Skip to main content

Genetics

  • Chapter
Learning Disabilities

Part of the book series: Disorders of Human Learning, Behavior, and Communication ((HUMAN LEARNING))

Abstract

The role of genetic factors has become a central research question in psychology both in relation to nomothetic and ideographic aspects of development. This represents a marked change from the situation in the early 1970s when skepticism about research on what was termed the nature—nurture controversy was at its highest. Since then a growing volume of research activity has centered on the significance of genetic differences in determining individual differences in development. This has included work on IQ and temperament/personality. Reading disability has also been the subject of considerable activity.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

eBook
USD 16.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  • Bakwin, H. (1973). Reading disability in twins. Developmental medicine and Child neurology, 15, 184–187.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bannatyne, A. (1971). Language reading and learning disabilities. Springfield, il: charles c. Thomas.

    Google Scholar 

  • Beauvois, M.-F., Derouesne, J. (1979) phonological alexia: three dissociations. journal of neurology, neurosurgery and psychiatry, 42, 1115–1124.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bender, B. G., Puck, M. H., Salbenblatt, J. A., Robinson, A. (1986A). Cognitive Development of Children with sex Chromosome abnormalities. in S. D. Smith (ED.), Genetics And Learning Disabilities (PP. 175–204). London: Taylor and Francis.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bender, B. G., Puck, M. H., Salbenblatt, J. A., Robinson, A. (1986B). Dyslexia in 47, XXY Boys Identified at Birth. Behavior Genetics, 16, 343 - 354.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bishop, D. V. M. (1987). The Causes Of Specific Developmental Language Disorder ( Developmental Dysphasia ). Journal Of Child Psychology And Psychiatry, 28, 1–8.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bishop, D. V. M., Edmundson, A. (1987). Specific language Impairment as a maturational lag: evidence from longitudinal data on language and motor development. Developmental medicine and child neurology, 29, 442–459.

    Google Scholar 

  • Borges-Osorio, M. R. L., & Salzano, F. M. (1987). Frequencies of language disabilities and their family patterns in Porto Alegre, Brazil. Behavior Genetics, 17, 53–69.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bregman, J. D., Dykens, E., Watson, ML, Ort, S. I., Leckman, J. F. (1987). Fragile X syndrome: Variability of phenotypic expression. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 26, 463–471.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bronfenbrenner, U. (1986). Ecology of the family as a context for human development: Research perspectives. Developmental Psychology, 22, 723–742.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bryant, P., Bradley, L. (1985). Childrens reading problems: psychology and education. oxford: blackwell.

    Google Scholar 

  • Byring, R., Jarvilehto, T. (1985). Auditory and visual evoked potentials of school boys with spelling disabilities. Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology, 27, 141–148.

    Google Scholar 

  • Childs, B., & Finucci, J. M. (1983). Genetics, epidemiologyand specific reading disability. In M. Rutter (Ed.), Developmental neuropsychiatry (pp. 507–519 ). New York: Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cloninger, C. R., Rao, D. C., Rice, J., Reich, T., Morton, N. E. (1983). A defense of path analysis in genetic epidemiology. American Journal of Human Genetics, 35, 733–756.

    Google Scholar 

  • Coltheart, M., Masterson, J., Byng, Prior, M., Riddoch, J. (1983). Surface dyslexia. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 35, 469–595.

    Google Scholar 

  • Coltheart, M., Patterson, K., Marshall, J. C. (1988). Deep dyslexia ( 2nd ed. ). London: Routledge Kegan Paul.

    Google Scholar 

  • Connors, C. K. (1970). Cortical visual evoked response in children with learning disorders. Psychophysiology, 7, 418–428.

    Google Scholar 

  • Decker, S. N., Bender, B. G. (1988). Converging evidence for multiple genetic forms of reading disability. Brain and Language, 33, 197–215.

