Phonological short-term memory and central executive processing in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder with/without dyslexia--evidence of cognitive overlap.
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) with/without dyslexia was investigated using a double dissociation design. Neuropsychological performance representing the core deficits of the two disorders was measured in order to test the common deficit hypothesis. Phonological short-term memory, morpho-syntactical language, and central executive processing (manipulating and switching) tasks were administered to four groups of 10-14 year old children (ADHD-only n = 20, dyslexia-only n = 20, ADHD+dyslexia n = 20, and controls n = 19). Comparisons of performance on these tasks were carried out using 2 (ADHD yes/no) x 2 (dyslexia yes/no) factorial analyses of variance and covariance. Significant main effects were found for dyslexia (language processing functions) and for ADHD (EF switching). In the case of the EF manipulating a main effect for both dyslexia and ADHD was revealed. Effect sizes of mean performance indicated that all three impaired groups shared a common deficit in working memory which could reflect a cognitive overlap partly explaining the high rate of co-occurring dyslexia and ADHD.
Tiffin-Richards
M C
MC
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany, Goettingen, Germany.
Hasselhorn
M
M
Woerner
W
W
Rothenberger
A
A
Banaschewski
T
T
D000293:Adolescent; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000150:complications*; D002648:Child; D004410:Dyslexia / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008570:Memory, Short-Term / Q000502:physiology*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010700:Phonetics; D011340:Problem Solving / Q000502:physiology*