SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PSYCHOPEDAGOGICAL ASSESSMENT: COMORBIDITY DYSLEXIA/ADHD. SHARED AND DIFFERENTIATING DEFICITS

Abstract

The evidence found on the deficits associated with neurodevelopmental disorders rules out the explanatory model of a single underlying cognitive deficit, recognizing them as a nonspecific and heterogeneous phenomenon, characterized by a high rate of comorbidity that adds barriers to learning and school adaptation to those of the students' unique disorders. The nature of the comorbidity of developmental dyslexia (DD) with one of the disorders with which it occurs most frequently is explored: attention deficit and/or hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The objective is to know the state of research on DD/ADHD comorbidity in terms of shared and differentiating deficits that give rise to SLD (Specific Learning Difficulties) to contribute to a psychopedagogical assessment according to its complexity, and comorbidity, identifying the differentiating cognitive deficits of DD and the cognitive characteristics of DD/ADHD comorbidity. To do this, a systematic review is carried out according to the PRISMA norms of empirical works, in the PubMed, World of Science (WOS) and Scopus databases in the period 2009-2020, which include mixed samples for the comparison of general domain and specific deficits. Differentiating deficits and those that overlap in the comorbid group are identified, in some studies they are merely added, in others with an aggravating effect, although the most accepted explanatory model is that of multiple deficits. The results are discussed in terms of their implications for school assessment, highlighting the importance of a greater attention to comorbidity.