Showing papers in "Journal of Learning Disabilities in 1985"

Self-Concepts, Locus of Control and Performance Expectations of Learning Disabled Children

Abstract: General and academic self-concepts, general and academic locus of control beliefs and academic performance expectations were examined among 45 learning disabled (LD) and 45 normally achieving (NA) children aged 7 years, 6 months to 12 years, 9 months. The LD children were significantly different from the NA children on the set of affective variables and on each of the individual variables. The LD children had lower self-concepts, more external locus of control orientations and lower performance expectations. LD children newly enrolled in resource room programs (NLD) were significantly different from LD children with more than six months of experience in such programs (ELD) on the set of affective variables. However, the only individual variable to significantly differentiate these groups was academic performance expectation. The NLD children had higher expectations for future success than the ELD children. Among the affective variables, only general and academic locus of control and academic self-concept ...

Memory Processes in Reading Disabled Children

Abstract: For the past several years, the study of memory processes in children with reading disabilities has been a very popular area of inquiry. The goal of most recent research has been to understand why reading disabled children have problems on memory tasks, rather than simply to document the fact that they perform poorly in comparison with children who achieve normally. This month's Topical Review provides a general framework for understanding memory problems in reading disabled children by considering some of the factors that can influence memory performance. This general framework provides a useful background for understanding two important issues in current research: the relationship of memory to general intelligence, and causal relations between memory disabilities and reading failure.—JKT

Eye Movements in Dyslexia Their Diagnostic Significance

Abstract: The study of eye movements during reading has provided many important insights about the process of reading. Until recently, there has been a relatively broad consensus that the erratic eye movements of poor readers were a consequence of difficulties in learning the visual-verbal associations involved in reading, rather than being a primary cause of poor reading themselves. However, recent data has begun to question this assumption. In this month's Topical Review, the author reviews the research suggesting the erratic eye movements of dyslexics are not simply a consequence of poor reading skills. This research is important because, if it is substantiated in future work, examination of eye movement patterns may contribute significantly to the diagnosis of dyslexia. —J.K.T.

A Follow-Up Study of 52 Learning Disabled Adolescents

Abstract: This study was designed to document, four years later, the progress of 52 LD adolescents who entered a special education program in the ninth grade. The sample were “typical” LD adolescents: old for their grade placement, with severe reading retardation and moderate math retardation. Theoretically, these students should have been in 12th grade at the time of follow—up. In fact, 16 were still enrolled in a special education high school program; seven were still in high school but in regular classes full—time; twenty—four had stopped attending high school; and five could not be located. Thirty—four students (all those still in school and 11 of the dropouts) were retested on academic skills. Results indicated impressive gains for all students although approximately half the achievement growth had taken place in the first year of the LD program. The 11 dropouts were also interviewed about the circumstances of their school leaving. A majority reported that they had been encouraged to leave school before gradua...

Spectral Analysis of EEG Differences Between Children With and Without Learning Disabilities

Abstract: Power Spectral Fast Fourier analysis of the scalp EEG was obtained from six locations, three left hemisphere and three right hemisphere, in 69 children with learning disabilities without hyperactivity and 34 control children, during baseline and while performing reading, arithmetical and spatial tasks in their schools. Significant EEG power and percent differences for specific frequencies were obtained between groups. The ability to predict attention deficit or control status was high based upon discriminant analysis for these subjects. The possibility for the supplementation of existing psychometrics with a neurometric based on power analysis of the EEG is discussed.

Managing the Mainstream An Analysis of Teacher Attitudes and Student Performance in Mainstream High School Programs

Abstract: Four studies were undertaken in 12 urban high schools to explore the accommodative power of mainstream secondary schools and the extent to which teacher attitudes and student behaviors contributed to failure of learning disabled students in regular high school classes. Findings suggest that mainstream teachers recognize the low achievement of LD students but do very little that is different instructionaily when these students are assigned to regular-content classes. The one adjustment that is commonly made is to lower grading standards so that LD students have a good chance of passing the course. In fact, most LD students received passing grades in most of their mainstream courses and most failing grades were in courses in which attendance records were extremely poor.

Mnemonic Strategy Instruction with Learning Disabled Adolescents

Abstract: In two experiments, students were taught the hardness levels of minerals according to either a keyword-pegword mnemonic, a questioning procedure, or free study. In Experiment 1, 90 ninth-grade learning disabled students were classified as relatively higher or lower reading achievers. Mnemonic students significantly outrecalled both questioning and free-study students regardless of students' achievement level. In Experiment 2, 45 nondisabled seventh-grade students participated and again, mnemonic students significantly outperformed questioning and free study students. Both present and potential benefits of mnemonic instruction for learning disabled students are discussed.

