bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Knowledge of Writing and the Composing Process, Attitude Toward Writing, and Self-Efficacy for Students With and Without Learning Disabilities
Authors: Graham Steve , Schwartz Shirley S. , MacArthur Charles A.
Published: December 2008

Twenty-nine seventh- and eighth-grade (21 males and 8 females) and 10 fourth- and fifth-grade (7 males and 3 females) students with learning disabilities, as well as 18 seventh- and eighth-grade (14 males and 4 females) and 11 fourth- and fifth-grade (7 males and 4 females) normally achieving students, were administered an interview designed to assess their knowledge of writing and the composing process, attitude toward writing, and self-efficacy as a writer. Students with learning disabilities were found to have less mature conceptualizations of writing than their normally achieving counterparts. Furthermore, while students with learning disabilities were generally positive about writing, they viewed it less favorably than their regular classmates. Finally, there were no differences between the two groups of students in their evaluations of their competence in either writing or carrying out the processes underlying effective composing.
Phoneme Awareness and Future Reading Ability
Authors: Mann Virginia A.
Published: December 2008

This study investigates two group-administered tests of phoneme awareness, a phoneme segmentation test and an invented spelling test. Each was given to 100 kindergarten children (48 female, 52 male), along with two tests of visual-motor ability. One year later the same children received standardized reading tests and portions of an IQ test. Scores on each test of phoneme awareness predicted between 30% and 40% of variance in first-grade reading ability. In contrast, scores on the tests of visual-motor ability bore a less systematic, less substantial relation to future reading ability.
Comparing Two Modes of Teaching a Question-Answering Strategy for Enhancing Reading Comprehension
Authors: Graham Lorraine , Wong Bernice Y.L.
Published: December 2008

This study investigated the comparative efficacy of two instructional approaches—didactic teaching and self-instructional training—in teaching average and poor readers a comprehension question-answering strategy. Forty-five average students and 45 poor readers from Grades 5 and 6 participated. These 38 girls and 52 boys were equally and randomly assigned to one of three treatment conditions: didactic teaching of the strategy, self-instruction, or control (no training). Students in the first two treatment conditions learned a mnemonic strategy (“Here,” “Hidden,” and “in my Head”) to indicate question-answer relationships that are text explicit, text implicit, or script implicit, respectively. Essentially, the 3H mnemonic cued students to use appropriate text and/or knowledge-base information in answering comprehension test questions. In addition, students in the self-instruction group learned three self-questions to guide their use of the 3H strategy. Specifically, the self-questions focused students' attention on the task, provided a basis for decision making concerning the categorization of comprehension test questions, and reminded students to check their answers. The results indicated that both didactic teaching and self-instructional training of the strategy effected significant improvements in students' reading comprehension performance. However, self-instructional training was more effective in enhancing and maintaining students' reading comprehension performance than didactic teaching. Moreover, results from the oral questionnaire indicated that the 3H strategy training increased students' general metacognitive knowledge. Lastly, of the 60 trained students, 52 wrote that they would encourage other children to leant the 3H strategy. Thus, the response to strategy learning was clearly positive.
Learning Disabilities in the United States
Authors: Moats Louisa Cook , Lyon G. Reid
Published: December 2008

This overview offers a perspective on the distinguishing characteristics, past and present, of the LD field in the United States. The discussion focuses on the complex relationships that exist among the social and political forces that have molded the field, advocacy, and research and teaching practices. It emphasizes the compelling need to establish clinical and scientific validation of LD, to preserve the hard-won achievements of advocacy.
Providing Appropriate Education for Students With Learning Disabilities in Regular Education Classrooms
Authors:   National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities
Published: December 2008

This statement was developed by the National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities (NJCLD). Representatives of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) were Rhonda S. Work, Chair; Mabel L. Rice; Stan Dublinske, ex officio. Ann L. Carey, vice president for professional and governmental affairs, was the monitoring vice president. Other member organizations of the NJCLD include the Association on Handicapped Student Services Programs in Postsecondary Education; Council for Learning Disabilities; Division for Children with Communication Disorders; Division for Learning Disabilities; International Reading Association; Learning Disabilities Association of America; National Association of School Psychologists; Orton Dyslexia Society. This statement was approved by the ASHA Legislative Council in November 1990 (LC 26-90) [see Note 1].
The Psychoeducational Characteristics of Children with Turner Syndrome
Authors: Rovet Joanne F.
Published: December 2008

