Showing papers in "Journal of Learning Disabilities in 1994"
TL;DR: The last 20 years of research have produced a broad variety of converging evidence that at least three kinds of phonological processing skills are positively related to individual differences in the rate at which beginning reading skills are acquired.
Abstract: O ne of the most exciting developments in research on reading over the last two decades is the emerging consensus about the importance of phonological processing abilities in the acquisition of early reading skills (Shankweiler & Liberman, 1989; Stanovich, 1988; Wagner & Torgesen, 1987) As the term is used by those who study early reading development, phonological processing refers to an individual's mental operations that make use of the phonological or sound structure of oral language when he or she is learning how to decode written language The last 20 years of research have produced a broad variety of converging evidence that at least three kinds of phonological processing skills are positively related to individual differences in the rate at which beginning reading skills are acquired (see Adams, 1990; Brady & Shankweiler, 1991; Crowder & Wagner, 1991; and Torgesen, 1993, for recent reviews of this work) The kinds of phonological processing skills and knowledge that have been most frequently studied include phonological awareness, phonological memory, and rate of access for phonological information Types of Reading-Related Phonological Skill
913 citations
TL;DR: The most important finding of the present study was that reader-group membership at Time 4 could be very accurately determined from students' Time 1 scores, indicating that children at risk for reading difficulties can been very accurately identified very early in their academic experiences.
Abstract: The present study examined the development of phonological and reading skills in 171 students (98 males, 73 females) from the beginning of first grade (Time 1) to the end of second grade (Time 4). Based on their reading and intelligence scores at the end of second grade, these students were placed into nondisabled (ND), reading disabled (RD), or garden-variety poor reading (GV) groups. Although each group made gains in phonological processing, large differences were found between the ND and RD/GV groups. The RD and GV groups performed similarly on many of the tasks. Consistent with the literature, it was found that intelligence does not differentiate between good and poor readers. The most important finding of the present study was that reader-group membership at Time 4 could be very accurately determined from students' Time 1 scores. All of the children in the RD and GV groups were correctly identified, and only 3 of the 148 ND children were misclassified, indicating that children at risk for reading difficulties can be very accurately identified very early in their academic experiences.
317 citations
TL;DR: It was concluded that models of memory that view STM and WM as interchangeable, or STM in isolation, do not provide an adequate framework for capturing academic performance in children and adults with learning disabilities.
Abstract: Seventy-five children and adults with learning disabilities (age range = 5.0 to 42.10 yrs.) and 86 normally achieving children and adults (age range = 5.11 to 58.0 yrs.) were compared on short-term memory (STM) and working memory (WM) tasks to assess the relationship between STM and WM, and to test whether these measures independently relate to achievement. For both ability groups, the factor analyses indicated that STM and WM loaded on different factors, and the regressions and partial correlations showed that these different factors accounted for separate variance in reading comprehension and mathematics. Both STM and WM are important in understanding reading comprehension and mathematics performance in children and adults with learning disabilities; however, WM is more important for children and adults without learning disabilities. In contrast to WM, STM contributed minimal variance to word recognition in both ability groups. Overall, it was concluded that STM and WM do reflect different processes, both of which seem to separate the two ability groups. However, models of memory that view STM and WM as interchangeable, or STM in isolation, do not provide an adequate framework for capturing academic performance in children and adults with learning disabilities.
274 citations
TL;DR: This article describes a theoretical model of reading disability that integrates a wide range of research findings in cognitive psychology, reading, and education across the age and grade span and argues that the model is especially useful to practitioners.
Abstract: This article describes a theoretical model of reading disability that integrates a wide range of research findings in cognitive psychology, reading, and education across the age and grade span. The model shows how reading disability relates to normal reading acquisition, and includes four possible patterns of reading disability: nonalphabetic readers, compensatory readers, nonautomatic readers, and readers delayed in the acquisition of word-recognition skills. We compare our model to the models of other investigators and argue that our model is especially useful to practitioners. Finally, we discuss some of the educational implications of the model.
198 citations
TL;DR: Of the neuropsychological features of NLD described by Rourke, deficits in visual- perceptual-organizational psychomotor coordination and complex tactile-perceptual skills appeared to be most representative (in the sense of most discriminative) of the NLD syndrome in the children examined.