    Google Scholar 

  • Decker, S. N., Corley, R. P. (1984). Bannatyne’s genetic dyslexic subtype: A validation study. Psychology in the Schools, 21, 300–304.

    Google Scholar 

  • DeFries, J. C. (1988). Colorado Reading Project: Longitudinal analyses. Annals of Dyslexia, 38, 120–130.

    Google Scholar 

  • DeFries, J. C., Fulker, D. W. (1985). Multiple regression analysis of twin data. Behaviour Genetics, 15, 467–473.

    Google Scholar 

  • DeFries, J. C., Fulker, D. W. (1988a). Multiple regression analysis of twin data: Etiology of deviant scores versus individual differences. Acta Geneticae Medicae et Gemellologiae, 37, 1–13.

    Google Scholar 

  • DeFries, J. C., Fulker, D. W. (1988b). Multiple regression analysis of twin data: Etiology of deviant scores versus individual differences. Acta Genetica et Gemellologiae, 37, 205–216.

    Google Scholar 

  • DeFries, J. C., Fulker, D. W., LaBuda, M. C. (1987). Evidence for a genetic aetiology in reading disability of twins. Nature, 329, 537–539.

    Google Scholar 

  • DeFries, J. C., Gillis, J. J., Wadsworth, S. J. (in press). Genes and genders: a twin study of reading disability. In A. M. Galaburda (Ed.), The extraordinary brain: neurobiology issues in developmental dyslexia. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • DeFries, J. C, Singer, S. M., Foch, T. Y., Lewitter, F. I. (1978). Familial nature of reading disability. British Journal of Psychiatry, 132, 361–367.

    Google Scholar 

  • DeFries, J. C., Stevenson, J., Gillis, J. J., & Wadsworth, S. J. (in press). Genetic etiology of spelling deficits in the Colorado and London twin studies of reading disability. Reading and Writing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fain, P. R., Spuhler, K. P., Kimberling, W. J. (1986). Quantitative genetics and learning disabilities. In S. D. Smith (Ed.), Genetics and learning disabilities (pp. 21 - 46 ). London: Taylor and Francis.

    Google Scholar 

  • Finucci, J. M. (1986). Follow-up studies of developmental dyslexia and other learning disabilities. In S. D. Smith (Ed.), Genetics and learning disabilities (pp. 97–124 ). London: Taylor and Francis.

    Google Scholar 

  • Finucci, J. M., Childs, B. (1983). Dyslexia: family studies. In C. L. Ludlow J. A. Cooper (Eds.), Genetic aspects of speech and language disorders (pp. 157–168 ). New York: Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Finucci, J. M., Guthrie, J. T., Childs, A. L., Abbey, H., Childs, B. (1976). The genetics of specific reading disability. Annals of Human Genetics, 40, 1–23.

    Google Scholar 

  • Foch, T. Y., DeFries, J. C., McClearn, G. E., Singer, S. M. (1977). Familial patterns of impairment in reading disability. Journal of Educational Psychology, 69, 316–329.

    Google Scholar 

  • Folstein, S. E., Rutter, M. L. (1988). Autism: Familial aggregation and genetic implications. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 18, 3–30.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fredman, G., Stevenson, J. (1988). Reading processes in specific reading retarded and reading backward 13 year olds. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 6, 97–108.

    Google Scholar 

  • Frith, U. (1985) Beneath the surface of surface of surface dyslexia. In K. E. Patterson, J. C. Marshall, M. Coltheart (Eds.), Surface dyslexia: Neuropsychological studies of phonological reading (pp. 301–330 ). London: Lawrence Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fulker, D. W., DeFries, J. C., Plomin, R. (1988). Genetic influence on general mental ability increase between infancy and middle childhood. Nature, 336, 767–769.