Turner syndrome (TS) is a condition that affects 1 in 2,500 females due to a loss of some X chromosome material. It is characterized by a number of common physical features, including short stature, sexual infantilism, and infertility, as well as by specific learning and behavior problems. This article compares abilities, achievement, behavior, and self-esteem in 67 children with TS and 27 nonaffected controls. Results indicate selective impairments in visuospatial and memory areas and significant underachievement in arithmetic, particularly numerical ability, mental calculation, geometry, and reasoning. Learning problems, a major concern for parents, were not being satisfactorily addressed at school. Poor social competence and increased behavior problems, particularly in the area of hyperactivity, were also noted. Although self-esteem was only marginally lower, issues related to poor peer relations were most problematic.
Reexamination of Sensory Integration Treatment
Authors: Kaplan Bonnie J. , Polatajko Helene J. , Wilson Brenda N. , Faris Peter D.
Published: December 2008

Little empirical support exists for the application of sensory integration treatment (SIT) to assist children with learning problems. Treatment efficacy studies are expensive and difficult to carry out, and they have necessarily employed small samples that are inevitably heterogeneous. We have reanalyzed the efficacy of SIT by combining the data from one study involving 29 children in Alberta and a second study involving 67 children in Ontario. The results from each individual study, and now the results from the combined study, lead one to the conclusion that the therapeutic effect of SIT on children with learning deficits is not greater than other, more traditional methods of intervention.
Use of IQ Criteria for Evaluating the Uniqueness of the Learning Disability Profile
Authors: Humphries Tom , Bone Janet
Published: December 2008

Beyond predetermined Performance Scale differences, a group of 24 children with learning disabilities having a lower Verbal, higher Performance IQ profile on the WISC-R and 33 slow learners were not found to be otherwise distinguished by their individual WISC-R subtest scores or subtest scatter. The majority of children were males, white, of lower to middle socioeconomic status and ranged in age from 6 to 13 years.
Integrative Strategy Instruction: A Potential Model for Teaching Content Area Subjects to Adolescents with Learning Disabilities
Authors: Ellis Edwin S.
Published: December 2008

In part because learning strategies are often taught in isolated resource settings outside of the contexts in which students with learning disabilities are expected to apply this knowledge, generalization has been a significant challenge to educators. To address this problem, an instructional model is proposed for integrating cognitive strategy instruction and content area instruction when teaching students in content area classes. Teacher-directed instructional procedures, cooperative learning, and direct explanation and dialectical strategy instruction are integrated into four key instructional processes: orienting, framing, applying, and extending. In this model, teacher-mediated instructional devices and routines used to teach content area subjects serve as a basis for teaching students to self-mediate parallel cognitive strategies and processes. The model is discussed in terms of its theoretical and philosophical orientations as manifested in its knowledge and instructional bases. A scenario is provided that depicts a social studies teacher implementing many of the principles and methods associated with the model.
Dysrationalia
Authors: Stanovich Keith E.
Published: December 2008

The concept of selective deficit is the foundation of most conceptual definitions of learning disability. Such definitions have tended to implicate the construct of intelligence in the conceptualization of learning disability and have led to the use of IQ test scores to operationalize the notion of aptitude-achievement discrepancy. The learning disabilities field is only beginning to grapple with the implications of its reliance on the concept of psychometrically defined intelligence. For example, discrepancy-based definitions of learning disabilities guarantee that such disabilities will become more or less prevalent depending on the comprehensiveness of the set of skills assessed on IQ tests. Unlike the vernacular concept of intelligence—which is quite broad—psychometric operationalizations reflect only a thin slice of the mental domain that might be considered cognitive. Thus, it is possible that we have not exhausted the potential set of discrepancy-based disabilities. As a demonstration proof, a new discrepancy-based disability category is proposed and defended in this paper. The disability is one that may force more careful consideration of the role that intelligence plays in conceptual and operational definitions of learning disabilities.
Would You Rather Take Orders From Kirk or Spock? The Relation Between Rational Thinking and Intelligence
Authors: Sternberg Robert J.
Published: December 2008

