AbstractsPsychology

Inattention and Written Expression Difficulties in Children with Normal and Poor Word-reading Skills

by Erika Zapparoli




Institution: University of Toronto
Department:
Year: 2009
Keywords: Inattention; Written expression; Reading; Learning; Literacy
Record ID: 1846646
Full text PDF: http://hdl.handle.net/1807/18088


Abstract

This study examined written expression skills in children with attention problems with and without word reading difficulties. The sample consisted of 28 children with attention problems (AP) only, 18 children with coexisting attention and reading problems (ARP), and 34 children without attention or word reading difficulties (TYP). Curriculum-based measurement (CBM) indices of accuracy and fluency, plus teacher ratings of handwriting, spelling, and overall writing skills were used to assess children’s written expression skills. The analyses indicated that the AP and ARP groups received significantly lower scores on all measures of written expression than the TYP group. The ARP group scored significantly lower than the AP group on the teacher ratings of writing and spelling. These findings suggest that inattention is significantly related to written expression difficulties independent of word-reading skills.