Getting clued in: inferential processing and comprehension monitoring in boys with ADHD

First-grade multilingual students' executive function profiles and links to English reading achievement and difficulties: a person-centered latent profile analysis

Although the important role of children's executive function (EF) in their reading development has been well-established, less is known about the extent to which multilingual children's EF components vary and whether the variability in different EF abilities explains multilingual children's English reading achievement. The present study explored the US first-grade multilingual children's (N = 3,819) profiles of EF abilities and how the profile membership was associated with their English reading achievement, using a nationally representative sample of multilingual children from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 2010-11 (ECLS-K: 2011) study. We fit latent profile analysis with various EF components, including working memory, cognitive flexibility, inhibitory control, approaches to learning, and attentional focus, and found three distinct EF profiles in multilingual children: (a) Below-Average EFs with Above-Average Cognitive Flexibility (10.13%), (b) Above-Average EFs (84.09%), and (c) Very Low Cognitive Flexibility (5.78%). Controlling for kindergarten English reading achievement scores and demographic variables, children in the Above-Average EFs profile attained a significantly higher English reading achievement score than their peers, while children in the Very Low Cognitive Flexibility group had the lowest English reading achievement score. Our findings highlight the importance of understanding multilingual children's heterogeneity in EF and have implications for the early identification of and tailored intervention for multilingual children at risk for reading difficulties.

The Relationship Between Reading Strategy and Reading Comprehension: A Meta-Analysis

This study synthesized the correlation between reading strategy and reading comprehension of four categories based on Weinstein and Mayer's reading strategy model. The current meta-analysis obtained 57 effect sizes that represented 21,548 readers, and all selected materials came from empirical studies published from 1998 to 2019. Results showed that reading strategies in all the four categories had a similar correlation effect size with reading comprehension. The correlation between monitoring strategy and reading comprehension was significantly larger in first language scripts than second language scripts. Affective strategy and elaboration strategy had an independent effect on reading comprehension, which was not significantly moderated by selected moderators. Results suggested that the reading strategies of all the four categories may have a similar contribution to text comprehension activities.

The influence of student engagement on the effects of an inferential reading comprehension intervention for struggling middle school readers

Although many students benefit from evidence-based reading comprehension interventions, not all students will exhibit adequate response. Moderation analysis provides a statistical approach to examine for whom and under what conditions interventions are most effective. Conducted within a parent project, which investigated the effects of an inferential reading comprehension intervention, the current study examined factors related to the deployment of students' attention as well as language status that might be associated with differential response to intervention. Sixty-six struggling middle school readers were randomly assigned to a computerized version of the intervention, a teacher-led version, or business-as-usual (BaU) control instruction. The influence of language status (i.e., English Learner status) and pre-intervention levels of mind-wandering, anxiety, and mindset on the effects of the inferential reading comprehension intervention were examined. There were no moderator effects for the teacher-led group compared to the BaU control. Conversely, anxiety, mind-wandering, and language status moderated the effects of the computer-led intervention for some reading and inference-making outcomes. The computer-led intervention was associated with improved inference-making for students with higher levels of self-reported anxiety and mind-wandering. In contrast, the computer-led intervention was less beneficial than BaU instruction for English learners. Findings are discussed with respect to how these factors might be relevant for interpreting the effects of interventions for struggling middle school readers in general, and for English learners in particular. The findings also point to the importance of considering the characteristics of both student and instructional features in the creation and testing of reading comprehension interventions.

Moderator Role of Monitoring in the Inhibitory Control of Adolescents With ADHD

Objective: The aim of this research was to analyze the role of monitoring in the causal relationship between inhibitory control and symptoms of combined ADHD. Method: It has been conducted a quantitative investigation of two phases. Results: In the first study, a moderation model was analyzed (N = 144 adolescents with combined ADHD), where monitoring was considered as a moderating variable in the causal relationship between the inhibitory control and the symptomatology of ADHD F(3, 140) = 28.03, p < .001; R² = .37. In the second study, the model through an experimental study was tested (N = 52 adolescents with and without ADHD) where it was found that adolescents with ADHD improve in their inhibitory control when they receive external support to the monitoring F(1, 50) = 21.38, p < .001, η² = .30. Conclusion: Results suggest that monitoring compensates the poor performance of inhibitory control in adolescents with ADHD, which is a contribution to the theoretical construction of ADHD and to the treatments proposed for this condition because it goes beyond the classic conception of a causality chain among the deficit of inhibitory control and ADHD symptomatology to propose a new explanation about this disorder, where neuropsychology intervention of monitoring would diminish ADHD's symptomatology impact on adolescents.