This article considers the relation between rationality and intelligence. The article is divided into three main parts: In the first, I consider the concept of rationality and conclude that rational thinking is a part of intelligence, but not a major part. In the second, I consider Stanovich's concept of dysrationalia, and propose that an alternative concept, practical intelligence (or the lack thereof), may better accomplish the goals that Stanovich wishes to achieve with his concept. Finally, I draw some conclusions.
Brain Basis for Dyslexia
Authors: Flowers D. Lynn
Published: December 2008

Studies of brain/behavior relations in the last decade have converged to suggest a left-hemisphere functional deficit for dyslexia. The relationship is most convincing at the microscopic level, where anomalous neural organization has been associated with reading, and at the macroscopic level, where several studies find atypical hemispheric symmetry in the language-related temporal region in individuals with dyslexia. Physiological studies measuring brain function during cognitive challenge have now begun to accumulate in support of a left-hemisphere deficit in dyslexia. This article summarizes work in progress on the structure and physiological profiles of reading disability and relates the findings to core left-hemisphere language functions.
Effects of Instruction on the Decoding Skills of Children with Phonological-Processing Problems
Authors: Felton Rebecca H.
Published: December 2008

This article reviews research carried out by the Bowman Gray Learning Disabilities Project concerning the role of instruction in the acquisition of word-identification (decoding) skills in children at risk for reading disabilities. A group of 81 kindergarten children were identified as at risk for reading disabilities based on teacher assessment and weak or deficient phonological-processing skills. These children were classified as to type of phonological-processing problem (i.e., phonological awareness or retrieval of phonological information) and were randomly assigned to either a Code or Context instructional method for first and second grades. Children who received Code instruction scored higher than children receiving context instruction on a variety of reading and spelling measures at the end of first and second grades. The elements of the Code instructional program considered critical to the success of a beginning reading instruction program for children with phonological processing problems are discussed.
Subject Descriptions and Single-Subject Research
Authors: Wolery Mark , Ezell Helen K.
Published: December 2008

In this manuscript, we respond to the minimum standards for describing research subjects as proposed by the Council for Learning Disabilities (CLD) Research Committee. Three issues are raised about the standards: (a) whether justification exists for the recommended standards, (b) whether a relationship exists between the description of subjects and the probability of replication, and (c) whether all types of research require the same subject description standards. These issues are discussed, and three recommendations to investigators who use single-subject research designs are made: (1) Describe variables that control subjects' performance in baseline conditions and the contexts of that performance, (2) identify subject selection criteria, and (3) report status variables as recommended by the CLD Research Committee.
Nonverbal Learning Disabilities and Socioemotional Functioning
Authors: Little Sara S.
Published: December 2008

Over the past decade, there has been increasing interest in the use of subtyping techniques for research and treatment of learning disabilities (LD). This article presents an overview of the current literature relating to a nonverbal learning disabilities (NLD) subtype. Research on the relationship between nonverbal learning disabilities and socioemotional functioning is critically reviewed. Issues of generalizability of research outcomes, individual differences, and treatment validity are addressed. Emphasis is on findings that are most likely to have direct relevance for practitioners.
Parallels Between Math and Reading Disability
Authors: Kulak Alison G.
Published: December 2008

There is a relatively larger body of research on reading than on math disabilities. However, many research findings and theoretical issues are common to both areas of study. In this review, similarities in skill acquisition across domains are identified, and findings concerning the nature of the differences between learners with and without disabilities are discussed. Evaluating the areas of similarity and difference between reading and math disabilities may enhance our understanding of individual differences in learning abilities, and may be useful in guiding future research and theory development.
Short-Term Memory and Working Memory
Authors: Swanson H. Lee
Published: December 2008

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.
Screening for Learning Disabilities with Teacher Rating Scales
Authors: Salvesen Kjell Å. , Undheim Johan O.
Published: December 2008