Investigating the Effectiveness of Special Education An Analysis of Methodology

Abstract: The enormous literature on remedial procedures with mildly handicapped children contains many convincing demonstrations that specific instructional techniques can be effective in accomplishing narrowly defined goals. However, when the focus of evaluation shifts to more complex programs that are designed to achieve a more complete remediation of academic skill deficits, the results have often been discouraging. This Topical Review critically examines previous attempts to evaluate the efficiacy of special education programs for mildly handicapped children. The author suggests that serious methodological flaws in these evaluation efforts make our present knowledge in this area very weak. The final section of the review proposes a methodology that is designed to address and overcome many of the limitations of previous research.—JKT

The Use of Self-Monitoring Procedures With Low IQ Learning Disabled Students

Abstract: Given the changes in the population served in programs for the learning-disabled, there is a continuing need to verify the effectiveness of teaching methods used with D students. This research investigated the efficacy of two cognitive behavior modification procedures—self-monitoring of attention and self-monitoring of academic accuracy—with a group of low functioning students in a LD self-contained class. Data are presented which indicate that the combination of both procedures was effective for all four students in improving attention-to-task and for three of the four children in percentage of accurate responses in an arithmetic task. The discussion highlights the importance of possible modification of CBM methods and training procedures in order to develop successsful intervention programs for LD students whose cognitive functioning levels are below average.

Intellectual and Affective Characteristics Of Attention Deficit Disordered Children

Abstract: A referral population of sixty-nine males and thirty-nine females was divided into Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and non-ADD subgroups according to teacher ratings of the relative presence of the DSM-III criteria. These subgroups were then compared on two intelligence tests, the Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Cognitive Ability and the WISC-R, and a measure of Depression also adapted from DSM-III. Though not intellectually distinct, the ADD group was significantly more depressed (p<.01) relative to teacher ratings using the modified DSM-III criteria. The issue of whether the diagnostic criteria for ADD are actually symptomatic of other clinical disorders is discussed.

Stimulus-Control Factors in Search Performance of Hyperactive Children

Abstract: Added stimulation, both biochemical and environmental, has been used to improve the sustained attention but less frequently the search-attention performance of hyperactive children. In the present study a search task was used that differed from sustained-attention tasks only in an additional requirement for visual scanning. The performance of hyperactive and control children on a noncolored version of this task was compared with a version to which color stimulation had been presented that reduced the area to be scanned or that required a wide area to be scanned in a mixed design counterbalanced for stimulation order and level of search. Findings were that hyperactive children omitted more signals than controls on most of the noncolored search task. In the color condition, only during the last third of performance did the hyperactive children crossover with a greater increase in errors than controls. This increase, however, was attributed to the narrow-focus search condition that reduced overall visual acc...

Depressive Illness and Learning Difficulties Research Needs and Practical Implications.

Abstract: Major depressive disorder (MDD) in children is a subject of much recent interest in psychiatry. In addition to the direct effects of MDD on learning and cognition in general, some investigators have suggested that there may be relationships of MDD to learning disabilities in general or to dysfunction to the right hemisphere of the brain in particular. In this report I briefly review the basis for these ideas, suggest some testable hypotheses, and discuss the potential implications of the hypotheses for educators and mental health professionals.

A Biochemical Approach to the Problem of Dyslexia

Abstract: This paper discusses the importance, in cases of dyslexia as in the case of other difficulties, of treating the child with the problem rather than the problem as such. It presents the case of a boy, labelled dyslexic, who responded positively to a biochemical approach which checked both what necessary substances he could be lacking and what substances, if any, he might be getting too much of.Iron and zinc as well as Vitamin B-6 deficiencies were found, as well as an imbalance of fatty acids. When these imbalances were remedied, not only the quality of his hair and skin improved but also his reading. Further improvement followed reduction in intake of milk and dairy products. A biochemical approach to the solution of behavior problems is proposed.

Main and Interaction Effects of Metallic Pollutants on Cognitive Functioning

Abstract: The present study investigated possible relationships of metal levels and metal combinations with children's cognitive functioning. Hair-metal concentrations of lead, arsenic, mercury, cadmium, and aluminum were determined in 69 randomly selected elementary age children. They were also administered the Wide Range Achievement Test reading and spelling tests and the Bender Visual-Motor Gestalt Test. Parents of subjects were interviewed to control for confounding variables that may affect cognitive development. Regression data indicated that increases in arsenic and the interaction of arsenic with lead were significantly related to decreased reading and spelling achievement, and increases in aluminum and the interaction of aluminum with lead were significantly related to decreased visual-motor performance. A continuing reexamination of metal poisoning concentrations is needed, because metal levels and metal combinations previously thought harmless may be associated with cognitive deficits.