The Effects of ADHD Treatment and Reading Intervention on the Fluency and Comprehension of Children with ADHD and Word Reading Difficulties: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Many students with reading difficulties and disabilities (RD) also have Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). This randomized clinical trial compared the effects of ADHD treatment alone (medication, parent training), intensive reading intervention alone, and their combination on the reading fluency and comprehension of students with both disorders. Students with ADHD and RD were randomly assigned to receive (a) Reading Intervention only (n=74), (b) ADHD Treatment only (n=78), or (c) simultaneous Combined ADHD and RD Treatment (n=70). For phonemic decoding fluency, the Reading Intervention group and the Combined Treatment group both had significantly better outcomes than the ADHD Treatment group, but did not differ from one another. For passage comprehension, the ADHD Treatment group had significantly better outcomes than the Reading Intervention group, while the other groups did not differ from one another. ADHD treatment may support passage comprehension in this population, while fluent decoding is best supported through intensive reading intervention.

Pay attention to digital text: The impact of the media on text comprehension and self-monitoring in higher-education students with ADHD

BACKGROUND

Higher-education students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often face difficulties in self-regulation of learning (SRL). Studies of typical students have shown that SRL is less effective for digitally displayed texts. The current study investigated the influence of the media (digital, print) on reading comprehension and self-monitoring (a component of SRL) in higher-education students with and without ADHD.

METHODS

Forty-five students with ADHD and 61 matched controls read an expository text displayed digitally or in print. Then, they predicted their performance score and answered comprehension questions. Sustained attention and set-shifting abilities were also assessed.

RESULTS

In the digital condition, students with ADHD had significantly lower comprehension scores and were overconfident in their predictions of success relative to controls. In the print condition, the ADHD group spent more time reading the text, but their predictions of performance and comprehension scores were comparable to those of the control group. Poor sustained attention was significantly correlated with lower comprehension scores in both media conditions, whereas set-shifting correlated only with comprehension of the printed text.

CONCLUSIONS

Understanding a digitally displayed text is more challenging for students with ADHD than their peers, particularly when the conditions of the comprehension task favor good SRL skills.

The origin of the centrality deficit in individuals with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

INTRODUCTION

Studies have shown that skilled and disabled readers recall central ideas, which are important to the overall comprehension of the text, to a greater extent than peripheral, less important ideas after reading. However, readers with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) recall significantly fewer central ideas than skilled readers. The present study was designed to examine whether difficulties in identifying, attending, and/or retrieving central ideas underlie their centrality deficit.

METHOD

28 adult university students with ADHD and 27 control students read three expository texts (successively) to summarize their central ideas, while their eye-movements were recorded. After reading, the participants recalled, recognized, and estimated the centrality level of all text ideas, which were divided into central and peripheral based on pretest ratings.

RESULTS

The participants with ADHD recalled fewer central ideas than controls, although they recognized and estimated their centrality to the same extent as controls. Moreover, the participants with ADHD invested more time in rereading central ideas than peripheral ones, to a greater extent than controls.

CONCLUSIONS

The eye-movement data suggest that our university students with ADHD were aware of the reading task requirements, their difficulties, and the appropriate strategies for coping with them (i.e., rereading central ideas). More importantly, the present findings suggest that readers with ADHD have specific difficulty in retrieving central ideas that are available in their long-term memory. It supports the hypothesis that readers with ADHD establish fewer connections between text ideas during reading, and consequently benefit from a reduced number of retrieval cues after reading.

