The Role of Executive Functions (EFs) in the Reading Skills of Children With ADHD and Dyslexia

Abstract

Reading is a complex task, where lower-level and higher-level skills interact with each other. Reading skills have been connected to academic and occupational outcomes and this motivated the present literature review. Higher-order skills, executive functions (EFs), impact various skills, including reading, and this is an area of increasing interest especially in special populations, such as ADHD and dyslexia. There is no definite conclusion regarding the EF profile and relation of EFs to reading performance in both disorders. There is evidence indicating deficits in EFs for both disorders, while there is also evidence suggesting little or no differences in relation to typically developing (TD) peers. Literature review showed that working memory (WM) is repeatedly found to influence reading skills of children with ADHD and dyslexia; inhibition and shifting are also related to reading performance. EF difficulties in both disorders and in TD children affect decoding, fluency, and reading comprehension (RC).