Relations among emergent literary skills, behaviour problems, and social competence in preschool children from low and middle income backgrounds.

Research has indicated a substantial overlap between reading disability (RD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, few studiess concerning this overlap have been conducted with preschool children. This Study exaimed the overlap between behaviours associated with ADHD and emergent literacy skills in preschool children. One group of 44 children (mean age = 48 months SD = 11.3) was from middle income families, and one group of 41 children (mean age = 53 months, SD = 8.1) attended Head Start. Results demonstrated that attention problems were substantially consistently, and uniquely associated with emergient literacy skills in both groups, however, the effect was strongest for the middle income group. These findings indicate that the association between reading skills and behaviours assocaited with ADHD is present in preschool children and that emergent literacy skills may mediate the link between ADHD and RD found in older children. [AJ]