Validity of Simple View of Reading for Predicting Reading Comprehension in Children with Prenatal Alcohol Exposure (PAE) and those with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD)

• Author / Creator

  Gaboury, Laurie A

• This study examined the validity of Gough and Tunmer’s (1986) Simple View of Reading (SVR) model for predicting reading comprehension in children identified as having prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE; n = 36) and those having Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD; n = 45). In addition to decoding and linguistic comprehension skills, cognitive abilities of verbal learning and short-term memory, inhibition, and working memory were examined for potential contribution of unique variance to reading comprehension. A retrospective case review study involving 81 school-aged children referred to the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Clinical Services was conducted and ANOVAs and hierarchical multiple regression employed. Results showed a significant difference on group performance with variables of decoding, linguistic comprehension, and reading comprehension in favour of the PAE group. The SVR product version was a stronger model for the PAE group, explaining 68% of variance in reading comprehension versus 21% of variance in the FASD group. Regression analysis demonstrated an interaction effect of diagnosis with additional variance of 3.3%. For the FASD group only, verbal memory added 10.3% unique variance (.05 effect size) and inhibition added 7.4% unique variance (.03 effect size). Examination of the deficit pattern of poor readers indicated that the majority had weak skills in both word reading and linguistic comprehension. In both the PAE and FASD subgroups of poor readers, three-quarters of the children showed weakness in word recognition. Nearly two-thirds of children in the FASD sample and nearly one-half of children in the PAE sample showed weakness in linguistic comprehension. In the FASD group, a small number of children were very poor readers despite their adequate performance in decoding and linguistic comprehension. Results of this study have implications for reading interventions and further investigation of cognitive weaknesses that likely impact reading development in children with prenatal exposure to alcohol.

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Prenatal alcohol exposure
  • Cognitive predictors
  • Reading comprehension
  • Simple view of reading

• Graduation date

  Fall 2012

• Type of Item

  Thesis

• Degree

  Doctor of Philosophy

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/R3F319

• License

  This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Libraries with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.