled readers. These results validate the account that working memory capacity provides a crucial building block for the development of early literacy skills and extends it to a population of early readers of Portuguese from Brazil. The study suggests that deficits in working memory/cognitive flexibility might represent one contributing factor to reading difficulties in early readers. This might have important implications for how educators might intervene with children at risk of academic under achievement.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Neander Abreu
- Instituto de Psicologia, Universidade Federal da Bahia Salvador, Brazil
| | - Carolina C Nikaedo
- Departamento de Psicobiologia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Marina L Puglisi
- Departamento de Fisioterapia Fonoaudiologia e Terapia Ocupacional, Universidade de São Paulo São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Carlos J Tourinho
- ECCS Research Unit, University of Luxembourg Walferdange, Luxembourg
| | - Mônica C Miranda
- Departamento de Psicobiologia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Debora M Befi-Lopes
- Departamento de Fisioterapia Fonoaudiologia e Terapia Ocupacional, Universidade de São Paulo São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Orlando F A Bueno
- Departamento de Psicobiologia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Romain Martin
- ECCS Research Unit, University of Luxembourg Walferdange, Luxembourg
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Carter C, Sellman E. A view of dyslexia in context: implications for understanding differences in essay writing experience amongst higher education students identified as dyslexic. DYSLEXIA (CHICHESTER, ENGLAND) 2013; 19:149-164. [PMID: 23780811 DOI: 10.1002/dys.1457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2012] [Revised: 05/02/2013] [Accepted: 05/03/2013] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
This article applies socio-cultural theories to explore how differences in essay writing experience are constituted for a group of students identified as dyslexic. It reports on a qualitative study with eleven student writers, seven of whom are formally identified as dyslexic, from the schools of archaeology, history and philosophy in a 'traditional' UK university. Semi-structured interviews before, during and after writing a coursework essay revealed well-documented dyslexia-related difficulties and also strong differences in how writing was experienced. The multiple and fluid dimensions that construct these differences suggest the importance of position within the context, previous and developing writing and learning experience, and metacognitive, meta-affective and metalinguistic awareness. They also suggest tensions between specialist and inclusive policies in relation to writing pedagogy for students identified as dyslexic.
Collapse
|
19
|
Gremillion ML, Martel MM. Semantic language as a mechanism explaining the association between ADHD symptoms and reading and mathematics underachievement. JOURNAL OF ABNORMAL CHILD PSYCHOLOGY 2013; 40:1339-49. [PMID: 22661106 DOI: 10.1007/s10802-012-9650-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
ADHD is associated with academic underachievement, but it remains unclear what mechanism accounts for this association. Semantic language is an underexplored mechanism that provides a developmental explanation for this association. The present study will examine whether semantic language deficits explain the association between ADHD and reading and mathematics underachievement, taking into account alternative explanations for associations, including verbal working memory (WM) impairments, as well as specificity of effects to inattentive and hyperactive-impulsive ADHD symptom domains. Participants in this cross-sectional study were 546 children (54 % male) ages six to twelve (M = 9.77, SD = 1.49). ADHD symptoms were measured via maternal and teacher report during structured interviews and on standardized rating forms. Children completed standardized semantic language, verbal WM, and academic testing. Semantic language fully mediated the ADHD-reading achievement association and partially mediated the ADHD-mathematics achievement association. Verbal WM also partially mediated the ADHD-mathematics association but did not mediate the ADHD-reading achievement association. Results generalized across inattentive and hyperactive-impulsive ADHD symptom domains. Semantic language explained the association between ADHD and reading underachievement and partially explained the association between ADHD and mathematics underachievement. Together, language impairment and WM fully explained the association between ADHD and reading underachievement, in line with developmental models suggesting that language and WM conjointly influence the development of attention and subsequent academic achievement. This work has implication for the development of tailored interventions for academic underachievement in children with ADHD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Monica L Gremillion
- Psychology Department, University of New Orleans, 2109 Geology & Psychology Building 2000 Lakeshore Drive, New Orleans, LA 70148, USA.
