title: Executive dysfunctions, reading disabilities and speech-language pathology evaluation.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Many students with reading disabilities exhibit persisting reading problems despite intervention. The crucial difference between effective and struggling readers is their executive functions (EFs), and improved functions impact positively on learning to read and reading to learn.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Firstly, to show that high-risk and struggling students' persisting language and reading difficulties are accompanied by executive dysfunctions. Secondly, to present one student's daily struggles at school in a narrative based on teacher, parent and child interviews.
  
  
  METHODS
  This retrospective study is based on speech-language pathology (SLP) evaluations of a clinical sample of 23 girls and boys aged 6-16 from a range of middle class families. While language and reading evaluations were tailored to the students' particular situation, i.e. age, grade, languages or complaint, EFs were examined in all with the Behaviour Rating Inventory of Executive Function teacher questionnaire.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Virtually all students exhibited executive dysfunctions, and many showed a high risk of attention deficit hyperactivity disorders.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study demonstrated that inclusion of EFs in SLP evaluations is valuable in uncovering executive dysfunction comorbidity that may underlie persisting reading disorders. It is proposed that speech-language pathologists explicitly and routinely braid language and reading with EFs in their evaluations so to effectively predict, uncover and prevent persisting reading disabilities in students.
authors.affiliation: TAV College, Montreal, Que., Canada.
authors.forename: Yvette
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hus
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D002648:Child; D015897:Comorbidity; D004410:Dyslexia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D056344:Executive Function; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007805:Language Development Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies