IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/intell/v113y2025ics0160289625000686.html

The effect of processing speed on academic fluency in children with neurodevelopmental disorders

Author

Listed:
  • Kim, Soo Youn
  • Esprit, Jordyn
  • Levine, Ann
  • Stephenson, Kevin G.

Abstract

Poor processing speed (PS) is frequently observed in individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders. However, mixed findings exist on the predictive validity of such processing speed impairment and the role of working memory (WM). We conducted a retrospective chart review of patients evaluated at a developmental assessment clinic between March 2018 and December 2022. Patients with available data on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, Fifth Edition (WISC-V) and the Woodcock-Johnson, Fourth Edition, Tests of Achievement (WJ IV ACH) were included (n = 77, 69 % male; Mage = 10.6, SDage = 2.5; FSIQ range = 47–129). We performed a mediation analysis with academic fluency (AF) as the dependent variable, PS as the predictor, WM as the mediator, and academic skills and general intelligence as covariates. Both the direct and indirect effects of PS were significant prior to adding covariates. However, only the direct effect of PS was robust, independent of the effects of academic skills and general intelligence. The indirect effect of PS through WM was insignificant after accounting for the general academic skills and intelligence. Therefore, PS explains a unique variance in AF. This finding suggests that PS may be an exception to the criticism of cognitive profile analysis. Interpreting the PS score as a relative strength or weakness within a cognitive profile may uniquely predict their timed academic performance in youth with neurodevelopmental disorders.

Suggested Citation

  • Kim, Soo Youn & Esprit, Jordyn & Levine, Ann & Stephenson, Kevin G., 2025. "The effect of processing speed on academic fluency in children with neurodevelopmental disorders," Intelligence, Elsevier, vol. 113(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:intell:v:113:y:2025:i:c:s0160289625000686
    DOI: 10.1016/j.intell.2025.101965
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160289625000686
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.intell.2025.101965?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Frischkorn, Gidon T. & Schubert, Anna-Lena & Hagemann, Dirk, 2019. "Processing speed, working memory, and executive functions: Independent or inter-related predictors of general intelligence," Intelligence, Elsevier, vol. 75(C), pages 95-110.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Davies, Scott & Noonan, Rob & Robertson, Colin & Sankey, Sean, 2025. "An investigation into differences in general intelligence and coaches' subjective assessment of players' decision-making skills across different playing positions in EPPP association football academies," Intelligence, Elsevier, vol. 113(C).
    2. Frischkorn, Gidon T. & Wilhelm, Oliver & Oberauer, Klaus, 2022. "Process-oriented intelligence research: A review from the cognitive perspective," Intelligence, Elsevier, vol. 94(C).
    3. He, Li & Liu, Wei & Zhuang, Kaixiang & Meng, Jie & Qiu, Jiang, 2021. "Executive function-related functional connectomes predict intellectual abilities," Intelligence, Elsevier, vol. 85(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:intell:v:113:y:2025:i:c:s0160289625000686. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/intelligence .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.