| | | |
Collapse
|
20
|
Lineweaver TT, Kercood S, O'Keeffe NB, O'Brien KM, Massey EJ, Campbell SJ, Pierce JN. The effects of distraction and a brief intervention on auditory and visual-spatial working memory in college students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. J Clin Exp Neuropsychol 2012; 34:791-805. [DOI: 10.1080/13803395.2012.683854] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
|
21
|
Hagerman R, Lauterborn J, Au J, Berry-Kravis E. Fragile X syndrome and targeted treatment trials. Results Probl Cell Differ 2012; 54:297-335. [PMID: 22009360 PMCID: PMC4114775 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-642-21649-7_17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Work in recent years has revealed an abundance of possible new treatment targets for fragile X syndrome (FXS). The use of animal models, including the fragile X knockout mouse which manifests a phenotype very similar to FXS in humans, has resulted in great strides in this direction of research. The lack of Fragile X Mental Retardation Protein (FMRP) in FXS causes dysregulation and usually overexpression of a number of its target genes, which can cause imbalances of neurotransmission and deficits in synaptic plasticity. The use of metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR) blockers and gamma amino-butyric acid (GABA) agonists have been shown to be efficacious in reversing cellular and behavioral phenotypes, and restoring proper brain connectivity in the mouse and fly models. Proposed new pharmacological treatments and educational interventions are discussed in this chapter. In combination, these various targeted treatments show promising preliminary results in mitigating or even reversing the neurobiological abnormalities caused by loss of FMRP, with possible translational applications to other neurodevelopmental disorders including autism.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Randi Hagerman
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California, Sacramento, CA, USA.
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
22
|
Mindset changes lead to drastic impairments in rule finding. Cognition 2011; 119:149-65. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2011.01.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2010] [Revised: 11/24/2010] [Accepted: 01/09/2011] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
|
23
|
Menghini D, Finzi A, Carlesimo GA, Vicari S. Working Memory Impairment in Children With Developmental Dyslexia: Is it Just a Phonological Deficity? Dev Neuropsychol 2011; 36:199-213. [DOI: 10.1080/87565641.2010.549868] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
|
24
|
Nelson JM, Harwood H. Learning disabilities and anxiety: a meta-analysis. JOURNAL OF LEARNING DISABILITIES 2011; 44:3-17. [PMID: 20375288 DOI: 10.1177/0022219409359939] [Citation(s) in RCA: 106] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
This article presents the results of a meta-analysis of the empirical literature on anxious symptomatology among school-aged students with learning disabilities (LD) in comparison to their non-LD peers. Fifty-eight studies met inclusion criteria. Results indicate that students with LD had higher mean scores on measures of anxiety than did non-LD students. The overall effect size was statistically significant and medium in magnitude (d=.61) although substantial heterogeneity of results was found. Moderator effects were examined for informant type, gender, grade, publication status, and identification source. Informant type (i.e., self-, parent, or teacher report) explained a significant amount of variability in the sample of studies, and identification source (i.e., school identified or special school and clinic/hospital identified) approached statistical significance. Implications for assessment and intervention are discussed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jason M Nelson
- University of Georgia, Regents' Center for Learning Disorders, Athens, GA 30602, USA.
| | | |
Collapse
|
25
|
Wolf RC, Sambataro F, Lohr C, Steinbrink C, Martin C, Vasic N. Functional brain network abnormalities during verbal working memory performance in adolescents and young adults with dyslexia. Neuropsychologia 2010; 48:309-18. [PMID: 19782695 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2009.09.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2009] [Revised: 09/07/2009] [Accepted: 09/21/2009] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Behavioral and functional neuroimaging studies indicate deficits in verbal working memory (WM) and frontoparietal dysfunction in individuals with dyslexia. Additionally, structural brain abnormalities in dyslexics suggest a dysconnectivity of brain regions associated with phonological processing. However, little is known about the functional neuroanatomy underlying cognitive dysfunction in dyslexia. In this study, functional magnetic resonance imaging and multivariate analytic techniques were used to investigate patterns of functional connectivity during a verbal WM task in individuals with dyslexia (n=12) and control subjects (n=13). Dyslexics were not significantly slower than controls; however, they were less accurate with increasing WM demand. Independent component analysis identified 18 independent components (ICs) among which two ICs were selected for further analyses. These ICs included functional networks which were positively correlated with the delay period of the activation task in both healthy controls and dyslexics. Connectivity abnormalities in dyslexics were detected within both networks of interest: within a "phonological" left-lateralized prefrontal network, increased functional connectivity was found in left prefrontal and inferior parietal regions. Within an "executive" bilateral frontoparietal network, dyslexics showed a decreased connectivity pattern comprising bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal and posterior parietal regions, while increased connectivity was found in the left angular gyrus, the left hippocampal cortex and the right thalamus. The functional connectivity strength in the latter regions was associated with WM task accuracy and with the numbers of errors during a spelling test. These data suggest functional connectivity abnormalities in two spatiotemporally dissociable brain networks underlying WM dysfunction in individuals with dyslexia.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Robert Christian Wolf
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy III, University of Ulm, Leimgrubenweg 12-14, 89075 Ulm, Germany.
