Rapid Automatized Naming and Learning Disabilities: Does RAN Have a Specific Connection to Reading or Not?

Abstract

This work is an extension of a study by Waber, Wolff, Forbes, and Weiler (2000) in which the specificity of naming speed deficits to reading disability (RD) was examined. One hundred ninety-three children (ages 8 to 11) evaluated for learning disabilities were studied. It was determined how well rapid automatized naming (RAN) discriminated between different diagnostic groups (learning impaired [LI] with and without RD) from controls and from each other. Whereas Waber et al. concluded that RAN was an excellent tool for detecting risk for learning disabilities in general, the results of the present study point to a more specific connection between RAN and RD.

Keywords:

• Rapid naming
• Learning disabilities
• Reading disabilities
• Comorbidity

The research was supported by Finnish Slot Machine Association. We are grateful to Peter Forbes for assisting with the statistical methods and data used in the article by Waber et al. The authors would also like to acknowledge Rauno Parrila for the comments on the article and Michael Freeman for his assistance with revising the language.