Working memory in Dutch children with reading- and arithmetic-related LD

J Learn Disabil. 2005 May-Jun;38(3):207-21. doi: 10.1177/00222194050380030301.

Abstract

The aim of the two studies presented in this article was to examine working memory performance in Dutch children with various subtypes of learning disabilities. The performance of children with reading disabilities (RD) was compared to that of children with arithmetic disabilities (AD), children with both reading and arithmetic disabilities (RAD), and chronological age-matched controls (CA). Measures covered the phonological loop, the visuospatial sketchpad, and the central executive. In both studies, the children with RD showed no working memory deficits whatsoever. Children with AD showed a single impairment on the task tapping working memory for dynamic visual information. Children with RAD performed lower only on the digit span backward task. The failure to replicate the expected working memory deficits in children with reading-related disabilities is discussed.

MeSH terms

  • Child
  • Cognition Disorders / diagnosis
  • Cognition Disorders / epidemiology
  • Cognition Disorders / ethnology*
  • Dyslexia / diagnosis
  • Dyslexia / epidemiology
  • Dyslexia / ethnology*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Learning Disabilities / diagnosis
  • Learning Disabilities / epidemiology
  • Learning Disabilities / ethnology*
  • Male
  • Mathematics*
  • Memory Disorders / diagnosis
  • Memory Disorders / epidemiology
  • Memory Disorders / ethnology*
  • Netherlands
  • Neuropsychological Tests
  • Perceptual Disorders / diagnosis
  • Perceptual Disorders / ethnology
  • Phonetics
  • Severity of Illness Index
  • Space Perception / physiology
  • Visual Perception / physiology