Memory functioning in post-secondary students with learning disabilities

Working memory is a core psychological process. Deficits in working memory have been shown to be related to performance in academic tasks including literacy and mathematics. A limited-capacity working memory system has been shown to underlie some academic difficulties presented by children with diagnosed learning disabilities. Although similar findings have been found for adults with learning disabilities, less research has been conducted with this population. The current study examined 107 adults who were pursuing post-secondary schooling. The subjects were referred by career counselors who suspected them to have undiagnosed learning disabilities. Subjects underwent a cross-battery including assessment of intellectual, achievement, and verbal learning and memory. All subjects met the criterion for a learning disability according to the DSM-IV. After controlling for full-scale IQ, analyses revealed significant partial correlations (p<0.05) between working memory, verbal learning and memory, and reading comprehension. Results from regression analysis indicated that working memory was a significant predictor of reading comprehension. Findings provide corroborating evidence of working and auditory memory deficits in adults with learning disabilities.