title: Predictive accuracy of the wide range assessment of memory and learning in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and reading difficulties.
abstract: The predictive accuracy of the Wide Range Assessment of Memory and Learning (WRAML; Sheslow & Adams, 1990) over and above more standardized diagnostic tools in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and reading disabilities (RD) was examined. Fifty-three children with ADHD, 63 with RD, 63 with ADHD-RD, and 112 normal comparison children were administered the WRAML, the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Third Edition (WISC-III; Wechsler, 1991), the Achenbach (1991) Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), and the Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-Educational Battery-Revised (WJ-R; Woodcock & Johnson, 1989). Results of a series of discriminant function analyses revealed that the academic, intellectual, and behavioral measures could correctly classify 73.1% of children, but the WRAML subtests alone were able to correctly classify only 58.5% of participants. Combining all of the memory, academic, intellectual, and behavioral measures resulted in 77.5% of cases being correctly classified. These results suggest that the use of a measure of memory functioning such as the WRAML did not significantly improve the predictive accuracy of a diagnosis of ADHD, RD, or both over and above more standard diagnostic academic, intellectual, and behavioral measures.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Calgary, Alberta Children's Hospital, Canada. dmdewey@ucalgary.ca
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dewey
authors.forename: B J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Kaplan
authors.forename: S G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Crawford
authors.forename: G C
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Fisher
mesh_terms: D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000150:complications*; D002648:Child; D004410:Dyslexia / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007859:Learning Disabilities / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D008297:Male; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014888:Wechsler Scales