Intellectual Profile of Children with Specific Learning Disability with and without ADHD on Mallin’s Intelligence Scale for Indian Children (MISIC)

Abstract

Specific learning disability (SLD) is one of the commonly diagnosed condition among school aged children. SLD often co-occur with other emotional and behavioural disorders, hence early diagnosis and intervention are vital for improving the quality of life of children with SLD. This research study was aimed to explore the intellectual profile of SLD-typical and SLD-ADHD group which is the common comorbid condition on Mallin’s Intelligence scale for Indian children (MISIC). It’s a retrospective cross-sectional study, 354 children referred for psychological assessment due to persistent academic difficulties and who had received a diagnosis of SLD-typical (mixed type), SLD-ADHD (Inattention/Hyperactivity) and SLD with borderline IQ at the end of the clinical evaluation were included. The results revealed that the SLD-typical and SLD-ADHD groups performed similarly on MISIC. All the three groups scored high on VSIQ than PSIQ, both SLD and SLD-ADHD groups obtained higher scores on verbal comprehension index (VCI) and perceptual reasoning index (PRI) compared to working memory (WMI) and processing speed index (PSI). We conclude that the research findings will allow for a richer understanding of the intellectual profile of children with SLD with and without ADHD on MISIC.