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
26
|
Crews KJ, D'Amato RC. Subtyping Children's Reading Disabilities Using a Comprehensive Neuropsychological Measure. Int J Neurosci 2009; 119:1615-39. [DOI: 10.1080/00207450802319960] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
|
27
|
Banai K, Ahissar M. Perceptual learning as a tool for boosting working memory among individuals with reading and learning disability. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2009. [DOI: 10.1556/lp.1.2009.1.9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
|
28
|
Swanson HL, Jerman O. Working memory, short-term memory, and reading disabilities: a selective meta-analysis of the literature. JOURNAL OF LEARNING DISABILITIES 2009; 42:260-87. [PMID: 19255286 DOI: 10.1177/0022219409331958] [Citation(s) in RCA: 124] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
The purpose of the present study was to synthesize research that compares children with and without reading disabilities (RD) on measures of short-term memory (STM) and working memory (WM). Across a broad age, reading, and IQ range, 578 effect sizes (ESs) were computed, yielding a mean ES across studies of -.89 (SD = 1.03). A total of 257 ESs were in the moderate range for STM measures (M = -.61, 95% confidence range of -.65 to -.58), and 320 ESs were in the moderate range for WM measures (M = -.67, 95% confidence range of -.68 to -.64). The results indicated that children with RD were distinctively disadvantaged compared with average readers on (a) STM measures requiring the recall of phonemes and digit sequences and (b) WM measures requiring the simultaneous processing and storage of digits within sentence sequences and final words from unrelated sentences. No significant moderating effects emerged for age, IQ, or reading level on memory ESs. The findings indicated that domain-specific STM and WM differences between ability groups persisted across age, suggesting that a verbal deficit model that fails to efficiently draw resources from both a phonological and executive system underlies RD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- H Lee Swanson
- Graduate School of Education, Educational Psychology, University of California-Riverside, CA 92521, USA.
| | | |
Collapse
|
29
|
Maehler C, Schuchardt K. Working memory functioning in children with learning disabilities: does intelligence make a difference? JOURNAL OF INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY RESEARCH : JIDR 2009; 53:3-10. [PMID: 19093981 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2788.2008.01105.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Children with learning disabilities are identified by their severe learning problems and their deficient school achievement. On the other hand, children with sub-average school achievement and sub-average intellectual development are thought to suffer from a general intellectual delay rather than from specific learning disabilities. The open question is whether these two groups are characterised by differences in their cognitive functioning. The present study explored several functions of working memory. METHOD A working memory battery with tasks for the phonological loop, the visual-spatial sketchpad and central executive skills was presented in individual sessions to 27 children with learning disabilities and normal IQ (ICD-10: mixed disorders of scholastic skills), 27 children with learning disabilities and low IQ (intellectual disabilities), and a control group of 27 typically developing children with regular school achievement levels and normal IQ. RESULTS The results reveal an overall deficit in working memory of the two groups with learning disabilities compared with the control group. However, unexpectedly, there were no differences between the two groups of children with disabilities (normal vs. low IQ). CONCLUSIONS These findings do not support the notion of different cognitive functioning because of differences in intelligence of these two groups. In the ongoing discussion about the role of intelligence (especially as to the postulated discrepancy between intelligence and school achievement in diagnosis and special education), our findings might lead to rethinking the current practice of treating these two groups as fundamentally different.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- C Maehler
- University of Hildesheim, Hildesheim, Germany.