    Google Scholar 

  • Geschwind, N., Galaburda, A. M. (1987). Cerebral lateralisation: biological mechanisms, associations and pathology. Cambridge, ma: mit press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hallgren, B. (1950). Specific dyslexia: A chlinical and genetic studyy4cta Psychiatrica and Neurologia Scandinavica, 65 (Suppl. 1), 1–287.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harris, E. L. (1982). Genetic and environmental influences on reading achievement: A study of first and second grade twin children. Acta Geneticae Medicae et Gemellologiae, 31, 64–116.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harris, E. L. (1986). The contribution of twin research to the study of the etiology of reading disability. In S. D. Smith (Ed.), Genetics and learning disabilities (pp. 3 - 20 ). London: Taylor and Francis.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hay, D. A. (1985). Essentials of behaviour genetics. Oxford: Blackwells. Hay, D. A., Brien, P. J., Hohnston, C. J., Prior, M. (1984). The high incidence of reading disability in twin boys and its implications for genetic analyses. Acta Geneticae Medicae et Gemellologiae: Twin Research, 33, 223–236.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hewison, J., Tizard, J., Schofield, W. (1982). Collaboration between teachers and parents in assisting children’s reading. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 52, 1–15.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hinshelwood, J. (1907). Four cases of congenital word-blindness occurring in the same family. British Medical Journal, 1, 608–609.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ho, H. Z., Decker, S. N. (1988). Cognitive resemblance in reading disabled twins. Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology, 30, 99–107.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ho, H. Z., Gilger, J. W., Decker, S. M. (1988). A twin study of Bannatyne’s genetic dyslexic sub-type. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 29, 63–72.

    Google Scholar 

  • Howlin, P., Rutter, M. (1987). The consequences of language delay for other aspects of development. In W. Yule M. Rutter (Eds.), Language development and disorders (pp. 271–294). Clinics in Developmental Medicine No 101–102. Oxford: Mac Keith Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jinks, J. L., Fulker, D.W. (1970). Comparison of the biometrical genetical, MAVA and classical approaches to the analysis of human behaviour. Psychological Bulletin, 73, 311–349.

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnston, C., Prior, M., Hay, D. (1984). Prediction of reading disability in twin boys. Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology, 26, 588–595.

    Google Scholar 

  • Karlin, S., Cameron, E. C., Chakraborty, R. (1983). Path analysis in genetic epidemiology: A critique. American Journal of Human Genetics, 35, 695–732.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kimberling, W. J. (1983). Linkage analysis of communication disorders. In C. L. Ludlow J. A. Cooper (Eds.), Genetic aspects of speech and language disorders (pp. 151–156 ). New York: Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • LaBuda, M. C., DeFries, J. C. (1988a). Genetic and environmental etiologies of reading disability: A twin study. Annals of Dyslexia, 38, 131–138.

    Google Scholar 

  • LaBuda, M. C., DeFries, J. C. (1988b). Genetic etiology of reading disability: Evidence from a twin study. In G. T. Pavlidis (Ed.), Dyslexia: A neuropsychological and learning perspective. New York: John Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • LaBuda, M. C, DeFries, J. C., Fulker, D. W. (1986). Multiple regression analysis of twin data obtained from selected samples. Genetic Epidemiology, 3, 425–433

    Google Scholar 

  • LaBuda, M. C., Vogler, G. P., DeFries, J. C., Fulker, D. W. (1985). Multivariate familial analysis of cognitive measures in the Colorado Family Reading Study. Multivariate Behavioral Research, 20, 357–368.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lewitter, F. I., DeFries, J. C., and Elston, R. C. (1980). Genetic models of reading disability. Behaviour Genetics, 10, 9–30.

    Google Scholar 

  • Loehlin, J. C., Willerman, L., Horn, J. M. (1988). Human behaviour genetics. Annual Review of Psychology, 39, 101–133.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ludlow, C. L., Cooper, J. A. (Eds.) (1983). Genetic aspects of speech and language disorders. New York: Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lundberg, I., Nilsson, L. G. (1986). What church examination records can tell us about the inheritance of reading disability. Annals of Dyslexia, 36, 217–236.

