According to a Nov. 30 article by Andrea Hahn of The Saluki Times, an associate professor of psychology at Southern Illinois University Carbondale is focusing on farmers' families as she studies the connection between ADHD and dyslexia in children:

Earlier research found that about 20-40 percent of children with ADHD also show signs of dyslexia, and vice versa. That percentage is higher than would be expected by chance, [Professor Michelle] Kibby said, and through her research she investigates the reasons why a child would have both conditions. ...

Children in the study come to Kibby’s on-campus testing site for a full day of non-medical tests administered by graduate students who assist Kibby in her research.

These tests measure various thinking skills such as executive functioning, reading, intelligence, attention, memory, language, and visual processing, along with motor skills such as fine motor, coordination, and visual-motor skills. In addition to the testing, children also complete an MRI scan, which she and her students will use to study the frontal lobe.

Kibby, who also is a child-clinical neuropsychologist, is qualified to diagnose ADHD and dyslexia. Children do not need a prior diagnosis of either dyslexia or ADHD to participate in the study, she said. Kibby is also looking for typically developing children as a comparison group.

Labels: research

Posted By: Staff Writer