Date of Award

5-30-2022

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Department

Graduate Department of Clinical Psychology

First Advisor

Celeste Jones, Psy.D.

Second Advisor

Elizabeth Hamilton, Ph.D.

Third Advisor

Amber Nelson, Psy.D.

Abstract

Two of the most common childhood disorders are Specific Learning Disorder (SLD) and Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), frequently co-occurring, and both impacting academic performance. Given the overlap between these disorders on cognitive and behavioral/emotional factors, assessment research has explored how they are differentiated on standardized tests. The present study investigated cognitive functioning and behavioral/emotional functioning in school-aged children with SLD (n = 31), ADHD (n = 17), and ADHD + SLD (n = 18). The archival data for this study consisted of 66 students from a rural community. Results indicated that students with SLD demonstrated more difficulty with auditory processing than the other diagnostic groups. Behaviorally and emotionally, students with ADHD and ADHD + SLD were found to have increased behavior problems (aggression and hyperactivity). This research further contributes to the literature on determining the accuracy with which cognitive and emotional/behavioral test scores can discriminate these diagnostic groups.

Download

Included in

Psychology Commons

Share

COinS