Taxonomic clustering and frequency associations as features of semantic memory development in children with learning disabilities

This study investigated taxonomic clustering and use of frequency associations as features in the semantic memory development of children with learning disabilities (LD). Free-recall organization of second- and sixth-grade children with and without LD was analyzed for two types of primary and secondary word lists: (a) items associated with frequency (FA), and (b) items related by category members (CM). In contrast to expected findings, younger, non-disabled children organized words categorically as proficiently as their older nondisabled peers, and the categorization abilities of children with LD were comparable to those of nondisabled subjects, with one exception: Subjects with LD showed less clustering for secondary FA. These results indicate that when individual child-generated word lists (i.e., meaningful and familiar words) are used, children with LD may not be impaired in their ability to recognize and utilize semantic structure to facilitate learning.