| | | |
Collapse
|
30
|
Kibby MY, Cohen MJ. Memory functioning in children with reading disabilities and/or attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a clinical investigation of their working memory and long-term memory functioning. Child Neuropsychol 2008; 14:525-46. [PMID: 18608219 PMCID: PMC2656576 DOI: 10.1080/09297040701821752] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
We examined memory functioning in children with reading disabilities (RD), Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and RD/ADHD using a clinic sample with a clinical instrument: the Children's Memory Scale, enhancing its generalizability. Participants included 23 children with RD, 30 with ADHD, 30 with RD/ADHD, and 30 controls. Children with RD presented with reduced verbal short-term memory (STM) but intact visual STM, central executive (CE), and long-term memory (LTM) functioning. Their deficit in STM appeared specific to tasks requiring phonetic coding of material. Children with ADHD displayed intact CE and LTM functioning but reduced visual-spatial STM, especially when off stimulant medication. Children with RD/ADHD had deficits consistent with both disorders.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Michelle Y Kibby
- Psychology, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL 62901, USA.
| | | |
Collapse
|
31
|
Schuchardt K, Maehler C, Hasselhorn M. Working memory deficits in children with specific learning disorders. JOURNAL OF LEARNING DISABILITIES 2008; 41:514-523. [PMID: 18625783 DOI: 10.1177/0022219408317856] [Citation(s) in RCA: 116] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
This article examines working memory functioning in children with specific developmental disorders of scholastic skills as defined by ICD-10. Ninety-seven second to fourth graders with a minimum IQ of 80 are compared using a 2 x 2 factorial (dyscalculia vs. no dyscalculia; dyslexia vs. no dyslexia) design. An extensive test battery assesses the three subcomponents of working memory described by Baddeley (1986): phonological loop, visual-spatial sketchpad, and central executive. Children with dyscalculia show deficits in visual-spatial memory; children with dyslexia show deficits in phonological and central executive functioning. When controlling for the influence of the phonological loop on the performance of the central executive, however, the effect is no longer significant. Although children with both reading and arithmetic disorders are consistently outperformed by all other groups, there is no significant interaction between the factors dyscalculia and dyslexia.
Collapse
|
32
|
Badcock NA, Hogben JH, Fletcher JF. No differential attentional blink in dyslexia after controlling for baseline sensitivity. Vision Res 2008; 48:1497-502. [DOI: 10.1016/j.visres.2008.03.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2007] [Revised: 03/14/2008] [Accepted: 03/19/2008] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
|
33
|
Ploeger A, van der Maas HLJ, Raijmakers MEJ. Is Evolutionary Psychology a Metatheory for Psychology? A Discussion of Four Major Issues in Psychology From an Evolutionary Developmental Perspective. PSYCHOLOGICAL INQUIRY 2008. [DOI: 10.1080/10478400701774006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
|
34
|
Neural correlates of working memory performance in adolescents and young adults with dyslexia. Neuropsychologia 2007; 46:640-8. [PMID: 17950764 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2007.09.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2007] [Revised: 09/04/2007] [Accepted: 09/06/2007] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Behavioral studies indicate deficits in phonological working memory (WM) and executive functioning in dyslexics. However, little is known about the underlying functional neuroanatomy. In the present study, neural correlates of WM in adolescents and young adults with dyslexia were investigated using event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and a parametric verbal WM task which required the manipulation of verbal material. Dyslexics were not significantly slower than controls; however, they were less accurate with the highest WM demand. The functional analysis excluded incorrectly performed and omitted trials, thus controlling for potential activation confounds. Compared with control subjects, both increased and decreased activation of the prefrontal cortex were found in the dyslexic group. Dyslexics showed significantly more activation than controls with increasing WM demand in the left superior frontal gyrus (BA 8), as well as in the inferior frontal gyrus including Broca's area (BA 44) and its right homologue. Less activation was found in the middle frontal gyrus (BA 6) and in the superior parietal cortex (BA 7). A positive correlation between activation of prefrontal regions and verbal WM performance (as measured by digit span backwards) was found only in the dyslexic group. Accuracy deficits at the highest cognitive demand during the verbal WM task and the digit span backwards suggest that manipulation rather than maintenance is selectively impaired in dyslexics. The fMRI data provide further evidence for functional differences in cortical regions associated with language processing and executive function in subjects with dyslexia.