Abstract: The identifying features of the syndrome of nonverbal learning disabilities (NLD) were examined with a view to determining their relative discriminant validity A stepwise linear discriminant function analysis of children with NLD (n = 29), children with reading and spelling disabilities (Group R-S; n = 27), and a group of nonclinical children (NC; n = 27) on 15 neuropsychological variables yielded a subset of scores on four tests (Target Test; Trail Making Test, Part B; Tactual Performance Test; and Grooved Pegboard Test) that accurately (> 95%) discriminated the NLD group from the R-S and NC subjects Of the neuropsychological features of NLD described by Rourke (1987, 1988b, 1989), deficits in visual-perceptual-organizational psychomotor coordination and complex tactile-perceptual skills appeared to be most representative (in the sense of most discriminative) of the NDL syndrome in the children examined These are also the dimensions that are considered to be "primary" in the NLD model (Rourke, 1989) Replication of these results, employing children with other clinical disorders, is necessary
196 citations
TL;DR: The results show that children with dyslexia have persistent-and unexpectedly severe-problems in naming speed for all stimuli, regardless of whether or not the stimulus requires grapheme-phoneme decoding.
Abstract: A series of tests of naming speed in discrete reaction time format were undertaken by seven groups of children: three groups with dyslexia with mean ages 8, 13, and 17 years; three groups of normally achieving children matched for age and IQ with the dyslexic groups; and a group of 10-year-old children with mild learning difficulties (slow learners) matched for reading age with the youngest dyslexic group. The children with dyslexia were significantly slower than even their chronological age-matched controls, and equivalent to their reading age-matched controls, on naming colors, digits, and letters, and significantly slower than even their reading age-matched controls on naming pictures of common objects. Overall, performance of the 17-year-old children with dyslexia was closest to that of the 8-year-old controls. Performance of the slow learners was equivalent to that of the youngest children with dyslexia. The results show that children with dyslexia have persistent-and unexpectedly severe-problems in naming speed for all stimuli, regardless of whether or not the stimulus requires grapheme-phoneme decoding.
157 citations
TL;DR: Results showed that although the students with learning disabilities displayed lower levels of metacognitive knowledge and reading comprehension, they did not differ from the students without learning disabilities on self-efficacy, intrinsic orientation, or anxiety.
Abstract: The present study examines several cognitive and motivational variables that distinguish children with learning disabilities (n = 19) from children without learning disabilities (n = 20). The total sample included 30 males and 9 females and was composed of white, fifth-grade students from a middle-class community in the Midwest. Results showed that although the students with learning disabilities displayed lower levels of metacognitive knowledge and reading comprehension, they did not differ from the students without learning disabilities on self-efficacy, intrinsic orientation, or anxiety. In addition, they did not show any signs of learned helplessness, although they did tend to attribute success and failure to external causes more often than the students without learning disabilities. Using a cluster analysis that grouped individuals, we found that differences in the motivational and cognitive variables cut across a priori categories of children with and without learning disabilities. Three clusters we...
150 citations
TL;DR: All groups exhibited impaired performance in tasks of visual-motor precision and name retrieval, but the latter finding may involve two different mechanisms, one related to linguistic impairment and possibly contributing to reading and spelling problems, and the other related to attentional problems.
Abstract: The study compared 8-year-old children with pure attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (n = 21), specific learning disorder (LD) (n = 12), and both (ADHD + LD) (n = 27) on a comprehensive set of neuropsychological measures. The tests were mainly derived from a new neuropsychological instrument, the Neuropsychological Assessment of Children. The children with ADHD were specifically impaired in the control and inhibition of impulses; the children with LD were impaired in phonological awareness, verbal memory span, and storytelling, as well as in verbal IQ. Children with both showed all of these deficiencies; they also had more pervasive attention problems and more visual-motor problems than the two other groups. All groups exhibited impaired performance in tasks of visual-motor precision and name retrieval. The latter finding may involve two different mechanisms, one related to linguistic impairment and possibly contributing to reading and spelling problems, and the other related to attentional problems.