The purpose of the study was to investigate the use of teacher assessments in screening for learning disabilities. In a longitudinal study, 603 children were rated by their teachers in the second grade (age 8 to 9 years), and the ratings were correlated with examinations of reading, spelling, and intelligence in the third grade. The third-grade tests for reading, spelling, and intelligence classified children into groups with low achievement and dyslexia, and these two groups were compared with normally achieving children. The accuracy of teacher assessments, measured with correlation analysis, ROC curves, and kappa indices, showed that teachers were quite accurate in their judgment of low achievement, but somewhat less efficient in their judgment of specific reading difficulties.
An Eye-Movement Analysis of the Effects of Scotopic Sensitivity Correction on Parsing and Comprehension
Authors: Fletcher James , Martinez George
Published: December 2008

Does scotopic sensitivity correction enhance parsing and, thus, comprehension? Twenty-two readers with scotopic sensitivity (X age = 20.3 yrs.; 40.9% male) parsed sentences under scotopic correction and control conditions. Measures included eye-movement indices of parsing and comprehension questions. Although eye movements suggested enhanced parsing, comprehension scores were not significantly improved with correction.
Lesson Talk as the Work of Reading Groups
Authors: Englert Carol Sue , Tarrant Kathi L. , Mariage Troy V. , Oxer Tina
Published: December 2008

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.
A Review of Learning Strategies for Adults with Learning Disabilities Preparing for the GED Exam
Authors: Westberry Susan J.
Published: December 2008

Although there is a growing body of information, materials, and instructional strategies for adults with learning disabilities receiving remedial reading instruction, the same is not available for other areas of Adult Basic Education, including remedial math, sixth- through eighth-grade-level pre-GED basic skills, and secondary subject areas in the GED curriculum. This review presents possibilities for consideration in developing instructional and testing strategies for GED students with learning disabilities. These strategies should be applicable to traditional academic content areas, cost effective for programs with limited financial resources, and appropriate for the relatively short-term instructional time frame characteristic of the Adult Basic Education setting.
Prevalence and Predictors of Substance Use
Authors: Maag John W. , Irvin Deborah M. , Reid Robert , Vasa Stanley F.
Published: December 2008

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). Tobacco and marijuana use were proportionally higher for adolescents with learning disabilities; no differences emerged for alcohol use between groups. 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. ADI scores were reliable predictors of marijuana use for students with learning disabilities and tobacco use for both groups.
Self-Concept and Children with Learning Disabilities
Authors: Montgomery Michelle S.
Published: December 2008

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.
Gender-Biased Language in Learning Disability Textbooks
Authors: Foley Teresa , Safran Stephen P.
Published: December 2008

The purpose of our study was to explore whether gender-biased language exists in two editions of popular learning disabilities (LD) textbooks by a female author and a male author. First, we examined whether gender-biased language (as measured by the frequency of gender-specific pronouns) was present in LD textbooks as a function of the author's gender and discovered that the male author exhibited approximately a 7:1 ratio in his use of masculine to feminine pronouns. In contrast, the female author demonstrated no significant difference in her use of gender-specific pronouns. Second, we investigated whether the degree of gender-biased language has changed in different editions over the past 5 years and found a significant change only in the use of neutral pronouns by the male author. The existence of gender-biased special education textbooks raises the issue of the possible influence that such material may have on professional expectations concerning students with LD. In a field in which males are placed in LD programs in disproportionate numbers, the responsibilities of both authors and publishers are discussed, as their actions may have an impact on female students' rights in accessing appropriate educational services.
The Effects of Educational Placement and Grade Level on the Self-Perceptions of Low Achievers and Students with Learning Disabilities
Authors: Butler Ruth , Marinov-Glassman Deganit
Published: December 2008

