bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Area Learning Center
Authors: Huizinga Raleigh J. , Smalligan Donald H.
Published: December 2008

The concept of total child, total family and total medical/educational research is still fairly new. The idea of an area learning center which encompasses all of these factors is viable and valid. This report which was presented at the Seventh International Congress on Mental Health in London, August 1968, clearly shows that regional learning centers will be a valuable tool for those of us concerned with the social, medical and educational aspects of learning disabilities.—C.C.E.
“Personalized” Productions of 8MM Films Improve Student Motivation and Involvement
Authors: Arney V. I.
Published: December 2008

For many years the Eastman Kodak Company has been deeply involved in Special Education and Learning Disabilities. Here then is a non-commercial report of one technique which has been devised, almost by accident, to help motivate students. Probably more important than student involvement from a teaching standpoint is that the method, sound as it is, must be fun for teacher and student alike, an all too often missing “extra.”—C.C.E.
Psycholinguistic Evaluation of Children Referred For Private Consultation to a Child Psychiatrist
Authors: Battin R. , Kraft Irvin A.
Published: December 2008

A child psychiatrist had 446 children referred to him for a combination of behavioral and school performance problems. A uniformity of disorder persisted in the basic motor patterns of these children at rest and in activity.

As a part of the complete psychiatric consultation, the children were tested for achievement and reading levels. From the total of 446 children a random sample of 33 children were then studied by psycholinguistic techniques to determine whether such an evaluation should be a routine part of the child's work up.
The Tom Sawyer Phenomenon Some Comments on Why Kids Put Jam on the Cat
Authors: von Hilsheimer Reverend George
Published: December 2008

For a long time it was fashionable to blame a child's parents for his school failures, delinquency or, for that matter, any deviation from society's norms. We know now that each individual child has separate “unto-himself” genetics, constitutional and social factors which affect behavior and performance. Reverend von Hilsheimer is General Superintendent of Humanitas, a religious order specializing in community engineering, and which operates Green Valley, a residential center for “children in trouble”.—C.C.E.
Right-Left Discrimination: Systematic Reversal in Bright Children
Authors: Rice James A.
Published: December 2008

The investigation reported here sought to determine whether or not incidence within grade, sex and handedness were related to reversal in right-left discrimination in bright children and, whether or not reversal and non-reversal groups differed with respect to visual-motor skills, measures of language functioning, and measures of academic achievement.
Strictly for Teachers
Authors: Pollack Cecelia
Published: December 2008

An important behavioral feature of many minimally brain-injured children is that of catastrophic reactions to trivial stimuli. Whether this behavior stems from frustration incurred because of learning disabilities or of more direct pathoneurological etiology, it might be possible to deal with this uncontrolled behavior experimentally by conditioning procedures. The present demonstration study describes such procedures in a special classroom situation.
Learning Disabilities
Authors: Mann Philip H.
Published: December 2008

Those involved in teacher training are becoming concerned over the acute shortage of trained jersonnel in the area of learning disabilities. In order to meet the current critical need in this area, nstitutes of higher learning and school systems are going to have to train the best teachers wailable in comprehensive workshops, institutes, and other in-service programs. Special Education wograms at the college and university level, particularly, will need to re-evaluate current course fferings and include courses in learning disabilities for both regular and special class teachers.
Child With Brain Dysfunction
Authors: Schwalb Eugene
Published: December 2008

Criteria and tests used on which to base the diagnosis of Brain Dysfunction are considered. This diagnosis has neurodevelopmental and educational aspects which are related to specific classroom procedures. The practice and theory of new education and not remediation are discussed.
A Study of Learning Disorders Among Disadvantaged Children
Authors: Kappelman Murray M. , Kaplan Eugene , Ganter Robert L.
Published: December 2008

This paper illustrates a study involving disadvantaged children with significant learning disorders. Each child was studied by a multi-disciplined team of medical, psychological, hearing, language and educational specialists. The predominant underlying basis for the learning disorder proved to be a neurological handicap in over 50% of the children studied. Approximately one quarter of the children had significant emotional disturbance as the predominant cause of their inability to learn.
The ERE and the Disabled Reader
Authors: Zaslav Susan S. , Frazier Robert I.
Published: December 2008

Children, who have experienced little success in reading using conventional classroom methods, are learning to read on a computer based, multi-sensory learning system known as the “Talking Typewriter.” Reading lessons, capitalizing on the experiences and interests of the children, are presented by a “trial and success” method, in an environment where the child, not the teacher, is the central actor.
Viewpoint
Authors: Hall Nancy
Published: December 2008

… The use of the telephone as a supplement to tutoring in reading…

Time for tutoring as well as other teaching time is difficult to find. Can the phone be used to tutor reading? Yes, if the schedule, length of lesson, and frequency of lessons is taken into careful consideration by the tutor.