149 citations
TL;DR: Torgesen, Wagner, and Rashotte as discussed by the authors developed a comprehensive framework for conceptualizing multiple readingrelated phonological processing abilities, including phonological awareness, phonological coding in working memory, and the retrieval of phonological codes from long-term storage.
Abstract: T he studies described by Torgesen, Wagner, and Rashotte (this issue) are examples of longitudinal research at its best. The authors have developed—and been able to support—a comprehensive framework for conceptualizing multiple readingrelated phonological processing abilities. By following the development, from kindergarten through second grade, of phonological awareness, phonological coding in working memory, and the retrieval of phonological codes from long-term storage, Torgesen and his colleagues were able to acquire information that is not available from research that looks at children at only one point in time or that is cross-sectional and looks at a group of kindergarten children, a separate group of first graders, and another group of second graders. By following the same group of children from kindergarten through second grade, they were able to learn, for example, that individual differences in phonological processing abilities are remarkably stable from kindergarten through second grade. This finding is being confirmed by other researchers doing longitudinal work, such as Byrne, Freebody, and Gates (1992) in Australia. An extremely important point made by Wagner, Torgesen, and Rashotte (in press), based on the results of their longitudinal research, is that
129 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a number of self-determination skills have been identified that are related to students' making a successful transition to post-secondary education, such as stating one's disability and its impact on school performance, and identifying instructional accommodations and strategies for arranging those accommodations with their regular classroom teachers.
Abstract: Increasing numbers of students with learning disabilities (LD) are looking to postsecondary education and training to help them achieve success in career development and eventual job placement. Unfortunately, research suggests that many of these students are having difficulty staying in and completing postsecondary programs. A number of self-determination skills have been identified that are related to students' making a successful transition to postsecondary education. These include stating one's disability and its impact on school performance, and identifying instructional accommodations and strategies for arranging those accommodations with their regular classroom teachers. The purpose of this study was to examine whether these self-determination skills could be acquired through direct instruction, and subsequently generalized to general education classrooms. The results of the effectiveness of this self-determination training are reported and their implications for teachers, parents, and students discussed.
118 citations
TL;DR: The results show that the dyslexic group was more impaired in the dual- task condition compared to the single-task condition, which supports the automatization deficit hypothesis of dyslexia.
Abstract: Fourteen children with dyslexia were compared with controls matched for age and reading age on automatic processing under a dual-task paradigm. The primary task was a motor balance one, and the secondary task was an auditory-choice task. Main results show that the dyslexic group was more impaired in the dual-task condition compared to the single-task condition. The findings support the automatization deficit hypothesis of dyslexia.
TL;DR: It is concluded that the current fund of research findings may well be sufficient to declare SI therapy not merely an unproven, but a demonstrably ineffective, primary or adjunctive remedial treatment for learning disabilities and other disorders.
Abstract: Sensory integration (SI) therapy is a controversial--though popular--treatment for the remediation of motor and academic problems. It has been applied primarily to children with learning disabilities, under the assumption that such children (or at least a subgroup of them) have problems in sensory integration to which some or all of their learning difficulties can be ascribed. The present article critically examines the related issues of whether children with learning disabilities differentially exhibit concomitant problems in sensory integration, and whether such children are helped in any way by means specific to SI therapy. An overview of theoretical contentions and empirical findings pertaining to the first issue is presented, followed by a detailed review of recent studies in the SI therapy research literature, in an effort to resolve the second issue. Results of this critique raise serious doubts as to the validity or utility of SI therapy as an appropriate, indicated treatment for the clinical population in question--and, by extension, for any other groups diagnosed as having "sensory integrative dysfunction." It is concluded that the current fund of research findings may well be sufficient to declare SI therapy not merely an unproven, but a demonstrably ineffective, primary or adjunctive remedial treatment for learning disabilities and other disorders.
TL;DR: There is a clear relationship between the introduction of self-monitoring of assignments and an increase in assignments completed and Goal setting and self-graphing of data appeared to increase this effect.
