Journal of Learning Disabilities

This study investigated whether the likelihood of motor impairment in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) increases with the presence of other disorders, and whether the co-occurring diagnoses of reading disability (RD) and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) account for the motor deficits seen in ADHD. A total of 291 children (218 boys, 73 girls) participated. Six groups of children were compared: ADHD only (n = 29); RD only (n = 63); ADHD and RD (n = 47); ADHD and ODD (n = 19); ADHD, RD, and ODD (n = 21); and typically developing control children (n = 112). Motor skills were assessed with the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency and the Beery Test of Visual—Motor Integration. We found that the motor skills of the ADHD-only group did not differ from the typical control group. Furthermore, motor impairment in ADHD increased as a function of co-occurring disorders, and the presence of RD rather than ADHD predicted motor impairment.

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.

The present study addresses the distinction between specific (SLI) and nonspecific (NLI) language impairment at an etiological level by estimating the relative genetic and environmental contributions to language impairment in children with SLI and NLI. Drawing on a large longitudinal twin study, we tested a sample of 356 four-and-a-half-year-old children with low language ability and their twin partners at home on a range of language and nonverbal measures. For children whose language and nonverbal abilities were both low (NLI), genetic influence on language impairment was moderate and shared environmental influence was substantial. A similar pattern emerged for children whose language difficulties occurred in apparent isolation (SLI), although there was a trend for the genetic effects to be smaller for SLI than for NLI: Group heritability was .18 for SLI and .52 for NLI. Probandwise cross-concordances were suggestive of some genetic overlap between these two groups, but not with a subgroup of children with more severe cognitive delay.

Transition models include components of student self-determination during transition planning meetings. Researchers acknowledge that cultural identity may influence both transition decisions and self-determination strategies. Yet the appropriateness of these approaches for culturally and linguistically diverse students with learning disabilities (LD) remains unknown. This study examined self-determination perceptions and behaviors of European American, African American, and Hispanic American male adolescents with LD. Data were collected during focus group and individual interviews, observations, and document reviews. Qualitative data analysis provided information about students' behaviors and perceptions during postsecondary transition planning. The findings indicated that differences within this group of diverse participants were subtle. Students identified themselves and family members—rather than teachers—as key players in transition planning. Students perceived that self-determination efforts were thwarted in school contexts, whereas self-determination opportunities in home contexts were more accessible and productive.

The purpose of this study was to examine students' understanding of and ability to interpret line graphs, using four tasks: two where students constructed a graph and two where students interpreted a given graph. The tasks were unique in that they did not simply involve the explanation of given data but included a language component that looked at students' cognitive processes and understanding while they were engaged in the tasks. The study is important because students are often able to define and even draw graphs yet perform poorly on graph interpretation items presented in high-stakes examinations. The sample for the study consisted of 91 fourth and fifth graders with and without learning disabilities (LD) from six schools in a major metropolitan area. Scoring rubrics were designed for each item. An analysis of variance by grade and group indicated no significant differences between fourth and fifth graders overall but revealed that typically achieving students performed at significantly higher levels than students with LD at both grade levels. Additional descriptive analyses looked at the patterns of errors evidenced and the nature of the students' constructions. These are discussed, and instructional implications are derived.

The major cognitive deficit of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is impaired executive function (EF), a cognitive component that some theorists believe to be the primary substrate for the general intelligence (g) factor. We review the constructs of g and EF and the relevant research findings on ADHD. We then analyze the results of a battery of diverse tests, including measures of EF, administered to 123 boys with ADHD. The correlations among the EF measures, two well-accepted measures of IQ, and the g factor extracted from the entire battery are trivial at best. These results are discussed in the context of collateral evidence supporting the independence of g and EF and its clinical and theoretical implications.