The student needs absolute privacy and possibly a headset to respond well to telephone tutoring.

The contents of the lessons can deal with developing auditory skills, language patterns, experience stories, and even visual skills.

The use of the telephone is far from a cure-all but it can be helpful in reading tutoring.
A Comparison of Visuo-Spatial and Visuo-Motor Memory For Designs and Their Relationship to Other Sensori-Motor and Psycholinguistic Variables
Authors: Bannatyne Alex D.
Published: December 2008

This study explores the relationships between visuo-spatial and visuo-motor memory for designs and other sensori-motor and psycholinguistic variables (ITPA). Fifty third-grade children were given a multiple choice answer (non-motor) memory for designs test, the scoring categories being correct original, mirror image, simplified design, rotated design, fragmented design, out of proportion design, complicated design and symmetrical design. These matched a similar classification of the Graham-Kendall Memory for Designs Test answers. The results tentatively indicated that the variables on the two tests could not be equated, some indicating slow visuo-spatial development while others suggested neurological dysfunction. Both these syndromes were associated with left-handedness. Rotated drawings (MFD) were associated with right-handedness, and were more frequently drawn by girls.
Behavioral Predictors of Learning Problems in the Young Child
Authors: Kiefer Roberta B.
Published: December 2008

The current interest in improving the learning potential of the culturally deprived child is to be commended. However, sight should not be lost of the many problems which have always existed and which have always been a deterrent to satisfactory learning and school progress. Some characteristics readily observable by anyone in close contact with a developing child should be evaluated for their significance as portents of future learning problems: hyper-activity, sleep disturbances, vocalization and language problems, vision, audition, motor disturbances, and emotional and behavioral problems. The primary need is for increased sensitivity on the part of all individuals in direct contact with children so that problems which can be deterrents to effective learning may be identified and treated at as early an age as possible.
Implications of Physical Education Programs for Children with Learning Disabilities
Authors: Gruber Joseph J.
Published: December 2008

Physical education and recreation should make a number of contributions to the education of handicapped children. The development of knowledge and competencies in games, dancing, hobbies, nature, and sports can improve the general functioning of the handicapped in society. Specifically, physical education and recreation programs should contribute to the child's physical development, level of recreational skills, emotional development, intellectual achievement and social competencies.
The Emotional Concomitants of the Brain-Damaged Child
Authors: Kajn J. P.
Published: December 2008

It is neither useful nor possible to entirely separate the neurophysiological from the psychological effects of minimal cerebral dysfunction. The child with minimal cerebral dysfunction perceives the world in a different fashion from the normal. There is a deviant construction of reality, both internal and external. An organism-environment non-fluency and non-congruity results. The child's special education and environmental requirements are discussed. Not infrequently the best psychotherapy for such a child is to meet his special educational requirements.
Family Patterns and the School Performance of Emotionally Disturbed Boys
Authors: Goldstein Kenneth M. , Cary Gene L. , Chorost Sherwood B. , Dalack John D.
Published: December 2008

This study examines emotional and social factors related to learning problems. Thirteen family structure variables were studied in relation to five measures of school performance in a sample of 94 boys referred for emotional and learning problems. Several variables, including socioeconomic status and parental ambitiousness for the child were related to school performance. Comparisons were made of findings obtained by univariate and multivariate correlation techniques.
Teaching Word Recognition to Disadvantaged Boys
Authors: Bruininks Robert H.
Published: December 2008

