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Effects of fluency, oral language, and executive function on reading comprehension performance

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Abstract

Reading disability (RD) typically consists of deficits in word reading accuracy and/or reading comprehension. While it is well known that word reading accuracy deficits lead to comprehension deficits (general reading disability, GRD), less is understood about neuropsychological profiles of children who exhibit adequate word reading accuracy but nevertheless develop specific reading comprehension deficits (S-RCD). Establishing the underlying neuropsychological processes associated with different RD types is essential for ultimately understanding core neurobiological bases of reading comprehension. To this end, the present study investigated isolated and contextual word fluency, oral language, and executive function on reading comprehension performance in 56 9- to 14-year-old children [21 typically developing (TD), 18 GRD, and 17 S-RCD]. Results indicated that TD and S-RCD participants read isolated words at a faster rate than participants with GRD; however, both RD groups had contextual word fluency and oral language weaknesses. Additionally, S-RCD participants showed prominent weaknesses in executive function. Implications for understanding the neuropsychological bases for reading comprehension are discussed.

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Notes

  1. In such cases when participants showed statistically significant differences in standard deviation between verbal and nonverbal estimates of IQ, the higher score was used; this was true for two participants. Additionally, we included two other participants who earned FSIQ estimates below 80 despite not exhibiting a statistically significant difference between verbal and performance indices; however, in both cases, at least one of their index scores was above 80.

  2. A subset of participants (N = 8) were also tested under NIH grant R01-HD044073 and thus were administered the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children—Fourth Edition (WISC-IV; Wechsler, 2003).

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported in part by the Mental Wellness Foundation, the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine General Clinical Research Center (NIH grant M01-RR00052), and NIH R01-HD044073. The authors thank Sarah Eason for her assistance with data collection.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Laurie E. Cutting, Carolyn A. S. Cole, Terry M. Levine & E. Mark Mahone

  2. Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Laurie E. Cutting

  3. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Carolyn A. S. Cole & E. Mark Mahone

  4. Johns Hopkins University School of Education, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Laurie E. Cutting

  5. Haskins Laboratories, New Haven, CT, USA

    Laurie E. Cutting

  6. Loyola College, Baltimore, MD, USA

    April Materek

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Cutting, L.E., Materek, A., Cole, C.A.S. et al. Effects of fluency, oral language, and executive function on reading comprehension performance. Ann. of Dyslexia 59, 34–54 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11881-009-0022-0

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