The Validity of a Battery of Phonemic and Orthographic Awareness Tasks for Adults With and Without Dyslexia and Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Abstract

The vast majority of adults with learning disabilities are those with deficits affecting reading decoding, reading and writing fluency, and spelling. Many adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD) also demonstrate problems with reading and writing. Documenting the underlying reasons for reading underachievement among these groups of adults is critical from both an assessment and an accommodation perspective. The purposes of this study are threefold: (a) to extend our understanding of the nature of phonemic and orthographic awareness among various adult populations; (b) to explore the validity and separability of the latent constructs of phonemic and orthographic awareness and tasks used to measure these constructs across a population of 630 university students with dyslexia, AD/HD, dyslexia and AD/HD (comorbid), and no disabilities; and (c) to discuss the implications of these analyses for intervention and accommodation selection.