Collapse
|
35
|
Abstract
Working memory impairments in dyslexia are well documented. However, research has mostly been limited to the phonological domain, a modality in which people with dyslexia have a range of problems. In this paper, 22 adult students with dyslexia and 22 age- and IQ-matched controls were presented with both verbal and visuospatial working memory tasks. Performance was compared on measures of simple span, complex span (requiring both storage and processing), and dynamic memory updating in the two domains. The dyslexic group had significantly lower spans than the controls on all the verbal tasks, both simple and complex, and also on the spatial complex span measure. Impairments remained on the complex span measures after controlling statistically for simple span performance, suggesting a central executive impairment in dyslexia. The novelty of task demands on the initial trials of the spatial updating task also proved more problematic for the dyslexic than control participants. The results are interpreted in terms of extant theories of dyslexia. The possibility of a supervisory attentional system deficit in dyslexia is also raised. It seems clear that working memory difficulties in dyslexia extend into adulthood, can affect performance in both the phonological and visuospatial modalities, and implicate central executive dysfunction, in addition to problems with storage.
Collapse
|
36
|
Swanson HL, Jerman O. The influence of working memory on reading growth in subgroups of children with reading disabilities. J Exp Child Psychol 2007; 96:249-83. [PMID: 17437762 DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2006.12.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 99] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2006] [Revised: 12/06/2006] [Accepted: 12/08/2006] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
This 3-year longitudinal study determined whether (a) subgroups of children with reading disabilities (RD) (children with RD only, children with both reading and arithmetic deficits, and low verbal IQ readers) and skilled readers varied in working memory (WM) and short-term memory (STM) growth and (b) whether growth in an executive system and/or a phonological storage system mediated growth in reading performance. A battery of memory and reading measures was administered to 84 children (11-17 years of age) across three testing waves spaced 1 year apart. The results showed that skilled readers yielded higher WM growth estimates than did the RD groups. No significant differentiation among subgroups of children with RD on growth measures emerged. Hierarchical linear modeling showed that WM (controlled attention), rather than STM (phonological loop), was related to growth in reading comprehension and reading fluency. The results support the notion that deficient growth in the executive component of WM underlies RD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- H Lee Swanson
- Department of Educational Psychology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA.
| | | |
Collapse
|
37
|
Working Memory and Reading Difficulties: What We Know and What We Don’t Know About the Relationship. EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY REVIEW 2006. [DOI: 10.1007/s10648-006-9024-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
|
38
|
St Clair-Thompson HL, Gathercole SE. Executive functions and achievements in school: Shifting, updating, inhibition, and working memory. Q J Exp Psychol (Hove) 2006; 59:745-59. [PMID: 16707360 DOI: 10.1080/17470210500162854] [Citation(s) in RCA: 610] [Impact Index Per Article: 33.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Links have recently been established between measures of educational attainment and both verbal and visuo-spatial aspects of working memory. Relationships have also been identified between specific executive functions-shifting, updating, and inhibition-and scholastic achievement. In the present study, scholastic attainment, shifting, updating, inhibition, and verbal and visuo-spatial working memory were assessed in 11- and 12-year-old children. Exploratory factor analysis identified two executive factors: one associated with updating functions and one associated with inhibition. Updating abilities were closely linked with performance on both verbal and visuo-spatial working memory span tasks. Working memory was closely linked with attainment in English and mathematics, and inhibition was associated with achievement in English, mathematics, and science. Domain-specific associations existed between verbal working memory and attainment in English, and between visuo-spatial working memory and attainment in English, mathematics and science. Implications of the findings for the theoretical analysis of executive functioning, working memory and children's learning are discussed.
Collapse
|
39
|
Abstract
This study examines the validity of the measures of verbal and nonverbal working memory on the Stanford-Binet Fifth Edition (SB5). The validity evidence included Rasch-based, criterion-referenced item mapping, correlations with other clinical measures of memory, and prediction of reading and mathematics scores. The item mapping clearly demonstrates a parallel between increasing item difficulty and a progression of item characteristics that placed increasing demands on verbal and nonverbal working memory. The higher correlations of the SB5 verbal and nonverbal working memory subtests with other measures of verbal and nonverbal memory, respectively, and lower correlations with nonverbal and verbal memory measures, respectively, clearly show convergent and divergent validity. The higher correlations between SB5 verbal working memory and reading skills and between SB5 nonverbal memory and mathematics skills are consistent with past research.
