Add Students With and Without Dyslexia Differ in Sensitivity to Rhyme and Alliteration

Abstract

Children with attention deficit disorder (ADD) and dyslexia (n = 82) made significantly more errors than normally reading children with ADD (n = 83) on a simple auditory test of phonological sensitivity to rhyme and alliteration (Bradley, 1984). A subgroup of children with dyslexia who were sensitive to rhyme and alliteration had higher scores on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) Spatial factor than a dyslexic subgroup who were phonologically insensitive. In multiple regression analyses, age-corrected phonological sensitivity scores contributed significantly to the prediction of both reading and spelling Wide Range Achievement Test (WRAT) scores, this beyond the contribution of WISC-R variables. Of interest for dyslexia subtyping theories, Spatial factor scores had a subtractive effect in these regression analyses.

Dyslexia (SpLD): Assessing Assessment

“…Investigations revealed very few cognitive differences beyond the performance scale IQ levels. The lack of clinically significant or educationally relevant characteristics applying to children with the specific learning difficulties highlights the dubious impact of the performance IQ; and this was argued to be consistent with other findings, such as that of Ackerman et al (1990), to the effect that the performance scale advantages shown by the learning disabled group did riot correlate with actual achievements.…”

Validity of IQ-Achievement Discrepancy Criteria for Identifying Learning Disabilities

“…For the clinician, the most provocative aspect of these findings is that the identification of an IQ-achievement and VIQ<PIQ discrepancy is no guarantee that an accompanying unique pattern of cognitive functioning will be found that distinguishes children with LD and identifies relative strengths for them that are educationally relevant. Consistent with the lack of a significant correlation between Performance Scale and academic achievement scores, Ackerman et al (1990) also found that higher scores on the WISC-R Perceptual Organization factor were negatively associated with WRAT-R Reading and Spelling scores among children with Attention Deficit Disorder and reading disabilities. Higher Perceptual Organization scores predicted lower WRAT achievement subtest scores.…”

Contributors to the social goals and outcomes of students with ADHD with and without LD

“…Reading disabilities were associated with lower phonological sensitivity (more errors in sensitivity to rhyme and alliteration) (Ackerman, Dykman, & Gardner, 1990), difficulties with soundsymbol association, and deficits in short-and long-term memory on verbal tasks (Kaplan, Dewey, Crawford, & Fisher 1999;Korkman & Pesonen, 1994). In addition, students with reading disabilities (with and without ADHD) can have difficulty with the meaning (semantics) and grammar in spoken and written language (Purvis & Tannock, 1997).…”