Abstract: This article describes the use of self-monitoring procedures to increase the number of daily homework assignments completed by eight students with learning disabilities. Students ranged in age from 13 to 16 years and attended Grades 7 through 10. The experimental procedure involved the use of a sheet listing all daily assignments given by regular classroom teachers. A multiple-baseline design across subjects demonstrated a clear relationship between the introduction of self-monitoring of assignments and an increase in assignments completed. Goal setting and self-graphing of data appeared to increase this effect.
TL;DR: The findings demonstrated the educational implications of attention deficit disorders for mathematical skill and the need for interventions that are geared more specifically to these deficits, and that also provide accommodations for reading complexity and length, visual—motor skill, feedback, and self-pacing.
Abstract: We assessed the academic performance and behavior of 121 nondisabled elementary boys and 107 boys with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), ages 7.4 through 14.5 years. Students completed computer-generated tasks of reading, computation, and math problem solving, and we recorded two performance measures (accuracy and speed) and three behavioral measures (vocalizations, head movements, and bottom movements). Our purpose was to determine the effects of ADHD on conceptual and computational math. For greater precision than has been available in past math research, we held reading and problem structure constant, while recording speed of processing, number recognition, and motor response. Our analysis yielded significantly lower problem-solving scores in specific math concepts and slower computational performance for the boys with ADHD. These findings demonstrated the educational implications of attention deficit disorders for mathematical skill and the need for interventions that are geared more specifically to these deficits, and that also provide accommodations for reading complexity and length, visual-motor skill, feedback, and self-pacing.
TL;DR: The validity of this classification scheme for the subtyping of learning disabilities in adolescents and adults is demonstrated by demonstrating the validity of the three groups compared among themselves and with a comparison group with normal achievement on a variety of cognitive and achievement measures.
Abstract: This study tested the hypothesis that a classification scheme developed for the subtyping of learning disabilities in children, when applied to a population of adolescents and adults, would result in subtyping into discrete and relatively homogeneous groups in terms of cognitive functioning and achievement. We compared three groups, arithmetic disability (AD), reading disability (RD), and reading and arithmetic disabilities (RAD), among themselves and with a comparison group with normal achievement (NA) on a variety of cognitive and achievement measures. The main findings were as follows: (a) Each of the groups differed significantly from the others on tests of reading, spelling, memory, and other cognitive measures; (b) both the RD and RAD groups showed a deficit in phonological processing, vocabulary, spelling, and STM; (c) the AD group performed similarly to the NA group on pseudoword reading and phonological processing, but did more poorly than the NA group on word reading and vocabulary; (d) on many ...
TL;DR: The results of the present study indicate that it is possible to identify children at risk for reading dificulties and to significantly improve their phonological-processing and reading abilities.
Abstract: The present study assessed 486 first-quarter first graders on their reading and phonologicalprocessing skills and intelligence. Based on this assessment, and using the classification data from Hurford et al.'s (1993) study, 99 children were identified as being at risk for reading difficulties: 53 children at risk for reading disabilities (RD) and 46 children at risk for becoming “garden-variety” poor readers (GV). Half of the RD and GV groups received the phonologicalprocessing intervention. Posttraining assessment indicated that the training procedure not only was effective in increasing the phonological-processing skills of the trained participants, but also increased their reading ability. Both of the RD and GV trained groups benefited from the training. Analyses also indicated that the initial screening device was somewhat less accurate in the present study in identifying at-risk children than in our previous studies (85% us. approximately 9896, respectively). The results of the present study indicate...
TL;DR: The results of the literature review suggest that homework policies and practices for students with learning disabilities should emphasize (a) simple, short assignments; (b) careful monitoring by and prominent rewards from teachers; and (c) parental involvement, especially to provide structure, conducive environments, and immediate rewards.
Abstract: The literature on homework for students with learning disabilities is reviewed. First, a summary of Cooper's (1989a) synthesis of research on homework for students without disabilities is presented, including (a) a definition of homework, (b) a model of the homework process, (c) the results of a meta-analysis of homework studies, and (d) generic policy guidelines. Next, special education research on homework conducted after 1985 is described. The literature is divided into studies that manipulated homework conditions and homework-related surveys of teachers and parents. The results of the literature review suggest that homework policies and practices for students with learning disabilities should emphasize (a) simple, short assignments; (b) careful monitoring by and prominent rewards from teachers; and (c) parental involvement, especially to provide structure, conducive environments, and immediate rewards.
