Auditory event-related potentials in poor readers

Although poor readers (PR) are considered the major group among reading-dis abled children, there are not event-related potentials (ERP) studies report ed of PR on the subject. In this study, attentional and memory processes we re studied in an auditory oddball task in PR and normal controls. ERP to au ditory stimuli were recorded in 19 leads of the 10/20 system, using linked earlobes as references, in 20 normal children (10 female) and 20 PR (10 fem ale) of the same age(10-12 years old). Two pure tones (1000 and 3000 Hz) we re used in an oddball paradigm. No significant differences were observed in the amplitudes and latencies of N100 between the groups. However, N200 to frequent stimuli and P200 to both frequent and infrequent stimuli were of h igher amplitude in poor readers than in normal children. There were no diff erences between groups in the latency and amplitude of P300. The results su ggest that PR use more attentional resources in the components occurring be fore P300 to both frequent and infrequent stimuli than the normal children, and this finding is particularly marked for PR girls. (C) 2000 Elsevier Sc ience B.V. All rights reserved.