An Examination of the Comorbidity between Externalizing Disorders and Reading Disabilities in School-Age Boys

iii Acknowledgements I would like to recognize the guidance and assistance provided to me by all the committee members and greatly acknowledge their outstanding contribution to this research project. To Dr. Lisa A. Hain. I can't think of anyone else who could have coached me through this better than you. Your kind manner, willingness to share and open-minded nature combined with vast psychological and neuropsychological knowledge and excellent statistical knowledge made working with you a joy. To Dr. Terri Erbacher, thanks for your salient comments and prompt feedback. You lent a unique and valuable perspective to this project. To Dr. Edward Kardell, thank you for being my internship supervisor and third committee member. I got to know you quite well over the past year; you were always there if I ever had an issue or needed help with the dissertation. In times of stress, you would usually share a personal scenario or story which would put me at ease. Your integrity and kind and gentle manner was always so reassuring to me. To my mother, over the years I have learned from you how to adapt, overcome obstacles and achieve goals. I'm glad you have been able to see my accomplishment. To my late father, you always were and always will be my hero, forever offering me encouragement and praise. To all my dear friends and family who offered their love and encouragement over these past three years, thank you! To Carol Calame, I owe a particular debt of thanks for your daily encouragement. To Samantha, my step daughter, it was fun being in school with you! You really are the coolest stepdaughter ever! You have enriched my life in ways I never thought possible. iv To my husband, Nick, it was only because of your love, encouragement, support and belief in me that I was able to accomplish this goal. I'll never forget the day we met on October 2, 1982 at your birthday party. You've made me so happy, I can't think of anyone I would rather have next to me on the journey of life. I dedicate this to you. v Abstract Our current education system uses a global method that does very little to address the concurrent cognitive, academic and social-emotional needs of the special education student. By using a single analysis, we fail to address specific deficits, including comorbidity of cognitive, academic, and socio-emotional deficits. …