Collapse
|
40
|
Schuchardt K, Kunze J, Grube D, Hasselhorn M. Arbeitsgedächtnisdefizite bei Kindern mit schwachen Rechen- und Schriftsprachleistungen. ZEITSCHRIFT FUR PADAGOGISCHE PSYCHOLOGIE 2006. [DOI: 10.1024/1010-0652.20.4.261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Zusammenfassung. Vor dem Hintergrund des Arbeitsgedächtnismodells von Baddeley (1986) wurde überprüft, ob Kinder mit Schulleistungsschwächen Leistungsdefizite in zentralexekutiven, phonologischen und visuell-räumlichen Arbeitsgedächtnisfunktionen aufzeigen. Aus einer Stichprobe von 232 Drittklässlern wurden 69 Kinder identifiziert, die sich auf die vier Felder eines zweifaktoriellen Designs (Rechenleistung: schwach vs. unauffällig; Schriftsprachleistungen: schwach vs. unauffällig) verteilen. Um schwache Leistungen aufgrund von Intelligenzminderleistungen aus den Analysen herauszunehmen, wurden nur Kinder mit einem IQ größer 90 berücksichtigt. Die Kinder bearbeiteten in Einzelversuchen eine umfangreiche Testbatterie zur Erfassung der drei Subkomponenten des Arbeitsgedächtnisses. Es zeigte sich, dass Kinder mit Minderleistungen im Rechnen nur in der phonologischen Schleife Defizite aufweisen. Dagegen wurden bei Kindern mit schwachen Schriftsprachleistungen sowohl phonologische als auch zentralexekutive Defizite beobachtet. Die Bedeutung des phonologischen Arbeitsgedächtnisses bei Schwierigkeiten im Rechnen, Lesen und Schreiben wird diskutiert.
Collapse
|
41
|
van der Sluis S, van der Leij A, de Jong PF. Working memory in Dutch children with reading- and arithmetic-related LD. JOURNAL OF LEARNING DISABILITIES 2005; 38:207-21. [PMID: 15940959 DOI: 10.1177/00222194050380030301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
The aim of the two studies presented in this article was to examine working memory performance in Dutch children with various subtypes of learning disabilities. The performance of children with reading disabilities (RD) was compared to that of children with arithmetic disabilities (AD), children with both reading and arithmetic disabilities (RAD), and chronological age-matched controls (CA). Measures covered the phonological loop, the visuospatial sketchpad, and the central executive. In both studies, the children with RD showed no working memory deficits whatsoever. Children with AD showed a single impairment on the task tapping working memory for dynamic visual information. Children with RAD performed lower only on the digit span backward task. The failure to replicate the expected working memory deficits in children with reading-related disabilities is discussed.
Collapse
|
42
|
Kane MJ, Hambrick DZ, Tuholski SW, Wilhelm O, Payne TW, Engle RW. The generality of working memory capacity: a latent-variable approach to verbal and visuospatial memory span and reasoning. J Exp Psychol Gen 2004; 133:189-217. [PMID: 15149250 DOI: 10.1037/0096-3445.133.2.189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 853] [Impact Index Per Article: 42.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
A latent-variable study examined whether verbal and visuospatial working memory (WM) capacity measures reflect a primarily domain-general construct by testing 236 participants in 3 span tests each of verbal WM. visuospatial WM, verbal short-term memory (STM), and visuospatial STM. as well as in tests of verbal and spatial reasoning and general fluid intelligence (Gf). Confirmatory' factor analyses and structural equation models indicated that the WM tasks largely reflected a domain-general factor, whereas STM tasks, based on the same stimuli as the WM tasks, were much more domain specific. The WM construct was a strong predictor of Gf and a weaker predictor of domain-specific reasoning, and the reverse was true for the STM construct. The findings support a domain-general view of WM capacity, in which executive-attention processes drive the broad predictive utility of WM span measures, and domain-specific storage and rehearsal processes relate more strongly to domain-specific aspects of complex cognition.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Michael J Kane
- Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina at Greensboro
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
43
|
Silva-Pereyra J, Rivera-Gaxiola M, Fernández T, Díaz-Comas L, Harmony T, Fernández-Bouzas A, Rodríguez M, Bernal J, Marosi E. Are poor readers semantically challenged? An event-related brain potential assessment. Int J Psychophysiol 2004; 49:187-99. [PMID: 14507438 DOI: 10.1016/s0167-8760(03)00116-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
This study explores visual event-related potentials components in a group of poor readers (PRs) and control children who carried out figure and word categorization tasks. In both tasks, every child had to categorize between animal and non-animal stimuli in an odd-ball GO-GO paradigm. During the word categorization task, PRs presented longer reaction times, a poorer performance, longer and larger P2 amplitudes, and smaller amplitudes and longer P300 latencies than controls. There were no differences in the N400 component between groups. These results suggest that semantic processing underachievement in PRs may not be a semantic deficit per se, but the late reflection of an early word codification problem, deficient use of attentional resources and lack of target identification during reading.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Juan Silva-Pereyra