TL;DR: Results showed that the university students with LD performed significantly lower on all variables and Implications for practitioners are provided and future research discussed.
Abstract: The notes of 30 university students with learning disabilities (LD) and 30 nondisabled university students were compared on the number of cued and noncued information units recorded and the number and type of abbreviations used. Results showed that the university students with LD performed significantly lower on all variables. Implications for practitioners are provided and future research discussed.
TL;DR: This article views homework through the eyes of parents in a rural area whose children with disabilities spent a majority of their time in general education classrooms whose parents felt ill-prepared to help their children with homework.
Abstract: This article views homework through the eyes of parents in a rural area whose children with disabilities spent a majority of their time in general education classrooms. The qualitative analysis of data from individual interviews, focus groups, and parent action research logs yielded five themes: (a) Parents felt ill-prepared to help their children with homework; (b) parents wanted more information about the classroom teachers' expectations of their child and of their roles as parents in helping with homework; (c) parents wanted their children to be given individualized homework assignments; (d) parents valued hands-on homework and projects in which the whole family could participate; and (e) parents wanted a two-way communication system that would allow them to become partners on their child's instructional team.
TL;DR: The higher incidence of negative feelings and opinions from students in resource room programs suggests that students' understanding of assignments, the nature of the assignments, and the feedback given to students are important issues requiring closer evaluation.
Abstract: A survey of homework experiences was administered to 1,527 elementary and junior high students in regular (n = 1,242), resource (n = 234), and self-contained special education (n = 51) classrooms. The results found significant main effects for Group, Grade, and Group by Grade interactions for items related to amount of, type of, and time spent doing homework; opportunity to do homework at school; parents' assistance; students' beliefs about homework assignments and grading; and students' feelings about homework and school. The higher incidence of negative feelings and opinions from students in resource room programs suggests that students' understanding of assignments, the nature of the assignments, and the feedback given to students are important issues requiring closer evaluation. The results also suggest that changes in homework assignments and grading may make the transition from elementary to junior high school particularly difficult for students with special needs.
TL;DR: Tobacco and marijuana use were proportionally higher for adolescents with learning disabilities; no differences emerged for alcohol use between groups and a discriminant function analysis revealed that scores on the SEI and subscale scores of the RBPC did not reliably predict tobacco or marijuana use for either group.
Abstract: A considerable body of literature has accumulated that examines patterns of substance use and abuse among adolescents attending general education classes. However, much less information exists on the prevalence and predictors of substance use among adolescents with learning disabilities. One purpose of this study was to determine the comparative prevalence of tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana use among a sample of 123 students with learning disabilities (91 male and 32 female, mean age = 14.37 years) and 138 nondisabled students (77 male and 61 female, mean age = 13.71 years). A second purpose was to determine whether two psychosocial variables (self-esteem and type of behavior problem) or severity of drinking problem best predicted use of tobacco and marijuana. Students were administered the Self-Esteem Inventory (SEI)-School form (Coopersmith, 1987) and the Adolescent Drinking Index (ADD (Harrell & Wirtz, 1989); their teachers completed the Revised Behavior Problem Checklist (RBPC) (Quay & Peterson, 1987)...
TL;DR: In this article, the differences in reading between students with learning disabilities (LD) and non-learning disabled students (NLD) can be explained by IQ, and the results indicate that IQ does not explain the differences between children with LD and NLD children in lexical processing.
Abstract: This study was designed to demonstrate whether the differences in reading between students with learning disabilities (LD) and non-learning disabled students (NLD) can be explained by IQ. A sample of 133 Spanish children (85 male, 48 female) ranging in age from 8 to 13 years were classified into four groups according to IQ as measured by the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (<80; 81—90; 91—109: 110—140) and into two groups based on reading level (LD and NLD). A lexical decision task was used and we manipulated different word parameters (length, positional syllabic frequency, and familiarity) and pseudoword parameters (length and positional syllabic frequency) to study the routes used by both groups. Our findings indicate that IQ does not explain the differences between children with LD and NLD children in lexical processing. We found that the lexical and sublexical parameters have a greater influence on students with LD than NLD students, independent of IQ. In synthesis, the LD group has m...
