title: Psychosocial Functioning of Children with and without Dyslexia: A Follow-up Study from Ages Four to Nine.
abstract: This longitudinal study compares developmental changes in psychosocial functioning during the transition into school of children with and without dyslexia. In addition, it examines the effects of gender and family risk for dyslexia in terms of the associations between dyslexia and psychosocial functioning. Children's psychosocial functioning (social skills, inattention and externalizing and internalizing problems) was evaluated by their parents at ages 4, 6 and 9, and diagnosis for dyslexia was made at age 8 (in grade 2). The findings indicated that children with dyslexia were already rated as having poorer social skills and being more inattentive than were typical readers before their entry into school. Significant interactions of gender and diagnosis of dyslexia emerged for social skills and inattention. The social skills of boys with dyslexia improved after school entry as compared to the level of girls without dyslexia, whereas the social skills of girls with dyslexia did not improve. Boys with dyslexia were rated as showing a high level of inattention both prior to and after school entry, whereas, for girls with dyslexia, inattention ratings increased after school entry, eventually matching the boys' levels.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Parhiala
authors.affiliation: Department of Teacher Education, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Torppa
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Eklund
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland.|Niilo Mäki Institute, Jyväskylä, Finland.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Aro
authors.affiliation: Department of Teacher Education, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland.
authors.forename: A-M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Poikkeus
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland.|Niilo Mäki Institute, Jyväskylä, Finland.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Heikkilä
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ahonen
mesh_terms: D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004410:Dyslexia / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D012574:Schools; D012737:Sex Factors; D066107:Social Skills
keywords: dyslexia; externalizing and internalizing problems; family risk study; inattention; longitudinal study; social skills