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The etiological relationship between reading disability and phonological disorder

  • Part II Genetic And Neurophysiological Aspects
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Abstract

The present study investigated the etiological relationship between two disorders: dyslexia or reading disability (RD) and phonological disorder (PD). These disorders manifest at different ages and have typically been studied by researchers in different disciplines. However, a growing body of evidence suggests that the disorders overlap at symptomatic, cognitive, and etiological levels of analysis. In previous studies, each disorder has been found to be heritable, and there is also evidence that RD and PD run together in families, but no studies to date have documented whether there is a shared genetic influence between the two disorders. The present study examined this question in a sample of RD and non-RD twins. Subjects with a history of PD were identified and the etiological relation between the two disorders was examined. Results indicated that in the present sample, RD and PD are each heritable on their own. Further, even when correcting for RD, the two disorders were found to be coheritable, indicating that the finding of cofamiliality of RD and PD is at least partially driven by genetic influences. The implications of these results for the conceptualization, identification, and treatment of these two disorders are discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Denver, 2155 S. Race Street, 80208, Denver, CO

    Rachel A. Tunick & Bruce F. Pennington

  2. 1100 Plum Creek Parkway #5202, 80104, Castle Rock, CO

    Rachel A. Tunick

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  1. Rachel A. Tunick
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  2. Bruce F. Pennington
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Correspondence to Rachel A. Tunick.

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Tunick, R.A., Pennington, B.F. The etiological relationship between reading disability and phonological disorder. Ann. of Dyslexia 52, 75–97 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11881-002-0007-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11881-002-0007-8

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