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A multiple deficit model of reading disability and attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder: searching for shared cognitive deficits
Author(s) -
McGrath Lauren M.,
Pennington Bruce F.,
Shanahan Michelle A.,
SanterreLemmon Laura E.,
Barnard Holly D.,
Willcutt Erik G.,
DeFries John C.,
Olson Richard K.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
journal of child psychology and psychiatry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.652
H-Index - 211
eISSN - 1469-7610
pISSN - 0021-9630
DOI - 10.1111/j.1469-7610.2010.02346.x
Subject(s) - psychology , attention deficit hyperactivity disorder , cognition , comorbidity , reading disability , dyslexia , structural equation modeling , cognitive deficit , working memory , developmental psychology , reading (process) , cognitive psychology , clinical psychology , psychiatry , cognitive impairment , statistics , mathematics , political science , law
Background: This study tests a multiple cognitive deficit model of reading disability (RD), attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and their comorbidity. Methods: A structural equation model (SEM) of multiple cognitive risk factors and symptom outcome variables was constructed. The model included phonological awareness as a unique predictor of RD and response inhibition as a unique predictor of ADHD. Processing speed, naming speed, and verbal working memory were modeled as potential shared cognitive deficits. Results: Model fit indices from the SEM indicated satisfactory fit. Closer inspection of the path weights revealed that processing speed was the only cognitive variable with significant unique relationships to RD and ADHD dimensions, particularly inattention. Moreover, the significant correlation between reading and inattention was reduced to non‐significance when processing speed was included in the model, suggesting that processing speed primarily accounted for the phenotypic correlation (or comorbidity) between reading and inattention. Conclusions: This study illustrates the power of a multiple deficit approach to complex developmental disorders and psychopathologies, particularly for exploring comorbidities. The theoretical role of processing speed in the developmental pathways of RD and ADHD and directions for future research are discussed.