Presented here are the results of an experiment to assess whether the use of teaching approaches consistent with the auditory or visual perceptual strengths of boys considered economically disadvantaged would facilitate their ability to learn and retain a list of unknown words. The sample of 105 subjects included one group of 20 boys demonstrating visual strengths and auditory weaknesses and another group of 20 boys with the opposite perceptual pattern. Subjects were taught to recognize 15 words by a visual or sight-word approach, and another set of 15 words by an auditory or phonic teaching method. Results failed to support the predicted interaction between perceptual aptitudes and teaching methods. Findings revealed, however, a trend toward more efficient learning under the visual teaching method. Results are related to other recent studies suggesting that disadvantaged children may learn more efficiently from a visual presentation of verbal material than from an auditory teaching method.
Learning Disabilities
Authors: Rice Donald B.
Published: December 2008

A two part article which reviews the clinical diagnostic findings of a multi-disciplinary study of learning disabled students. Part II of the article relates the clinical findings to pertinent literature in the field in generating suggestions for school curriculum and program planning for such children.
Ocular Motility in Learning Disabilities
Authors: Goldberg Herman K. , Arnott William
Published: December 2008

Improving ocular motility has become a widely discussed technique of assisting children who have learning disabilities. It has been assumed that learning difficulties in some cases were due to lack of binocular coordination. This paper demonstrates that learning is done in the brain and not in the eyes and that while the Electronystagmograph does demonstrate incoordinate eye movements in children who have difficulty in reading, the experiments performed demonstrate that it is the degree of comprehension that produces the type of ocular movement and not ocular motility that determines the degree of comprehension.
Special Report
Authors: Genigar Yitzchak
Published: December 2008

Presented here is the report of one of our Advisory Board members on recent presentations made in Israel on educationally handicapped and mentally retarded children. The attendance at this conference, held about one year ago, was interdisciplinary in the largest meaning of the term—about a third of the participants were parents, a third physicians and educators, and a third social workers and administrators. As chairman of the organizing committee, Mr. Genigar was deeply involved for more than two and a half years in scores of activities and happenings related to the preparation and management of the conference. The proceedings of the Congress will be available from the League's Secretariat, 12, Rue Forestiere, Brussels 5, Belgium.
Differential Language Hehavior Patterns and Diagnostic Evaluation
Authors: Davis Bette Joe
Published: December 2008

The inability to learn to use speech effect tively may seriously impair the intellectual and social developnlent of yorrng children. While all children with severe limitations in learning verbal skills share some behaviors in corninon, careful analysis of certain other behaviors reveals par terns ow? responses that niitst be cmsidered in relathti to the specific diagriosis of "jailure to talk." Emphasis is on the diagnostic and treatment implications of difyerential language behavior patterns. The patterns of observed behaviors suggest differences in the loci and degree of damage anlong nonverbal children. These data provide valuable assistance in planning for clinical intervention.
Males: A Minority Group in the Classroom
Authors: Goldman William J. , May Anne
Published: December 2008

Studies of children with learning disabilities report the incidence is greater for boys. Biological and environmental variables, including the current role of the male and female model, are ambivalent factors in learning—particularly for the male. Getting a young male ready for learning should be an inherent aspect of continuum which uses a selected modality with prescribed reinforcements to develop the understanding of a given concept.
Genetics of Higher Level Disorder
Authors: Rossi Albert O.
Published: December 2008

Although ea4y experiences may modulate a child's potential, there is evidence that the nexus of his personality and biochemical idiosyncmcies are inherited. A careful analysis of parents' abilities and disabilities can help predict areas of educational handicap. Resented here is a discussion of some genetic factors underlying learning handicaps The author's experience has been that genetically ordained prepuberty steroid insufficiency and the subsequent impairment of protein synthesis at the level of DNA transcription is a prime basis for learning disabilities Chemotherapy in the primary grade years m y be the key to positive remedhl therapy.
A Preliminary Psycholinguistic Study of Children with Learning Disabilities
Authors: Rosenthal Joseph H.
Published: December 2008

Linguistic competence was tested and evaluated in five children who had a definitive diagnosis of minimal brain dysfunction, and in three control children whose physical, neurological, and school functions were well within normal limits. Definitive differences between the two groups were noted in sentence completion and especially in the ability to formulate sentences of negation.