- Instituto de Neurobiología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, UNAM-UAQ, Queretaro, Mexico.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
44
|
van der Sluis S, de Jong PF, van der Leij A. Inhibition and shifting in children with learning deficits in arithmetic and reading. J Exp Child Psychol 2004; 87:239-66. [PMID: 14972600 DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2003.12.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 172] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2003] [Revised: 11/04/2003] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
The executive functions of inhibition and shifting were studied in arithmetic-disabled children, reading-disabled children, reading plus arithmetic-disabled children, and controls (N = 74). Measures involved the rapid naming of objects, digits, letters, or quantities with or without additional task requirements that reflected inhibition or shifting. Also, the Making Trails task, reflecting shifting, was administered. For tasks without executive demands, arithmetic-disabled children were slower in the naming of digits and quantities, whereas reading-disabled children were slower in the naming of digits and letters. For the executive tasks, arithmetic-disabled children as well as reading plus arithmetic-disabled children were impaired on the Making Trails task and on an object naming task that required both inhibition and shifting. Reading-disabled children exhibited no problems in executive functioning. Furthermore, it was shown that reading plus arithmetic-disabled children experienced the combination of problems that characterize children with a single learning deficit.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sophie van der Sluis
- Department of Education, University of Amsterdam, 1090 GE Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
45
|
Smith-Spark J, Fisk J, Fawcett A, Nicolson R. Investigating the central executive in adult dyslexics: Evidence from phonological and visuospatial working memory performance. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2003. [DOI: 10.1080/09541440340000024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
|
46
|
McNamara JK, Wong B. Memory for everyday information in students with learning disabilities. JOURNAL OF LEARNING DISABILITIES 2003; 36:394-406. [PMID: 15497483 DOI: 10.1177/00222194030360050101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
This study compared students with and without learning disabilities (LD) on their recall of academic information and information encountered in the students' everyday lives. The academic recall measures included a sentence listening span test, a rhyming words working memory test, and a visual matrix working memory task. Students' cued recall of all the tasks was also measured. The everyday working memory tasks included a dance episode event recall test; a library procedure recall test; and recall tests of commonly found objects, such as a coin, a telephone, and a McDonald's sign. Compared to students without LD, students with LD performed poorly on both the academic recall tasks and the everyday recall tasks. These results support the notion that some students with LD may have working memory problems that affect their performance on tasks other than reading. The results of the cued recall showed that the availability of cues significantly decreased the ability group differences on many of the academic and everyday tasks. This result replicates prior research findings that students with LD do not use retrieval strategies effectively and that some students with LD may have a production deficiency that affects their retrieval of previously encoded information.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- John K McNamara
- Department of Child and Youth Studies, Brock University, Ontario, Canada.
| | | |
Collapse
|
47
|
Howes NL, Bigler ED, Burlingame GM, Lawson JS. Memory performance of children with dyslexia: a comparative analysis of theoretical perspectives. JOURNAL OF LEARNING DISABILITIES 2003; 36:230-246. [PMID: 15515644 DOI: 10.1177/002221940303600303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
This study examined the memory performance of children with reading disabilities (RD) using methodology representative of three theoretical perspectives on RD subtypes: the phonological deficit, dual route, and phonological-core variable-difference models. Analyses compared the serial memory, verbal learning, and abstract visual-spatial memory performance of 45 children with RD to that of chronological-age (CA)- and reading-level (RL)-matched controls, using subtype identification methods from each of the theoretical models to classify children with RD. Phonological deficit and dual route comparisons indicated that children with RD, regardless of subtype, performed more poorly than CA- and better than RL-matched participants on all memory tasks. Phonological-core variable-difference methodology yielded three RD subtypes, two of which exhibited distinctive memory deficits relative to both CA and RL control groups. The phonological-core variable-difference model accounted for more variance in memory performance than either of the other two models.