Desempenho de escolares com transtorno do déficit de atenção com hiperatividade em habilidades metalinguísticas, leitura e compreensão leitora

RESUMO Objetivo: caracterizar e comparar o desempenho de escolares com Transtorno do Déficit de Atenção com Hiperatividade em habilidades metalinguísticas, leitura e compreensão leitora, com escolares de bom desempenho acadêmico. Métodos: participaram deste estudo 30 escolares do Ensino Fundamental I, de ambos os gêneros, na faixa etária de 8 anos a 12 anos e 11 meses de idade, divididos em dois grupos: Grupo I, composto por 15 escolares com diagnóstico de Transtorno do Déficit de Atenção com Hiperatividade; Grupo II, composto por 15 escolares com bom desempenho acadêmico. Os escolares foram pareados em relação à idade, à escolaridade e ao gênero e foram submetidos à aplicação das provas de habilidades metalinguísticas, de leitura e de compreensão de leitura. Resultados: foi possível verificar desempenho inferior do GI em habilidades de identificação de fonema inicial e final, subtração e adição de sílabas e de fonemas, bem como de segmentação de fonemas. O desempenho do GI também foi inferior ao do GII em provas de leitura e de repetição de não palavras. Não houve diferença estatisticamente significante entre o desempenho dos grupos em compreensão leitora. Conclusão: os escolares com Transtorno do Déficit de Atenção com Hiperatividade em comparação com grupo controle apresentaram desempenho inferior na decodificação leitora e nas tarefas metalinguísticas consideradas mais complexas, as quais exigem retenção, análise e recuperação de informação. Na compreensão de leitura ambos os grupos apresentaram classificação de desempenho inferior com resultados semelhantes.

Reading Performance of Young Adults With ADHD Diagnosed in Childhood

OBJECTIVE

To study reading performance of young adults with ADHD and its relation with executive functioning.

METHOD

Thirty young adults with a childhood diagnosis of ADHD and 30 with normal development (ND) were compared on reading accuracy, fluency, and comprehension. Furthermore, ADHD with reading disabilities (ADHD+RD) and ADHD without reading disabilities (ADHD-RD) subgroups were compared using self-report and informant-report versions of the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function-Adult version (BRIEF-A).

RESULTS

Adults with ADHD obtained significantly worse results than the ND adults on reading speed, responses to literal questions, and a cloze test. Although the comparison of the ADHD+RD and ADHD-RD groups did not show significant differences on the BRIEF-A subscales, the ADHD+RD group surpassed the critical percentile (85) on more subscales, with working memory and metacognition especially affected.

CONCLUSION

The findings point out that reading should be assessed in individuals with ADHD as part of their evaluation to design effective early interventions.

Online inferential and textual processing by adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder during reading comprehension: Evidence from a probing method

INTRODUCTION

Previous studies have demonstrated that students with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) struggle particularly with grasping the implicit, inferential level of narratives that is crucial for story comprehension. However, these studies used offline tasks (i.e., after story presentation), used indirect measurements (e.g., identifying main ideas), and/or yielded inconclusive results using think-aloud techniques. Moreover, most studies were conducted with preschool or elementary school children with ADHD, using listening or televised story comprehension. In this study, we were interested in examining the spontaneous, immediate activation and/or suppression of forward-predictive inferences, backward-explanatory inferences, and inference-evoking textual information, as they occur online during reading comprehension by adolescents with ADHD.

METHOD

Participants with and without ADHD read short narrative texts, each of which included a predictive sentence, a bridging sentence that referred back to the predictive sentence via actualization of the predicted event, and two intervening sentences positioned between the predictive and bridging sentences that introduced a temporary transition from the main (predictive) episode. Activation and suppression of inferential and/or textual information were assessed using naming times of word probes that were implied by the preceding text, explicitly mentioned in it, or neither when following control texts. In some cases, a true-false inferential or textual question followed the probe.

RESULTS

Naming facilitations were observed for the control but not for the ADHD group, in responding to inference probes that followed the predictive and bridging sentences, and to text probes that followed the predictive sentences. Participants with ADHD were accurate, albeit slower, than controls in answering the true-false questions.

CONCLUSIONS

Adolescents with ADHD have difficulties in generating predictive and explanatory inferences and in retaining relevant textual information in working memory while reading, although they can answer questions after reading when texts are relatively short. These findings are discussed with regard to development of comprehension strategies for individuals with ADHD.

