title: Evaluating current deficit theories of poor reading: role of phonological processing, naming speed, balance automaticity, rapid verbal perception and working memory.
abstract: To clarify the nature of cognitive deficits experienced by poor readers, 9-10-yr.-old poor readers were matched against 9 chronological age and 9 younger reading age-matched controls screened and selected from regular classrooms. Poor readers performed significantly more poorly than chronological age-matched peers on digit naming speed, spoonerisms, and nonsense word reading. Poor readers were also significantly poorer than reading age-matched controls on nonword reading but were significantly better than reading age-matched controls on postural stability. Analyses of effect sizes were consistent with these findings, showing strong effects for digit naming speed, spoonerisms, and nonword reading. However, effect size analysis also suggested that poor readers experienced moderate difficulties with balance automatisation but did not show verbal speech perception deficits relative to either control
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Educational and Counseling Psychology, McGill University, 3700 McTavish Street, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, H3A 1Y2. robert.savage@mcgill.ca
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Savage
authors.forename: Norah
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Frederickson
authors.forename: Roz
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Goodwin
authors.forename: Ulla
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Patni
authors.forename: Nicola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Louise
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tuersley
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D004193:Discrimination Learning; D004410:Dyslexia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008570:Memory, Short-Term; D010700:Phonetics; D004856:Postural Balance; D011930:Reaction Time; D011932:Reading; D012016:Reference Values; D012660:Semantics; D013067:Speech Perception; D014477:Underachievement