Reaction Time Variability Associated with Reading Skills in Poor Readers with ADHD

Abstract

Objective Linkages between neuropsychological functioning (i.e., response inhibition, processing speed, reaction time variability) and word reading have been documented among children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and children with Reading Disorders. However, associations between neuropsychological functioning and other aspects of reading (i.e., fluency, comprehension) have not been well-documented among children with comorbid ADHD and Reading Disorder. Method Children with ADHD and poor word reading (i.e., ≤25th percentile) completed a stop signal task (SST) and tests of word reading, reading fluency, and reading comprehension. Multivariate multiple regression was conducted predicting the reading skills from SST variables [i.e., mean reaction time (MRT), reaction time standard deviation (SDRT), and stop signal reaction time (SSRT)]. Results SDRT predicted word reading, reading fluency, and reading comprehension. MRT and SSRT were not associated with any reading skill. After including word reading in models predicting reading fluency and reading comprehension, the effects of SDRT were minimized. Discussion Reaction time variability (i.e., SDRT) reflects impairments in information processing and failure to maintain executive control. The pattern of results from this study suggest SDRT exerts its effects on reading fluency and reading comprehension through its effect on word reading (i.e., decoding) and that this relation may be related to observed deficits in higher-level elements of reading.

Reading performance is predicted by more than phonological processing

“…Sustained attention may be related to both reading fluency and comprehension (Stern and Shalev, 2013). Consistent with this notion, lapses in attention as measured by reaction time variability have been shown to be predictive of fluency and comprehension (Jacobson et al, 2013; Tamm et al, 2014). …”

Amphetamine Modestly Improves Conners’ Continuous Performance Test Performance in Healthy Adults

“…The most prominent effect of amphetamine was a reduction of the change in HRT error across the task which is consistent with recent reports of amphetamine improving simple reaction time task performance by reducing the occurrence of long reaction times, considered to reflect lapses of attention (Weafer & de Wit, 2013). Notably, increased reaction time variability is a prominent feature of ADHD (Gu et al, 2013; Lin et al, 2015) that significantly impairs reading ability (Tamm et al, 2014). While reaction time variability may serve as a useful endophenotype of ADHD, amphetamine effects appear nonspecific to individuals with deficits in this domain.…”

Rapid automatized naming (RAN) in children with ADHD: An ex-Gaussian analysis

“…Several theories have been put forth to account for the observed intra-individual variability in ADHD, including arousal regulation, temporal processing, and anomalies in the “default-mode” network (Kuntsi & Klein, 2012). Among children with comorbid ADHD and RD, reaction time variability appears to influence reading fluency through its effects on word decoding (Tamm et al, 2014); however, the associations between variability and reading in children with ADHD (without RD) are less well understood.…”