TL;DR: The results showed thatChildren with relatively high concentrations of lead in their hair reacted significantly slower in a simple reaction-time task than did children with relatively low concentrations of Lead, and were significantly less flexible in changing their focus of attention, even after correction for the influence of their delayed reaction time.
Abstract: A pilot study was carried out to investigate the relationship between exposure to lead and attention in children. The participants were 43 boys, 8 to 12 years of age, attending special schools for children with educational and/or learning problems (so called LOM schools). Children with probable causes of attentional or memory problems other than lead contamination were excluded from the study. Various aspects of attention were measured using neuropsychological tests. As an assessment of body lead burden, lead concentration in the boys' hair was measured by means of the Synchrotron Radiation-Induced X-ray Fluorescence technique (SXRF). Information was collected about variables that possibly could influence attention and/or body lead burden (confounding factors). A multiple regression analysis was used to determine the contribution of lead to variance in performance, after correction for confounding factors. The results showed that children with relatively high concentrations of lead in their hair reacted significantly slower in a simple reaction-time task than did children with relatively low concentrations of lead in their hair. In addition, the former were significantly less flexible in changing their focus of attention, even after correction for the influence of their delayed reaction time.
TL;DR: Results suggest active efforts to increase the amount of time students with SLD spend in general classroom settings; however, limited program change-related guidelines or category-specific outcome-monitoring measures were reported.
Abstract: As part of a broader investigation, this study sought to (a) provide a statewide “snapshot” of educators' views regarding the current status of and process associated with increased integration efforts for serving students with specific learning disabilities (SLD) in Virginia, and (b) document factors serving as the basis of or creating reluctance toward such efforts. Survey respondents included the population of special education supervisors and samples of general education supervisors, building principals, general secondary and elementary education teachers, and LD teachers (N = 788). Results suggest active efforts to increase the amount of time students with SLD spend in general classroom settings; however, limited program change-related guidelines or category-specific outcome-monitoring measures were reported. Across groups, participants expressed doubts regarding the adequacy of general education teachers' skills for making needed instructional adaptations. Over half of the respondents tended to disa...
TL;DR: The hypothesis that children with dyslexia identified by word decoding deficit will be poor in specific cognitive processes that require successive processing and rapid articulation, irrespective of their high or average nonverbal IQ is tested.
Abstract: We tested the hypothesis that children with dyslexia identified by word decoding deficit will be poor in specific cognitive processes that require successive processing and rapid articulation, irrespective of their high or average nonverbal IQ. Children with dyslexia and normally achieving children between 9 years and 11 years of age were divided into four groups comprising average-IQ and high-IQ children with dyslexia and normal readers. All children were administered measures of planning, attention-arousal, simultaneous and successive processes, phonemic segmentation, and nonverbal IQ. Results confirmed the hypothesis: The cognitive tasks that differentiated children with dyslexia from nondyslexic children irrespective of IQ were the successive tasks, as well as two tasks of attention that required articulation and/or phonological coding. Tasks that demanded both phonological coding and articulation correctly classified children with dyslexia and nondyslexic children up to 80%. The importance of remedial training appropriate for alleviating the cognitive and word decoding deficits is discussed.
TL;DR: Parent and teacher behavioral ratings among groups of children diagnosed as having ADD/H, ADD/WO, and LD on symptoms of impul-sivity, inattention, and social withdrawal indicated that parents and teachers view children withADD/H as more disruptive than children with ADD/wO or LD.
Abstract: Although evidence generally supports the behavioral differentiation of attention deficit disorder with hyperactivity (ADD/H) and attention deficit disorder without hyperactivity (ADD/WO), a growing body of literature suggests that children with learning disabilities (LD) share behavioral symptomatology with children diagnosed as having ADD/WO. The present study examined this issue by comparing parent and teacher behavioral ratings among groups of children diagnosed as having ADD/H, ADD/WO, and LD on symptoms of impul-sivity, inattention, and social withdrawal. The subjects were 77 outpatients in a diagnostic and referral-service clinic who were divided into three groups. Group 1 included children with a primary diagnosis of ADD/H (n = 35), Group 2 included children with a primary diagnosis of ADD/WO (n = 25), and Group 3 included children with a primary diagnosis of learning disabilities (n = 17). The results indicated that parents and teachers view children with ADD/H as more disruptive than children wit...