Collapse
|
48
|
Heiman T, Precel K. Students with learning disabilities in higher education: academic strategies profile. JOURNAL OF LEARNING DISABILITIES 2003; 36:248-258. [PMID: 15515645 DOI: 10.1177/002221940303600304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
This study compared 191 college students with learning disabilities (LD) and 190 students without LD in four main areas: academic difficulties, learning strategies, functioning during examinations, and students' perception of factors that help or impede their academic success. Analysis of the personal data of students with and without LD revealed no significant differences between groups on grade point average, number of courses taken, and family status, but students with LD reported having more difficulties in humanities, social sciences, and foreign language than students without LD. Regarding academic strategies, students with LD devised unusual strategies and preferred additional oral explanations or visual explanations, whereas nondisabled students preferred more written examples. These differences indicated that students without LD used more written techniques than did students with LD. During examinations, the students with LD had difficulty concentrating and were concerned about lack of time. They experienced stress, were nervous, and felt more frustrated, helpless, or uncertain during examinations than students without LD. The implications for college students with LD are discussed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tali Heiman
- Open University of Israel, Department of Education and Psychology, Tel Aviv.
| | | |
Collapse
|
49
|
Cowan N, Towse JN, Hamilton Z, Saults JS, Elliott EM, Lacey JF, Moreno MV, Hitch GJ. Children's working-memory processes: a response-timing analysis. J Exp Psychol Gen 2003; 132:113-32. [PMID: 12656300 DOI: 10.1037/0096-3445.132.1.113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 110] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Recall response durations were used to clarify processing in working-memory tasks. Experiment 1 examined children's performance in reading span, a task in which sentences were processed and the final word of each sentence was retained for subsequent recall. Experiment 2 examined the development of listening-, counting-, and digit-span task performance. Responses were much longer in the reading-and listening-span tasks than in the other span tasks, suggesting that participants in sentence-based span tasks take time to retrieve the semantic or linguistic structure as cues to recall of the sentence-final words. Response durations in working-memory tasks helped to predict academic skill and achievement, largely separate from the contributions of the memory spans themselves. Response durations thus are important in the interpretation of span task performance.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nelson Cowan
- Department of Psychology, University of Missouri-Columbia, 210 McAlester Hall, Columbia, Missouri 65211, USA.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
50
|
Kane MJ, Engle RW. Working-memory capacity and the control of attention: the contributions of goal neglect, response competition, and task set to Stroop interference. J Exp Psychol Gen 2003; 132:47-70. [PMID: 12656297 DOI: 10.1037/0096-3445.132.1.47] [Citation(s) in RCA: 899] [Impact Index Per Article: 42.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Individual differences in working-memory (WM) capacity predicted performance on the Stroop task in 5 experiments, indicating the importance of executive control and goal maintenance to selective attention. When the Stroop task encouraged goal neglect by including large numbers of congruent trials (RED presented in red), low WM individuals committed more errors than did high WM individuals on the rare incongruent trials (BLUE in red) that required maintaining access to the "ignore-the-word" goal for accurate responding. In contrast, in tasks with no or few congruent trials, or in high-congruency tasks that followed low-congruency tasks, WM predicted response-time interference. WM was related to latency, not accuracy, in contexts that reinforced the task goal and so minimized the difficulty of actively maintaining it. The data and a literature review suggest that Stroop interference is jointly determined by 2 mechanisms, goal maintenance and competition resolution, and that the dominance of each depends on WM capacity, as well as the task set induced by current and previous contexts.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Michael J Kane
- Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, P.O. Box 26170, Greensboro, North Carolina 27402-6170, USA.
| | | |
Collapse
|