Children's reading comprehension disorder (RCD): does the intellectual profile help to better understand it?

In the current study, we have investigated the relationship among learning disabilities in reading comprehension, intellectual profile and functional reading skills in a sample of 172 pupils with a poor school performance. As a first step of the analysis, we have assessed the statistical association among reading comprehension abilities, functional reading skills and the WISC-IV intellectual profile for the entire sample. Secondly, the sample has been divided in two groups of children, namely good comprehenders and poor comprehenders, and their differences in terms of intellectual and reading abilities have been evaluated. Finally, a cluster analysis has been performed in order to identify different specific groups among the poor comprehenders. Three subgroups have been obtained in result that are well identified in terms of the WISC-IV intellectual profile. This outcome can provide useful clinical, ethiological and rehabilitative implications.