IS IT TRUE THAT THE DIFFERENCES IN READING PERFORMANCE BETWEEN STUDENTS WITH AND WITHOUT LD CANNOT BE EXPLAINED BY IQ

This study was designed to demonstrate whether the differences in read ing between students with learning disabilities (LD) and non-learning disabled students (NLD) can be explained by IQ. A sample of 133 Spanis h children (85 male, 48 female) ranging in age from 8 to 13 years were classified into four groups according to IQ as measured by the Wechsl er Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (< 80; 81-90, 91-109: 110-1 40) and into two groups based on reading level (LD and NLD). A lexical decision task was used and we manipulated different word parameters ( length, positional syllabic frequency, and familiarity) and pseudoword parameters (length and positional syllabic frequency) to study the ro utes used by both groups. Our findings indicate that IQ does not expla in the differences between children with LD and NLD children in lexica l processing. We found that the lexical and sublexical parameters have a greater influence on students with LD than NLD students, independen t of IQ. In synthesis, the LD group has more difficulty in lexical pro cessing, which is influenced by poor phonolgical skills.