    Google Scholar 

  • Marshall, J. C. (1988). The life blood of language. Nature, 331, 560–561.

    Google Scholar 

  • McGuffin, P. (1987). The new genetics and childhood psychiatric disorder. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 28, 215–222.

    Google Scholar 

  • Netley, C. (1983). Sex chromosome abnormalities and the development of verbal and non-verbal abilities. In C. L. Ludlow J. A. Cooper (Eds.), Genetic aspects of speech and language disorders (pp. 179–196 ). New York: Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Newell, K., Sanborn, B., Hagerman, R. (1984) Speech and language dysfunction in the fragile-X syndrome. In R. Hagerman P. McBogg (Eds.), The fragile X syndrome: Diagnosis, biochemistry and treatment (pp. 175–200 ). Denver: Spectra.

    Google Scholar 

  • Olson, R. K., Wise, B., Conners, F., Rack, J., Fulker, D. (1989). Specific deficits in component reading and language skills: Genetic and environmental influences. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 22, 339–348.

    Google Scholar 

  • Patterson, K. E., Marshall, J. C., Coltheart, M. (Eds.) (1985). Surface dyslexia: Neuropsychological and cognitive studies of phonological reading London: Lawrence Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pennington, B. F. (1986). Issues in the diagnosis and phenotype analysis of dyslexia: Implications for family studies. In S. D. Smith (Ed.), Genetics and learning disabilities (pp. 69–96 ). London: Taylor and Francis.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pennington, B. F., McCabe, L., Smith, S. D., Lefly, D. L., Bookman, M. O., Kimberling, W. J., Lubs, H. A. (1986). Spelling errors in adults with a form of familial dyslexia. Child Development, 57, 1001–1013.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pennington, B. F., Smith, S. D. (1983). Genetic influences on learning disabilities and speech and language disorders. Child Development, 54, 369–387.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pennington, B. F., Smith, S. D. (1988). Genetic influences on learning disabilities: An update. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 56, 817–823.

    Google Scholar 

  • Petersen, S. E., Fox, P. T., Posner, M. I., Mintum, M., Raichle, M. E. (1988) Positron emission tomographic studies of the cortical anatomy of single-word processing. Nature, 331, 585–589.

    Google Scholar 

  • Plomin, R. (1986). Development, genetics and psychology. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Plomin, R. (1989). Environment and genes: Determinants of behavior. American Psychologist, 44, 105–111.

    Google Scholar 

  • Plomin, R., DeFries, J., Fulker, D. W. (1988). Nature and nurture during infancy and early childhood. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Plomin, R., DeFries, J. C., McClearn, G. E. (1990). Behavioral genetics: a primer. Second Edition. New York: W.H. Freeman.

