Explaining the sex difference in dyslexia.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Males are diagnosed with dyslexia more frequently than females, even in epidemiological samples. This may be explained by greater variance in males' reading performance.

Methods

We expand on previous research by rigorously testing the variance difference theory, and testing for mediation of the sex difference by cognitive correlates. We developed an analytic framework that can be applied to group differences in any psychiatric disorder.

Results

Males' overrepresentation in the low performance tail of the reading distribution was accounted for by mean and variance differences across sex. There was no sex difference at the high performance tail. Processing speed (PS) and inhibitory control partially mediated the sex difference. Verbal reasoning emerged as a s

SUBMITTER: Arnett AB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5438271 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature