THE FREQUENCY OF EMOTIONAL-PROBLEMS AND M ALADAPTIVE CLASSROOM-BEHAVIOR AND THEIR RELATION TO READING AND SPELLING DIFFICULTIES - RESULTS OF A LONGITUDINAL-STUDY

As a part of a longitudinal study on reading development from the 2th to the 8th grade teachers ratings about behauvior problems of school c hildren and their emotional situation were assessed. Problems in motiv ation and concentration were reported most frequent. Comparing childre n with poor reading and spelling ability to children without deficits in reading and spelling, differences could be found. Poor readers and spellers showed more dissocial and disturbing classroom behavior. Neve rtheless, those problems were as persistent as the problems reported f or children, who did not show any reacting and spelling difficulties, or increasing in nearly the same ratio over time. This results does no t support the hypothesis, that behavior problems may occur as a conseq uence of learning difficulties.