ROLE OF EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONS IN IMPROVING READING ACCURACY IN INDIAN CHILDREN WITH READING DISORDER: COMPARING TWO TYPES OF INTERVENTION

Recent literature has established the presence of executive dysfunctions in specific reading disorder (SRD). We explored the benefits of enhancing executive functions on reading accuracy in a group of children with SRD. Two groups of 10 children (10-13 years old) each with SRD, comparable in age and education, were assessed on reading, neuropsychological and phonological processing abilities before, immediately after and three months after intervention. The Neuropsychological (NP) group received neuropsychological intervention aimed at enhancing attention, concentration, verbal fluency working memory and planning and organization skills. The Phonological Awareness (PA) group received an intervention for enhancing phonological processing skills. Both groups received 20 sessions of individualized intervention. The two groups were compared across three time points (pre-intervention, post-intervention, and 3 months post-intervention) to assess the extent to which the interventions differed in enhancing reading, neuropsychological and phonological skills. Both groups displayed significant improvement in reading immediately after intervention. The improvement was maintained three months after intervention. Both groups improved verbal learning abilities and visual memory. In addition the NP group showed significant improvement on verbal fluency while the PA group showed significant improvement on visuo-spatial working memory and visual scanning. Implications for intervention and educational research are discussed.