A-047 Examining the relationship between Learning Diagnoses and Social Skills Deficit subscales within the Personality Inventory for Children, Second Edition.

Objective: The present study examined the relationship between the Social Skills Deficit (SSD) subscales obtained on the Personality Inventory for Children, second edition (PIC-2), and diagnoses of three major Learning Disorders (LD) of Math, Reading, and Writing. Method: Participants in the present study consisted of 523 children from a mixed clinical sample who were between the ages of 3 to 17 years (M = 9.897, SD = 3.130). Participants were referred to a south Florida neuropsychology community assessment center and completed a full neuropsychological battery. Males composed 64% of the sample. Measures included SSD subscales, limited peer status and conflict with peers, within the PIC-2. Results: To evaluate the relationship between scores on SSD subscales from the PIC-2 on three LD diagnoses, a Pearson Correlation with 2-tailed significance was used. Limited peer status was significantly correlated with a LD of Reading (r = −.160, p = .001) and Writing (r = −.160, p = .001). Additionally, conflict with peers was significant correlated with a LD of Reading (r = −.139, p = .001) and Writing (r = −.125, p = .004). There were no SSD subscales that were significantly correlated with a diagnosis of LD of Math. Conclusion: From these results, the SSD subscale had the strongest correlation with diagnosis of a LD of Reading followed by LD of Writing. This study explicates the issue of reduced language-based skills and its impact on social skills. Due to the association between reading and writing and social skills, academic intervention should also include social skills training to increased peer interactions and reduce peer conflict. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]