Differential performances on the wide range assessment of memory and learning of children diagnosed with reading disorder, attention- deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and traumatic brain injury

The purpose of this investigation was to compare the performances on the Wide Range Assessment of Memory and Learning (WRAML; Sheslow & Adams, 1990) of children with different developmental and neurological disorders. The primary question was whether the WRAML subtests significantly differentiate among children with Developmental Reading Disorders (RD; n = 44), with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD; n = 37), with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI; n = 30), and without developmental or neurological disabilities (n = 103). Archival data from the TBI Project at James Whitcomb Riley Hospital for Children and from the Division of Psychology at Alfred I. duPont Institute was analyzed. The results of a discriminant functions analysis indicated that significant differences among the groups do exist on the WRAML and that the groups were discriminated from one another by three distinct types of tasks (i.e., functions): rote memory, verbal learning, and meaningful memory. Furthermore, based on WRAML performance alone, participants had a 63% chance of being classified into their proper diagnostic group. In addition to supporting the use of multi-dimensional tasks to assess memory, the results of this study have clinical relevance for developing diagnosis-specific recommendations for memory and learning problems.Department of Educational PsychologyThesis (Ph. D.