This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Taylor, H. G. Articles by Schatschneider, C. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Taylor, H. G. Articles by Schatschneider, C. Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Academic Achievement Following Childhood Brain Disease

Implications for the Concept of Learning Disabilities

H. Gerry Taylor is associate professor of pediatrics at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and director of pediatric psychology at Rainbow Babies and Childrens Hospital. He received his PhD from the University of Iowa in child behavior and development. His research interests include the neuropsychological consequences of childhood brain injuries and cognitive and social antecedents of children's learning problems.

Christopher Schatschneider

Christopher Schatschneider is a PhD student in the mental retardation research program in the Department of Psychology at Case Western Reserve University. His research interests include metacognition in children with developmental disabilities, the cognitive processes underlying intellectual development, and quantitative methods. Address: H. Gerry Taylor, Department of Pediatrics, Rainbow Babies and Childrens Hospital, 2101 Adelbert Road, Cleveland, OH 44106.

The present study examined three hypotheses regarding the consequences of early brain damage for academic achievement: First, early brain insults will have a negative impact on achievement, even in children with normal intelligence. Second, underachievement in these children will be at least partially independent of IQ (i.e., not fully accounted for by a lowering of IQ within the average range). Third, normally intelligent children with histories of brain insult will also manifest selective cognitive dysfunctions. To test these hypotheses, we compared two groups of children who had recovered from Haemophilus influenzae type b meningitis. The "complicated" group consisted of children who, as a consequence of having sustained neurologic complications during their illness, were more likely to have had brain insults. Children in the "uncomplicated" group did not have complications with their illness and were regarded as having escaped significant central nervous system (CNS) pathology. Only children with normal hearing and a prorated Full Scale IQ of at least 80 (WISC-R) were considered. Group differences on the Wide Range Achievement Test-Revised were consistent with the first two hypotheses. Although the two groups had similar Verbal IQs, the complicated group also had a lower mean Performance IQ and performed less well on perceptually demanding neuropsychological tasks. Findings suggest that learning disabilities may have selective, brain-related cognitive antecedents; but they challenge the practice of using IQ criteria for clinical diagnosis.

Journal of Learning Disabilities, Vol. 25, No. 10, 630-638 (1992)
DOI: 10.1177/002221949202501002


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				S. S.-F. Gau, L.-Y. Chang, L.-M. Huang, T.-Y. Fan, Y.-Y. Wu, and T.-Y. Lin Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity-Related Symptoms Among Children With Enterovirus 71 Infection of the Central Nervous System Pediatrics, August 1, 2008; 122(2): e452 - e458. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. Litt, H. G. Taylor, N. Klein, and M. Hack Learning Disabilities in Children with Very Low Birthweight: Prevalence, Neuropsychological Correlates, and Educational Interventions J Learn Disabil, April 1, 2005; 38(2): 130 - 141. [Abstract] [PDF]

				W. Van den Broeck The Misconception of the Regression-Based Discrepancy Operationalization in the Definition and Research of Learning Disabilities J Learn Disabil, May 1, 2002; 35(3): 194 - 204. [Abstract] [PDF]

				C. Schatschneider, C. D. Carlson, D. J. Francis, B. R. Foorman, and J. M. Fletcher Relationship of Rapid Automatized Naming and Phonological Awareness in Early Reading Development: Implications for the Double-Deficit Hypothesis J Learn Disabil, May 1, 2002; 35(3): 245 - 256. [Abstract] [PDF]

				P. R. Dodge, M. Scaer, S. J. Holmes, S. L. Pomeroy, and R. D. Feigin Psychometric Testing in Bacterial Meningitis: Results of a Long-Term Prospective Study of Infants and Children Treated Between 1973 and 1977 J Child Neurol, November 1, 2001; 16(11): 854 - 857. [Abstract] [PDF]

				K. H. Wissler and C. Proukou Navigating the Educational System: A Practical Guide for Nurse Practitioners Journal of Pediatric Oncology Nursing, January 1, 1999; 16(3): 145 - 155. [Abstract] [PDF]