title: Testing the double-deficit hypothesis in an adult sample.
abstract: The double-deficit hypothesis of dyslexia posits that reading deficits are more severe in individuals with weaknesses in phonological awareness and rapid naming than in individuals with deficits in only one of these reading composite skills. In this study, the hypothesis was tested in an adult sample as a model of reading achievement. Participants were parents of children referred for evaluation of reading difficulties. Approximately half of all participants reported difficulty learning to read in childhood and a small subset demonstrated ongoing weaknesses in reading. Structural equation modeling results suggest that the double-deficit hypothesis is an accurate model for understanding adult reading achievement. Better reading achievement was associated with better phonological awareness and faster rapid automatized naming in adults. Posthoc analyses indicated that individuals with double deficits had significantly lower reading achievement than individuals with single deficits or no deficits.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Queens College, City University of New York, 65-30 Kissena Boulevard, 11367, Flushing, NY 11367, USA. carlin_miller@qc.edu
authors.forename: Carlin J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: Scott R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: Juliana S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Bloom
authors.forename: Lauren
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Lindstrom
authors.forename: Jason
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Craggs
authors.forename: Mauricio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Garcia-Barrera
authors.forename: Margaret
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Semrud-Clikeman
authors.forename: Jeffrey W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Gilger
authors.forename: George W
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Hynd
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001364:Awareness; D002648:Child; D032882:Comprehension; D004410:Dyslexia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007859:Learning Disabilities / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology; D010700:Phonetics; D011930:Reaction Time; D011932:Reading; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D014481:United States; D014706:Verbal Learning