Reading abilities and cognitive processing in grade 3 children with ADHD comorbid with developmental dyslexia
Zunwei Zhang1, Yang Xue1, Miaoshui Bai1
1Department of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, Children's Medical Center, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China; The Child Health Clinical Research Center of Jilin Province, Changchun, China.
Journal of Psychiatric Research
|August 3, 2025
Summary
Children with ADHD and dyslexia show cognitive imbalances, with planning and attention deficits impacting reading. Successive processing may negatively affect character recognition in these children.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Educational Psychology
Background:
- Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) frequently co-occurs with developmental dyslexia (DD).
- Children with ADHD + DD exhibit reading and cognitive deficits.
- Limited research exists on the PASS theory's cognitive processing in ADHD + DD and its subtypes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between reading abilities and cognitive processing based on the PASS theory in children with ADHD + DD and ADHD subtypes.
- To explore cognitive processing differences among ADHD subtypes (ADHD-I, ADHD-H, ADHD-C) and typically developing (TD) children.
- To identify the role of specific cognitive processes in reading performance for children with ADHD + DD.
Main Methods:
- A total of 318 third-grade children were enrolled: 99 with ADHD + DD, 103 with ADHD-I, 7 with ADHD-H, 22 with ADHD-C, and 87 TD children.
- Participants were assessed on reading ability measures.
- The Das-Naglieri Cognitive Assessment System (DN: CAS) was used to evaluate cognitive processing.
Main Results:
- Children with ADHD + DD showed an intelligence imbalance, with stronger Performance IQ and weaker Verbal IQ.
- Children with ADHD-H exclusively exhibited Planning impairments, with other cognitive domains intact.
- Children with ADHD + DD displayed more severe ADHD traits, including deficits in Successive processing.
- Regression analysis indicated that Successive processing negatively affects character recognition in children with ADHD + DD.
Conclusions:
- ADHD + DD is characterized by cognitive imbalances and severe attention and planning deficits.
- Successive processing plays a detrimental role in reading ability for children with ADHD + DD, especially when attention and planning are impaired.
- Intervention strategies for children with ADHD + DD should consider the complex role of Successive processing in reading difficulties.
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