The Effects of a Strategy and Sequenced Materials on the Inferential-Comprehension of Disabled Readers

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to determine whether teaching disabled readers a structured inferencing strategy using materials sequentially arranged from easy to more difficult would improve their ability to answer inferential questions. The subjects consisted of fourth and fifth grade poor readers who were randomly placed in one of four groups—strategy plus materials, strategy only, materials only, control. An analysis of covariance revealed that the strategy plus materials group scored significantly better than the other three groups on experimenter—designed inference questions. In addition, the strategy plus materials group and the materials only group scored significantly better than the control group on a standardized reading test.Results suggest that disabled readers' apparent lack of logical reasoning in answering inferential questions may exist because they do not have a successful strategy for attacking problems. Furthermore, a strategy may be enhanced by the use of materials sequentially arrange...

Teachers' Behavior Toward LD and Non-LD Children A Strategy for Change

Abstract: Teachers' differential behavior toward isolated/rejected LD children and toward popular non-LD children was assessed in fourth, fifth and sixth grade classrooms Differential behavior was defined by classroom observations of the interaction patterns and sequences of behavior that occurred between teachers and target students In addition, an intervention strategy designed to make teachers aware of their behaviors was employed Results indicated that prior to the awareness program, teachers initiated significantly more interactions, responded with greater frequency of corrective behavior, and used more negative verbal and nonverbal behaviors with isolated/rejected LD than they used with popular non-LD children Post-awareness, the quantity of teachers' interactions remained essentially the same; however, the negative quality of these interactions was significantly reduced When attempting to promote a more positive social climate for LD children who are low in social status, direct intervention with teache

Running Can Modify Classroom Behavior

Abstract: In the last decade, there have been concerted efforts to document the benefits of exercise as a treatment for physical and mental problems. More specifically, running/jogging has recently received support as an effective treatment for children's behavior and learning difficulties. The following article describes a running program that may help increase the attention span and impulse control of learning disabled children. Speculations are made regarding the mixed results of the the author's study and suggestions are given for tighter controls in future research.

An Attribution Training Program with Learning Disabled Children

Abstract: Based on the success of attribution training programs in alleviating learned helplessness and upon current research suggesting that some learning disabled children may be experiencing learned helplessness, it was the purpose of the present investigation to determine whether altering causal attributions for failure would enable helpless learning disabled children to deal more effectively with failure in an experimental reading situation. Sixteen “helpless” learning disabled students were assigned to an attribution training group or to an assessment control group. The results revealed that following training, the subjects in the attribution training group demonstrated greater reading persistence, showed significant increases in effort attributions for failure as well as more internal attributions for achievement situations when compared to subjects in the control group. Treatment gains for effort attributions and for reading persistence were maintained at follow—up. Implications for remedial programs are di...

Why Teach Social Skills to Learning Disabled Students

Abstract: Apres avoir decrit les difficultes interpersonnelles et le manque de competence sociale des eleves en situation d'echec scolaire, l'auteur montre la necessite d'ameliorer les relations sociales de ces enfants

Vision Training Revisited

Abstract: The idea that there is a causal relationship between visual, or visual-perceptual processes and learning disabilities is one of the oldest and most controversial in our field. Even in the short history of the Topical Review series, we have had several papers that have taken strong stands on either side of this question. This month's Topical Review addresses questions about the efficacy of visual training directly. It is important not only because it presents a balanced and critical review of research that is not widely available, but also because it points out the diversity of programs and procedures that are often referred to as “visual training.”—JKT

Validation of a Learning Disability Index (LDI) Derived from a Principal Components Analysis of the WISC-R

Abstract: A learning disability index based on a principal components analysis of the WISC-R normative data has been developed to depict verbal or non-verbal deficits on that test. This index was calculated for the individual test performance of a total of 1550 children referred to a school board psychology service because of education difficulties. These children, subdivided by sex, and categorized as learning disabled or mentally retarded, returned mean scores on this index that were reliably different from the expected scores of the normative population; this difference revealed a verbal deficit in the test performance of the referred children. Reliable sex differences on this index appear in both the normal and abnormal groups.

The Revised Developmental Test of Visual-Motor Integration Its Relation to the VMI, WISC-R, and Bender Gestalt For a Group of Elementary Aged Learning Disabled Students

Abstract: The present study compared performance levels of 44 learning disabled students using the Revised Developmental Test of Visual-Motor Integration, Developmental Test of Visual-Motor Integration, Bender Gestalt, and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Chidren—Revised. Significant correlations were found between all three measures of visual-motor development as well as those measures and the WISC-R Performance IQ. In comparing mean age equivalent scores, the Bender was found to score significantly higher than either of the VMI scales. The VMI and VMI-R did not yield different age scores. Implications of these results for the practitioner were discussed.

