The Structure of Intelligence in Youth with Specific Learning Disorders

Abstract

Research indicates that youth with specific learning disorders (SLDs) exhibit a pattern of cognitive strengths and weaknesses that is distinct from that of typically developing children. The WISC is a standardized measure of cognitive ability that is widely used in the assessment of SLD, and updates from the WISC-IV to WISC-V allow for an enhanced measurement of the processing strengths and weaknesses in this population. The primary goal of the current study was to investigate the pattern of cognitive performance unique to each SLD subtype on the WISC-V. The WISC-V scores of individuals diagnosed with SLD were compared across subtypes and relative to a non-SLD control group at the composite, index, and subtest levels. The results showed that compared to their non-SLD peers (n = 184), youth with SLD (n = 245) exhibited deficits across all WISC-V domains except visual-spatial reasoning. Analyses between SLD subtypes in writing (n = 36), reading (n = 17), and math (n = 25) revealed differential patterns of performance in verbal, fluid, and visual-spatial reasoning, but consistent performance with respect to working memory and processing speed. Results from this study have the potential to contribute to practitioners' understanding of the cognitive processes that lead to impairments in specific academic domains. It is anticipated that these patterns hold relevance for both assessment and intervention.