Spontaneous verbal labeling: visual memory and reading ability in children with cleft.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine different types of short-term memory deficits (visual versus verbal) of children with cleft and to determine what type of memory deficits were associated with reading disorders.

Design: The study examined memory and reading in 48 consecutive cases of children with cleft, aged 7 to 9 years. A memory test designed to assess memory modalities (verbal-visual) was administered, along with tests of reading ability.

Results: Visual and verbal memory were examined with a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). The memory pattern indicated greatest deficit in visual memory. Two subgroups were formed, according to whether or not there was evidence of visual memory impairment. A hit rate predicting reading disability based on group membership was calculated to be 65%. Visual memory was significantly correlated with reading ability (r = .48).

Conclusion: A brief visual memory test was almost as good as Full Scale IQ in predicting reading disability.