Differential Diagnosis in Learning Disabilities

描述(由申请人提供)：科罗拉多州学习障碍研究中心(CLDRC)的长期目标是识别、表征、验证和改善阅读障碍(单词水平和理解能力)、写作障碍(写作技巧和作文)以及ADHD，这是儿童中最普遍和经常并存的障碍。为了实现这些目标，CLDRC采用了一种独特的方法来评估这些疾病背后的遗传和环境影响的程度，并使用病因学中的协变来理解阅读和写作技能的组成部分缺陷是单一综合征的表现还是代表不同的亚型。包括认知和学习能力以及处理速度的心理测量(项目I)、单词阅读、写作和语音处理(项目II)、ADHD和执行功能(项目III)以及阅读和听力理解(项目V)的测试组合将被用于同卵双胞胎和他们的兄弟姐妹的样本，在这些样本中， 每对双胞胎中至少有一名成员有阅读或写作障碍，每对双胞胎中至少有一名成员患有ADHD的双胞胎及其兄弟姐妹的独立样本，以及没有读写障碍或ADHD学校病史的双胞胎及其兄弟姐妹的对照组。由此产生的数据将被用来评估阅读和写作障碍和ADHD的病因，以及它们的共病，以及它们与语音意识、语音解码、拼写编码、词汇、听力理解、处理速度和执行功能等指标的协变性。项目六将在CLDRC样本和平行的未选定双胞胎样本中纵向处理这些问题。为了确定基因和调控区域的因果突变，将从所有双胞胎和兄弟姐妹家庭的唾液中提取DNA样本进行深度测序(项目IV)。行政和服务核心单位将负责协调SI研究项目的活动，确定和安排主题，获取问卷数据和唾液样本，传播数据，监督学生培训，并管理中心预算。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The long-range objectives of the Colorado Learning Disabilities Research Center (CLDRC) are the identification, characterization, validation and amelioration of reading disabilities (both word-level and comprehension), writing disabilities (both writing mechanics and composition), and ADHD, the most prevalent and often co-morbid disorders of childhood. To accomplish these objectives, the CLDRC employs a unique approach that assesses the extent to which genetic and environmental influences underlie these disorders, and that uses covariation in etiology to understand whether deficits in component skills of reading and writing are manifestations of a single syndrome or represent separate subtypes. Test batteries that include psychometric measures of cognitive and academic abilities and processing speed (Project I), word reading, writing, and phonological processes (Project II), ADHD and executive functions (Project III), and reading and listening comprehension (Project V) will be administered to a sample of identical and fraternal twins and their siblings in which at least one member of each twin pair has a reading or writing disability, to an independent sample of twins and their siblings in which at least one member of each twin pair has ADHD, and to a comparison group of twins and their siblings with no school history of reading or writing disabilities or ADHD. Resulting data will be used to assess the etiologies of reading and writing deficits and ADHD, and their comorbidity, as well as their covariation with measures of phonological awareness, phonological decoding, orthographic coding, vocabulary, listening comprehension, processing speed, and executive functions. Project VI will address these questions longitudinally in the CLDRC sample and in a parallel unselected sample of twins. To identify causal mutations in genes and regulatory regions, deep sequencing will be performed from DNA samples extracted from saliva from families of all twin pairs and siblings (Project IV). Administrative and Service core units will be responsible for coordinating the activities of the si research projects, ascertaining and scheduling subjects, obtaining questionnaire data and saliva samples, disseminating data, supervising student training, and administering the Center budget.