Previous studies have yielded mixed findings as to the effect of learning disabilities (LD) on self-perception. We proposed that perceived competence in children who experience learning difficulties is affected both by age trends in self-appraisal processes and by the degree to which students' salient reference group is composed primarily of similar or more competent others. Measures of perceived competence (Harter, 1982) and perceived achievement were administered to 222 Israeli students (127 boys, 95 girls) in Grades 3, 5, and 7. The sample comprised 68 children with LD attending special schools, 68 children with LD attending special classes in regular schools, and 86 nonidentified low achievers in regular classes. As expected, perceived competence was similar and high in all groups at Grade 3, but was higher among the special school group than among the special class and low achieving groups at Grade 5. The benefits of special schools were less clear at Grade 7. Implications for research methodology and educational practice are discussed.
A Critique of the Application of Sensory Integration Therapy to Children with Learning Disabilities
Authors: Hoehn Theodore P. , Baumeister Alfred A.
Published: December 2008

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.
Intraindividual Differences in Motivation and Cognition in Students With and Without Learning Disabilities
Authors: Pintrich Paul R. , Anderman Eric M. , Klobucar Cheryl
Published: December 2008

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 were formed: one with high comprehension, motivation, and metacognition (mostly children without learning disabilities); one with low levels of comprehension and metacognition but high intrinsic motivation (all children with learning disabilities); and one with low intrinsic motivation but average comprehension, metacognition, and attributional style (approximately equal numbers of children with and without learning disabilities). Implications for diagnosis and intervention for students with learning disabilities are discussed.
Exposure to Lead and Specific Attentional Problems in Schoolchildren
Authors: Minder Barbara , Das-Smaal Edith A. , J. M. Brand Eddy F. , Orlebeke Jacob F.
Published: December 2008

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.
Helping Young Adults Understand Their Learning Disabilities
Authors: Roffman Arlyn J. , Herzog Jane E. , Wershba-Gershon Pamela M.
Published: December 2008

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 correlates of ULD performance include IQ, academic achievement, and vocational functioning.
The Special/General Education Integration Initiative for Students with Specific Learning Disabilities
Authors: Houck Cherry K. , Rogers Catherine J.
Published: December 2008

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 disagree or disagreed that general education teachers were willing to make needed adaptations for students with SLD. Differences in the views expressed by the different respondent groups were examined.
Homework
Authors: Roderique Tess W. , Polloway Edward A. , Cumblad Carla , Epstein Michael H. , Bursuck William D.
Published: December 2008

Homework is a key area of concern in our nation's public schools, as well as a central element of collaboration between home and school. The purpose of the current study was to survey the policies of a national sample of school districts concerning homework. Specific foci of the survey included whether a homework policy had been instituted, if modifications were made in the policy for students with disabilities, the types of homework, the length and frequency of assignments given, and specific communication mechanisms between home and school. A total of 550 surveys were mailed, with a response rate of 48.5%. The results indicated that only 35.2% of school divisions did have a policy on homework, with 64.4% of those policies including modifications for students with disabilities. Findings in terms of frequency and amount of homework assigned, as well as home—school communication mechanisms, are highlighted. The results are discussed within the context of policy development and instructional implications.
Doing Homework
Authors: Bryan Tanis , Nelson Carol
Published: December 2008

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.
Homework Practices of General Education Teachers
Authors: Polloway Edward A. , Epstein Michael H. , Bursuck William D. , Jayanthi Madhavi , Cumblad Carla
Published: December 2008

The purpose of this study was to survey the homework practices of general education teachers who teach students with disabilities. A national sample of 441 elementary, middle, and senior high teachers were asked about their homework practices, including their use of adaptations for students with disabilities. The results highlight homework practices and adaptations that are used frequently and perceived by teachers as helpful for students with disabilities. Also discussed are the differences in practices and adaptations across elementary, middle, and high school teachers, as well as the instructional implications of the identified homework practices for students with disabilities and their general education teachers.
Making Homework Work at Home
Authors: Kay Pamela J. , Fitzgerald Martha , Paradee Carol , Mellencamp Amy
Published: December 2008

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.
Schoolwork, Homework, Life's Work
Authors: Nicholls John G. , McKenzie Marlene , Shufro Julianne
Published: December 2008

