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Matthew effects in children with learning disabilities: Development of reading, IQ, and psychosocial problems from grade 2 to grade 8

  • Part II Children’s Learning And Teachers’ Expectations
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Abstract

Reading achievement, IQ, and behavior problems were assessed in second and eighth grade for a longitudinal sample of 57 children. Changes in these scores over time were compared for children with no learning disabilities versus children with math or reading disabilities (research-identified and/or school-identified). A widening of the group difference in IQ was seen between the math disabled and nondisabled groups, but otherwise the gaps between groups remained unchanged or narrowed over the six-year interval, indicating that hypothesized negative consequences of initial academic difficulties (“Matthew effects”) did not occur for most of the children with learning disabilities. Elevated rates of behavior problems were seen only for the group with math disabilities, suggesting that the type of learning disability needs to be taken into account in research on the association between academic and psychosocial problems.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. New York and Haskins Laboratories, Brooklyn College of CUNY Brooklyn, New Haven, Connecticut

    Hollis S. Scarborough

  2. Bryn Mawr College, Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania

    Jennifer D. Parker

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  1. Hollis S. Scarborough
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  2. Jennifer D. Parker
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Correspondence to Hollis S. Scarborough.

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Scarborough, H.S., Parker, J.D. Matthew effects in children with learning disabilities: Development of reading, IQ, and psychosocial problems from grade 2 to grade 8. Ann. of Dyslexia 53, 47–71 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11881-003-0004-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11881-003-0004-6

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