    Google Scholar 

  • Polatajko, H. J. (1985). A critical look at vestibular dysfunction in learning disabled children. Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology, 27, 283–292.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rutter, M. L. (1985). Family and school influences on cognitive development. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 26, 683–704.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rutter, M., Bolton, P., Harrington, R., Le Couteur, A., Macdonald, H., Simonoff, E. (1990a). Genetic factors in child psychiatric disorders: I. A review of research strategies. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 31, 3–38.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rutter, M., Macdonald, H., Le Couteur, A., Harrington, R., Bolton, P., Bailey, A. (1990b). Genetic factors in child psychiatric disorders: II. Empirical findings. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 31, 39–84.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rutter, M. and Yule, W. (1975) The concept of specific reading retardation. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 16, 181–197.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Shaywitz, S. E, Shaywitz, B. A., Fletcher, J. M., Escobar, M. D. (1990). Prevalence of reading disability in boys and girls. Journal of the American Medical Association, 264, 998–1002.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Shprintzen, R. J., Goldberg, R. B. (1986). Multiple anomaly syndromes and learning disabilities. In S. D. Smith (Ed.), Genetics and learning disabilities (pp. 153–174 ). London: Taylor and Francis.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, S. D. (Ed.) (1986). Genetics and learning disabilities. London: Taylor and Francis.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, S. D., Goldgar, D. E. (1986). Single gene analyses and their application to learning disabilities. In S. D. Smith (Ed.), Genetics and learning disabilities (pp. 47–68 ). London: Taylor and Francis.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, S. D., Kimberling, W. J., Pennington, B. F., Lubs, H. A. (1983). Specific reading disability: Identification of an inherited form through linkage analysis. Science, 219, 1345–1347.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, S. D., Pennington, B. F., Kimberling, W. J., Ing, P. S. (1990). Familial dyslexia: Use of genetic linkage to identify subtypes. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 29, 204–213.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stanovich, K. E., Nathan, R. G., Zolman, J. E. (1988). The developmental lag hypothesis in reading: Longitudinal and matched reading-level comparisons. Child Development, 59, 71–86.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stevenson, H. W., Lee, S., Stigler, J., Lucker, G. W. (1984). Family variables and reading: A study of mothers of poor and average readers in Japan, Taiwan and the United States. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 17, 150–156.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stevenson, J. (1988) Which aspects of reading ability show a hump in their distribution? Applied Cognitive Psychology, 2, 77–85.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stevenson, J. (1989) Language development and delays and the predictors of later reading failure. In M. Brambring, F. Losel, H. Skowronek (Eds.), Children at risk: Assessment and longitudinal research (pp. 295-309). Berlin: de Gruyter.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stevenson, J. (in press) Which aspects of processing text mediate genetic effects? Reading and Writing

    Google Scholar 

  • Stevenson, J., Fredman, G. (1990). The social environment correlates of reading ability. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 31, 681–698.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Stevenson, J., Graham, P., Fredman, G., McLoughlin, V. (1987). A twin study of genetic influences on reading and spelling and ability and disability. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 21, 283–292.

    Google Scholar 

  • Symmes, J. S., Rapoport, J. L. (1972). Unexpected reading failure. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 42, 82–91.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Tallal, P., Ross, R., Curtiss, S. (1989). Unexpected sex-ratios in families of langauge/learning-impaired children. Neuropsychologia, 27, 987–998.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Temple, C., Marshall, J. C. (1983). A case study of developmental phonological dyslexia. British Journal of Psychology, 74, 517–533.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Thomas, C. (1905). Congenital word-blindness and its treatment. Ophthalmoscope, 3, 380–385.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vandenberg, S. G., Singer, S. M., Pauls, D. L. (1986). The heredity of behaviour disorders in adults and children. New York: Plenum Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • van der Wissel, A., Zegers, F. E. (1985) Reading retardation revisited. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 3, 3–9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vogler, G. P., DeFries, J. C., Decker, S. N. (1985). Family history as an indicator of risk for reading disability. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 18, 419–421.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wadsworth, S., DeFries, J. C., Stevenson, J., Gilger, J. W., Pennington, B. F. (1991) Gender ratios among reading-disabled children and their siblings. Submitted for publication.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wadsworth, S. J., Gillis, J. J., DeFries, J. C., Fulker, D. W. (1989). Differential genetic aetiology of reading disability as a function of age. The Irish Journal of Psychology, 10, 509–520.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wagner, R. K. (1986). Phonological processing abilities and reading: Implications for disabled readers. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 19, 623–630.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wagner, R. K., Torgesen, J. K. (1987). The nature of phonological processing and its causal role in the acquisition of reading skills. Psychological Bulletin, 101, 192–212.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weber, B. A., Ommen, G. S. (1977). Auditory and visual evoked responses in children with familial reading disabilities. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 10 153–158.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Authors

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 1992 Springer-Verlag New York, Inc.

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Stevenson, J. (1992). Genetics. In: Singh, N.N., Beale, I.L. (eds) Learning Disabilities. Disorders of Human Learning, Behavior, and Communication. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-9133-3_11

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-9133-3_11

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4613-9135-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4613-9133-3

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics