For reasons that are unclear, males are diagnosed with dyslexia more often than females. Researchers have now found that this may be due to males’ lower average and more variable reading performance relative to females’.
For reasons that are unclear, males are diagnosed with dyslexia more often than females. Researchers have now found that this may be due to males’ lower average and more variable reading performance relative to females’.
The investigators also found that differences in processing speed—how quickly one can process information and perform cognitive tasks—may help explain sex differences in both dyslexia and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder.
“The fact that greater variability in males' processing speed partly explains the sex difference in both dyslexia and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder is very exciting, as it may prove to be a crucial clue in understanding brain differences that lead to the high rate of comorbidity between those two disorders,” said Dr. Anne Arnett, lead author of the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry study.
Additional Information
Link to study: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jcpp.12691/abstract
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The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry (JCPP) is widely recognised to be the leading international journal covering both child and adolescent psychology and psychiatry. JCPP publishes the highest quality clinically relevant research in psychology, psychiatry and related disciplines. With a large and expanding global readership, its coverage includes studies on epidemiology, diagnosis, psychotherapeutic and psychopharmacological treatments, behaviour, cognition, neuroscience, neurobiology and genetic aspects of childhood disorders. Articles published include experimental, longitudinal and intervention studies, especially those that advance our understanding of developmental psychopathology and that inform both theory and clinical practice. An important function of the Journal is to bring together empirical research, clinical studies and reviews of high quality that arise from different points of view, different theoretical perspectives and different disciplines.
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