Preschool twin study of the relation between attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and prereading skills

Author(s)
Willcutt, EG
Betjemann, RS
Wadsworth, SJ
Samuelsson, S
Corley, R
DeFries, JC
Byrne, Brian John
Pennington, BF
Olson, RK
Publication Date
2007
Abstract
Numerous studies have examined the etiology of the association between reading difficulties and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in school-age children, but little is known about the relation between prereading skills and ADHD behaviors prior to the beginning of formal reading instruction. A population-based sample of 809 pairs of preschool twins completed an extensive battery of prereading measures, and the parent of each twin completed an ADHD rating scale. Phenotypic analyses revealed small but significant correlations between DSM-IV inattention ratings and six prereading composite measures, whereas hyperactivity–impulsivity symptoms were not independently associated with any of the prereading scores. Multivariate twin analyses indicated that virtually all of the phenotypic correlation between inattention and prereading performance is attributable to common genetic influences, consistent with results obtained in studies of older twins. Although additional research is needed to test alternative causal models in children younger than five years old, these results are most consistent with the hypothesis that reading difficulties and inattention symptoms are attributable to common genetic influences.
Citation
Reading and Writing, 20(1-2), p. 103-125
ISSN
1573-0905
0922-4777
Link
Publisher
Springer Netherlands
Title
Preschool twin study of the relation between attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and prereading skills
Type of document
Journal Article
Entity Type
Publication

Files:

NameSizeformatDescriptionLink