Abstract
Reading difficulties (RD) and movement difficulties (MD) co-occur more often in clinical populations than expected for independent disorders. In this study, we investigated the pattern of association between attentional processes, RD and MD in a population of 9 year old school children. Children were screened to identify index groups with RD, MD or both, plus a control group. These groups were then tested on a battery of cognitive attention assessments (TEA-Ch). Results confirmed that the occurrence of RD and MD was greater than would be predicted for independent disorders. Additionally, children with MD, whether or not combined with RD, had poor performance on all attention measures when compared with typically developing children. Children with RD only, were no poorer on measures of attention than typical children. The results are discussed with respect to approaches proposed to account for the co-occurrence of disorders.
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Acknowledgements
We would like to thank the children, teachers and parents who participated in this research. We would also like to thank the anonymous referees who commented on a previous version of this manuscript. This research was made possible by a RETF studentship from the University of Reading to the first author.
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Cruddace, S.A., Riddell, P.M. Attention Processes in Children with Movement Difficulties, Reading Difficulties or Both. J Abnorm Child Psychol 34, 672–680 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-006-9053-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-006-9053-8