Disorders of Written Communication: An Instructional Priority for LD Students

Abstract: The decline in the written communications skills of students has been addressed both in the professional literature and in public forums. A particular concern is the lack of attention that deficits in the area of written expression have received in special education. The remedial frame-work and applied interventions of many LD teachers reflect a mechanistic conceptualization of the process of written expression. This article examines how current instructional practices prelude the development of meaningful written expression in LD children.

Subclinical Lead Level and Developmental Deficit: Re-Analyses of Data

Abstract: Perino and Ernhart (1974) reported that moderate levels of lead exposure in 80 preschool urban black children were related to cognitive impairment. Ernhart, Landa, and Schell (1981) re-examined 63 of these children five years later and found no significant association of preschool lead level and outcome measures—including cognitive measures, reading tests, and teacher behavior ratings. School-age lead level was marginally related to a few measures. After review of methodological issues, it was concluded that if these results were due to lead, the effect was minimal. Since the issue is important to the task of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), EPA appointed an Expert Committee to examine these reports and those of another person whose work has been questioned. Some data re-analyses were requested.The previously reported positive findings of the preschool study were not substantiated in re-analysis. The school-age lead data required technical adjustment. Additional variables were generated includin...

Achievement Level, Social Class, and the Self-Concepts of Mildly Handicapped Children

Abstract: To illustrate the effects of socioeconomic status (SES) and within classroom academic standing on the self—concepts of mildly handicapped children, self—concept scores were collected on 169 elementary school children who divided their school day between special classes and the educational mainstream. The sample was divided into four groups based on SES (high or low) and level of academic achievement in comparison to other handicapped classmates (high or low). High achievers reported higher self—concept scores than low achievers and low SES students had higher self—concept scores than high SES children. The results are interpreted in terms of the influence of social comparison groups on children's perceptions of their own competence. The results suggest that mildly handicapped children from high SES levels who remain inadequate academically in comparison to their special—class peers have self—concepts significantly lower than those of all other students.

The Effect of Multisensory Instruction Upon the On-Task Behaviors and Word Reading Accuracy of Learning Disabled Children

Abstract: The effects of multisensory instruction upon the word reading accuracy and on-task behaviors of seven-, eight-, and nine-year-old learning disabled students were investigated during a series of four experiments. Visual and auditory instruction with and without teacher praise was compared with a visual, auditory, kinesthetic and tactile instruction with and without teacher praise. Results of the single subject reversal design experiments indicated that all four types of instruction increased word reading accuracy when compared with pretest scores. Nevertheless, there were significant differences in effectiveness among the four treatments. Visual-auditory instruction alone was far less effective than visual-auditory with praise and the multisensory procedure with or without praise. Alternatively, visual-auditory with praise was the most effective of all the procedures.

The Future of the LD Field A Survey of Fundamental Concerns

Abstract: A mail survey was conducted among prominent LD professionals to assess their views about the most fundamental concerns facing the field in the next decade. For purposes of this presentation, the findings from the 85 respondents are discussed, first in terms of several overriding considerations; then, specific issues and problems associated with theory, research, practice, training, and field and policy activity are explored. In highlighting interrelationships among concerns, respondents underscored the link between improving the quality of theory and upgrading research, practice, training, and policy making. The discussion stresses building an agenda for the future as the key to the field's integrity, viability, and survival.

Strategy Transformations in Learning Disabled Children's Math Performance Clues to the Development of Expertise

Abstract: The hypothesis explored was that learning disabled children's poor math performance was related to their ability to make strategy transformations. The present experiment used simple arithmetic operations that allowed for seven transformations. Nondisabled children were superior in performance to disabled on transformations that required reordering or the abandoning of previously learned strategies. For the majority of transformation tasks, significant ability group differences occurred on the encoding and retrieval stage of processing. The results suggest that learning disabled children use an inefficient algorithm to transform previously learned strategies. Three implications of the results are discussed.

Mainstreaming From Compliance to Quality

Abstract: Twenty-five years ago, the treatment of choice for children with special needs was the special class or special school. Today, more and more programs have sought to “mainstream” even severely disabled students. But does “mainstreaming” work? And if it works, why does it work and how does it work? At Syracuse University. a group of colleagues spent four arduous years studying mainstreaming. This commentary by Professor Douglas Biklen speaks to the common concerns raised when the question is discussed. I can't conceive of a more timely topic than this contribution to Dialectic—Burton Blatt, Associate Editor.