Elementary school students were interviewed about schoolwork, homework, and personal learning projects (e.g., learning about astronomy). Four groups of students were distinguished. Those in the first group experienced school knowledge as an integral part of life and inseparable from their personal projects; students in the second group saw such knowledge as necessary for preparing for life, but as less engaging than their personal projects. For those in the third group, schoolwork was an imposition, contrasting sharply with satisfying personal learning projects. Those in the fourth group lacked absorbing personal learning projects and found schoolwork to be an imposition. Students with learning disabilities (more than students without) fell into the last category. Fostering more favorable motivation and voice (ability to articulate purposes and critique schooling) in such students might involve changing their views of school knowledge, helping them find personal identity-building learning projects, and reducing the dichotomy between schoolwork and personal projects.
Practical Recommendations for Using Homework with Students with Learning Disabilities
Authors: Patton James R.
Published: December 2008

Homework is a commonly used school practice. Its importance for students with learning disabilities has increased in recent years as these students have spent more instructional time in inclusive settings where homework is regularly given and as educational reforms have influenced the amount of homework being given. The first part of the article reviews selected issues that relate to using homework with students who have been identified as learning disabled. The major part of the article highlights effective (i.e., empirically validated) and recommended (i.e., suggested in the literature or determined by field-based reports) practices for using homework with this population.
Preference for Visual Scanning Strategies Versus Phonological Rehearsal in University Students with Reading Disabilities
Authors: Shafrir Uri , Siegel Linda S.
Published: December 2008

This study investigated strategic preferences for visual scanning versus phonological rehearsal for recognizing words, pronounceable letter strings, and symbol strings by university students with reading disabilities (RD). Forty-seven subjects participated in this study: 20 students with reading disabilities who reported current difficulties in reading, as well as problems in learning to read at an early age; 15 students with learning disabilities (LD) who reported current difficulties in learning in areas other than reading but did not recall difficulties in learning to read; and 12 nondisabled readers (NR). The main dependent measures were response latency on a matching task for words, nonwords, and symbol strings, and posttest verbal reports of strategies used. Results showed that (a) most subjects in the NR group consistently used a strategy of phonological rehearsal for both words and nonwords, whereas most subjects with RD consistently used a strategy of visual scanning for these tasks, and (b) the NR group responded significantly faster than did the RD and LD groups to all three types of stimuli. The results indicate differences between university students who have a reading disability and nondisabled readers in strategic preferences for processing phonological information, with a clear preference by the former for using visual scanning rather than phonological rehearsal in matching tasks of words and nonwords.
Places of Change
Authors: Kauffman James M.
Published: December 2008

Special education is in danger of disintegration due to (a) justified criticisms of implementational failures, and (b) unjustified criticisms from reformers and detractors, mostly having to do with its conceptualization and the separate placement of some students with disabilities. Needed reforms in specialeducation include(a) constructing defensible rival philosophies, (b) improving the preparation and support of specialeducation teachers, and (c) putting educational methods on a sound scientific footing.
Testing the Automatization Deficit Hypothesis of Dyslexia Via a Dual-Task Paradigm
Authors: Yap Regina L. , Leij Aryan van der
Published: December 2008

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.
An Experiment on Cognitive Remediation of Word-Reading Difficulty
Authors: Das J. P. , Mishra Rama K. , Pool Judith E.
Published: December 2008

Cognitive remediation of decoding deficit was attempted by following a theoretically based program. The theory identifies four major cognitive processes: Planning, Attention, Simultaneous, and Successive (PASS) processing. The PASS Remedial Program (PREP) provides 10 structured tasks that are aimed at developing internalized strategies for mainly successive processes (6 tasks) and simultaneous processes (4 tasks); deficits in either of the two may lead to poor decoding. Through its “global process” training and curriculum-related “bridging” training, PREP facilitates application of internalized strategies arrived at inductively for learning word decoding and spelling; it does not provide direct teaching of rules or exercises. To test the efficacy of PREP, we divided 51 children with decoding difficulties in Grade 4 into two groups: PREP (both global and bridging) and no treatment. In the second part of the study, children from the no-treatment group received either the global or the bridging part of PREP. The relative efficacy of training was tested by pre- and posttests of performance on a standard word-decoding test (the WRMT-R), as well as on some cognitive tests (e.g., the CAS). The largest improvement in word decoding occurred for the PREP combined global and bridging treatment. The mechanism through which PREP improves word reading is discussed, as is the use of PREP for children at risk of developing dyslexia.
Parent, Teacher, Peer, and Self-Reports of the Social Competence of Students with Learning Disabilities
Authors: Haager Diane , Watson Catherine , Willows Dale M.
Published: December 2008