Theory of mind in utterance interpretation: the case from clinical pragmatics

The cognitive basis of utterance interpretation is an area that continues to provoke intense theoretical debate among pragmatists. That utterance interpretation involves some type of mind-reading or theory of mind (ToM) is indisputable. However, theorists are divided on the exact nature of this ToM-based mechanism. In this paper, it is argued that the only type of ToM-based mechanism that can adequately represent the cognitive basis of utterance interpretation is one which reflects the rational, intentional, holistic character of interpretation. Such a ToM-based mechanism is supported on conceptual and empirical grounds. Empirical support for this view derives from the study of children and adults with pragmatic disorders. Specifically, three types of clinical case are considered. In the first case, evidence is advanced which indicates that individuals with pragmatic disorders exhibit deficits in reasoning and the use of inferences. These deficits compromise the ability of children and adults with pragmatic disorders to comply with the rational dimension of utterance interpretation. In the second case, evidence is presented which suggests that subjects with pragmatic disorders struggle with the intentional dimension of utterance interpretation. This dimension extends beyond the recognition of communicative intentions to include the attribution of a range of cognitive and affective mental states that play a role in utterance interpretation. In the third case, evidence is presented that children and adults with pragmatic disorders struggle with the holistic character of utterance interpretation. This serves to distort the contexts in which utterances are processed for their implicated meanings. The paper concludes with some thoughts about the role of theorizing in relation to utterance interpretation.

Association between story recall and other language abilities in schoolchildren with ADHD

OBJECTIVE

The present study aimed to investigate the effect of working memory, vocabulary, and grammar on narrative comprehension in children with ADHD.

METHOD

Participants were 25 schoolchildren with ADHD and 25 typically developing (TD) children matched for chronological age and performance IQ. Children were assessed with the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Third Edition (WISC-III), a verbal IQ test, and a story recall task.

RESULTS

It was shown that children with ADHD recall less information from the stories than did TD children, while they are less sensitive to the importance of the information they recall. Moreover, it was found that children with ADHD experience problems in answering factual questions. Further analysis revealed that deficiencies in narrative comprehension may be accounted for by problems in working memory.

CONCLUSION

The discussion focuses on the role of working memory in narrative comprehension and the implications of these findings for intervention approaches.

A Story Mapping Intervention to Improve Narrative Comprehension Deficits in Adolescents with ADHD

The current study examined the effects of an 8-week Story Mapping Intervention (SMI) to improve narrative comprehension in adolescents with ADHD. Thirty 12 - 16 year-old adolescents with ADHD who were participating in a summer treatment program for adolescents with ADHD received the SMI instruction ten times and completed SMI homework ten times in a structured environment with teacher feedback. Recall of fables and story creation were assessed before and after the SMI. At post-test, fable recalls included more of the most important events, were more coherent, and included a greater number of plausible inferences than pre-test fable recalls. SMI homework scores accounted for increases in recall of important events and plausible inferences, suggesting that consistent practice and feedback with story mapping could contribute to important recall gains. In contrast, the inclusion of goal-based events and the rated coherence of created stories did not improve, suggesting that more explicit instruction in applying story mapping to story creation may be required.

Inference generation and story comprehension among children with ADHD

Academic difficulties are well-documented among children with ADHD. Exploring these difficulties through story comprehension research has revealed deficits among children with ADHD in making causal connections between events and in using causal structure and thematic importance to guide recall of stories. Important to theories of story comprehension and implied in these deficits is the ability to make inferences. Often, characters' goals are implicit and explanations of events must be inferred. The purpose of the present study was to compare the inferences generated during story comprehension by 23 7- to 11-year-old children with ADHD (16 males) and 35 comparison peers (19 males). Children watched two televised stories, each paused at five points. In the experimental condition, at each pause children told what they were thinking about the story, whereas in the control condition no responses were made during pauses. After viewing, children recalled the story. Several types of inferences and inference plausibility were coded. Children with ADHD generated fewer of the most essential inferences, plausible explanatory inferences, than did comparison children, both during story processing and during story recall. The groups did not differ on production of other types of inferences. Group differences in generating inferences during the think-aloud task significantly mediated group differences in patterns of recall. Both groups recalled more of the most important story information after completing the think-aloud task. Generating fewer explanatory inferences has important implications for story comprehension deficits in children with ADHD.