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Profiling the Word Reading Abilities of School-Age Children with Neurofibromatosis Type 1

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 November 2020

Shelley S. Arnold
Affiliation:
Kids Neuroscience Centre, The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, Sydney, NSW, Australia The University of Sydney Children’s Hospital Westmead Clinical School, Sydney, NSW, Australia
Jonathan M. Payne
Affiliation:
Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, The Royal Children’s Hospital, Parkville, VIC, Australia Department of Pediatrics, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
Genevieve McArthur
Affiliation:
Macquarie University Centre for Reading, Department of Cognitive Science, ARC Centre of Excellence in Cognition and Its Disorders, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
Kathryn N. North
Affiliation:
Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, The Royal Children’s Hospital, Parkville, VIC, Australia Department of Pediatrics, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
Belinda Barton*
Affiliation:
Kids Neuroscience Centre, The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, Sydney, NSW, Australia The University of Sydney Children’s Hospital Westmead Clinical School, Sydney, NSW, Australia Children’s Hospital Education Research Institute, The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, Westmead, Sydney, NSW, Australia
*
*Correspondence and reprint requests to: Dr Belinda Barton, CHERI, The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, Locked Bag 4001, Westmead 2145, NSW, Australia. Tel.: +61 2 9845 0415; fax: +61 2 9845 0421. Email: belinda.barton@health.nsw.gov.au

Abstract

Objective:

Reading difficulties are one of the most significant challenges for children with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1). The aims of this study were to identify and categorize the types of reading impairments experienced by children with NF1 and to establish predictors of poor reading in this population.

Method:

Children aged 7–12 years with NF1 (n = 60) were compared with typically developing children (n = 36). Poor word readers with NF1 were classified according to impairment type (i.e., phonological, surface, mixed), and their reading subskills were compared. A hierarchical multiple regression was conducted to identify predictors of word reading.

Results:

Compared to controls, children with NF1 demonstrated significantly poorer literacy abilities. Of the 49 children with NF1 classified as poor readers, 20 (41%) were classified with phonological dyslexia, 24 (49%) with mixed dyslexia, and 5 (10%) fell outside classification categories. Children with mixed dyslexia displayed the most severe reading impairments. Stronger working memory, better receptive language, and fewer inattentive behaviors predicted better word reading skills.

Conclusions:

The majority of children with NF1 experience deficits in key reading skills which are essential for them to become successful readers. Weaknesses in working memory, receptive language, and attention are associated with reading difficulties in children with NF1.

Type
Regular Research
Copyright
Copyright © INS. Published by Cambridge University Press, 2020

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