The social competence of students with learning disabilities (LD), low achievement (LA), and average to high achievement (AHA) was examined from the perspectives of parents, teachers, peers, and self, guided by a theoretical model of social competence (Vaughn & Hogan, 1990) that includes social skills, behavior problems, peer relations, and self-perceptions. Parent ratings of social skills did not differ significantly among achievement groups; however, for two factors of behavior problems (internalizing and hyperactivity), students with LD and LA were rated as having more problems than AHA students. Teachers perceived students with LD and LA as demonstrating poorer social skills and more behavior problems than AHA students. Peer ratings indicated that students with LD and LA were less liked by peers than were AHA students, yet only LA students received significantly higher peer rejection. Self-reports differentiated the groups on one factor: cooperation. Discussion focuses on the complexity of social competence as a construct, and explanations of the results are offered.
The Persistence of Rapid Naming Problems in Children with Reading Disabilities
Authors: Korhonen Tapio T.
Published: December 2008

In this study, 9 children (6 boys, 3 girls) with reading disabilities and specific difficulties in rapid serial naming were followed from age 9 years to age 18 years. This group was taken from an earlier study sample of 82 third-grade children with learning disabilities. Tests of rapid serial naming, reading and spelling, general intelligence, articulation speed, and word fluency were administered to the subjects and to a matched control group (n = 10) in the initial study (at age 9) and in the present follow-up study (at age 18). The results showed that difficulties in both rapid naming and reading and spelling persisted into early adulthood in this subgroup. The development of naming speed is discussed in terms of a deficit model versus a developmental lag model of learning disability.
A Comparison Between WISC-III and WISC-R Scores for Learning Disabilities Reevaluations
Authors: Lyon Mark A.
Published: December 2008

This study examined differences between Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Third Edition (WISC-III) and Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) scores for 40 students with learning disabilities (LD) at the time of their triennial reevaluations. WISC-III Full Scale, Verbal, and Performance IQs were significantly lower than comparable WISC-R IQs by approximately one-third to one-half of a standard deviation. Correlations among the IQ scores were moderate to moderately strong. Implications of these findings for LD reevaluations are discussed.
From Product to Process in Curriculum Planning
Authors: Goddard Alan
Published: December 2008

I visited California in 1989 in order to meet Mary Poplin at the Claremont Graduate School. I had been deeply impressed by her two articles that had appeared the previous year in the Journal of Learning Disabilities (Poplin, 1988a, 1988b). It is always such a pleasure to meet someone of like mind. (The meeting seemed particularly poignant in light of the fact that at that time, back in Britain, the National Curriculum was rearing its ugly head.) The work of Lous Heshusius (1982, 1989, 1991, 1992) and Richard Iano (1986, 1989, 1990) has also given me much encouragement. All three writers rightly reject “reductionism” in special education and support an alternative world view: holism.

I am very concerned about the way that Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) dominate special education in both North America and Britain. The purposes of this article are to sketch an account of the rise of IEPs in Britain, to expose some problems presented by the behavioral objectives model and its associated IEPs, to introduce an alternative model—the process model—and to show the shift from a product to a process approach in curriculum planning.
Responsible Inclusion for Students with Learning Disabilities
Authors: Vaughn Sharon , Schumm Jeanne Shay
Published: December 2008

The purpose of this article is to contrast responsible with irresponsible inclusion practices for students with learning disabilities. Guidelines for responsible inclusion are that the student and family are considered first, teachers choose to participate in inclusion classrooms, adequate resources are provided for inclusion classrooms, models are developed and implemented at the school-based level, a continuum of services is maintained, the service delivery model is evaluated continuously, and ongoing professional development is provided.