TL;DR: Compared to students' ratings, teachers generally underestimated the LD and nondisabled students' self-concepts, but overestimated the HA students'Self Concept Scale, demonstrating the importance of assessing multiple self- Concept domains when working with children who have learning disabilities.
Abstract: This study assessed the self-concept of students with learning disabilities (LD), comparing observer ratings and self-reports both within the LD group and across LD, nondisabled, and high-achieving (HA) classes. Using the Multidimensional Self Concept Scale (MSCS) a total of 135 students from the sixth, seventh, and eighth grades rated their self-concepts. Teachers and parents also rated the children's self-concepts using an abbreviated form of the MSCS. Compared to students' ratings, teachers generally underestimated the LD and nondisabled students' self-concepts, but overestimated the HA students' self-concepts. Parents' ratings of children with LD and HA children generally matched their children's self-reports, but the agreement between nondisabled children and their parents varied depending on the domain of self-concept. This study demonstrates the importance of assessing multiple self-concept domains when working with children who have learning disabilities.
TL;DR: Results of ANOVAs performed on posttest questionnaire and interview scores support the effectiveness of the ULD course in expanding students' knowledge base regarding their learning disabilities and teaching them to apply their self-understanding in a social context.
Abstract: This study evaluated the effectiveness of an Understanding Learning Disabilities (ULD) course designed to promote self-understanding and self-advocacy skills in young adults with learning disabilities (LD) functioning in the low-average range intellectually. Nineteen first-year students with LD at the Threshold Program at Lesley College received 15 hours of training throughout one semester. Seventeen first-year students with LD at the Para-Educator Center at New York University served as the control group. Both a paper-and-pencil questionnaire and a role-play interview were used as pre- and postassessments. Results of ANOVAs performed on posttest questionnaire and interview scores support the effectiveness of the ULD course in expanding students' knowledge base regarding their learning disabilities and teaching them to apply their self-understanding in a social context. Moreover, students' performance on the questionnaire was an effective predictor of future work adjustment 1 year later. Significant corre...
TL;DR: The effects of a criminal diversion project on recidivism rates are described for late-age adolescent defendants with learning disabilities and the importance of targeting treatments so that they are skills oriented and combine the more general needs of delinquent youth with the particular needs of adolescents withLearning disabilities is noted.
Abstract: The effects of a criminal diversion project on recidivism rates are described for late-age adolescent defendants with learning disabilities. During the 24-month study period, 73 subjects who had completed the project's requirements and received targeted psychosocial, educational, and vocational treatments were compared with regard to criminal recidivism rates with 85 subjects who did not complete the project and a matched group of 34 untreated subjects. Based on official crime statistics, subjects who had completed the project were found to have a significantly lower recidivism rate (12%) relative to noncompleters (40%) and to subjects in the matched group (38%) (p < .001) over a follow-up period of, on average, 20 months. An analysis of differences between groups on a variety of demographic and criminal justice characteristics suggests that the groups were comparable with regard to the variables assessed. Potential mechanisms contributing to the favorable outcome are noted, as is the importance of targeting treatments so that they are skills oriented and combine the more general needs of delinquent youth with the particular needs of adolescents with learning disabilities.
TL;DR: The analyses indicated that the intervention that produced the greatest effects was the one in which dialogue, social interactions, and scaffolded instruction figured prominently.
Abstract: This study compares the effectiveness of two interventions that differed in the nature of dialogic interactions among teachers and students in the reading group. One hundred nine children with mild disabilities were instructed by 35 teacher-interns in special education resource rooms. Sixty-three and 46 students, respectively, participated in the two instruction interventions. The analyses indicated that the intervention that produced the greatest effects was the one in which dialogue, social interactions, and scaffolded instruction figured prominently. Limitations and implications of the study are discussed.