Repetition was found to be a useful tool for testing linguistic competence of both normal and neurologically malfunctioning children.
Prevention, not Remediation of Infant Learning Deficits
Authors: Bensen J. F. , Clopper D. L. , Truss C. V. , Russell M. B.
Published: December 2008

Many culturally deprived children enter school with learning deficiencies. This paper suggests a way to prevent learning disabilities through a program in the schools designed to train the parent-to-be how to teach his children from infancy.
Brain Damage, Reading Disability and the Bender Gestalt Test
Authors: Koppitz Elizabeth Munsterberg
Published: December 2008

The Bender Gestalt Test should be used in the diagnosis of brain damage in children only in combination with other test data and information. By itself, the Bender Test can reveal neurological malfunctioning which may be due to many different causes; brain injury is only one of them. The Bender Test is an effective screening instrument for school beginners. Reading problems can be diagnosed with the Bender Test only if they derive in part from difficulties in visual-motor perception, but not if they are caused primarily by language disabilities or specific memory deficits.
The Concept of Body Image and the Remediation of Body Image Disorders
Authors: Blom Gaston E. , Farley Gordon K. , Guthals Carl
Published: December 2008

This article is an introduction to the concept of body image. The development of body image is discussed and an operational definition of body image is provided. Methods of assessing body image are discussed and a case example demonstrating the treatment of distortions of body image is given. This case study also serves to illustrate the complexity of problems with body image.
One to One process analysis of Learning Disability Tutorial Sessions
Authors: Banatyne Alex
Published: December 2008

The major aim of this project was to develop a research technique in order to observe, study, and process analyze the behavior of children with learning disabilities in one-to-one teacher-child tutorial situations. The purpose was to isolate those effective elements (and the non-effective elements) in the teaching process which help (or hinder) learning of the presented subject matter. These objectives were achieved by devising or adopting an array of observational procedures, team judgment categories and standards, single person statistical techniques, and pretesting and posttesting. For brevity, the overall research technique is called the “One-to-One Process Analysis System.” This is Part I of the final report o f the research project. Part II will appear in October; Part III will appear in the November issue of this publication.
Building Ego Factors through the Curriculum
Authors: Dubnoff Belle
Published: December 2008

Children in the Dubnoff School for Educational Therapy have problems ranging from neurological dysfunction and learning disabilities to mental retardation and overt psychoses. One common denominator for all of them, regardless of whether the insult to the organism is organic or psychogenic, is a deficiency in ego strength. This paper deals first with the psychological rationale operative throughout the Dubnoff School which is based on the work of ego psychologists, Erik Erikson in particular. Erikson's framework sets for us the task of a step-by-step development of ego identity. This has pointed our work in the direction of building ego strength through mastery. Multi-dimensional programs which have evolved over many years to help overcome ego deficiency are described.
IQ and the ITPA Classification versus Diagnosis
Authors: Rice James A. , Doughtie Eugene B.
Published: December 2008

There has been confusion in the field of learning disabilities regarding the invocation of low intelligence as an explanation for a reading deficiency. While there is certainly moderate correlation between measured intelligence and various measures of reading achievement, it is ill-advised to accept such a sweeping generalization. The case study described here points up this issue and supports the utilization of an educationally diagnostic instrument in addition to the usual IQ test.
A Teacher's Guide to the Detection of Emotional Disturbance in the Elementary School Child
Authors: Hammer Max
Published: December 2008

It is generally accepted that learning disorders in children are frequently related to emotional problems and that early detection of these problems is essential in dealing with them effectively. This paper presents a checklist which school personnel and consultants can use for the early detection of the emotionally disturbed child.
The Discriminatory Repertoire- the Basis Of All Learning
Authors: Kidd John W.
Published: December 2008

The dimensions of and the developmental sequence for the discriminatory repertoire necessary for learning are offered, Examples of the suggested three types of discriminatory dimensions are graphically presented.
Use of Hypnosis and Sensory Motor Stimulation To Aid Children with Learning Problems
Authors: Jampolsky Gerald G.
Published: December 2008

Data are presented which indicate that the combined use of hypnosis and sensory substitution for visual input may be beneficial to children with learning problems. Such techniques have been applied to children with the specific learning problem of number reversals. Following an initial session of hypnosis and two weeks of specific teaching procedures, five children in an experimental group had the total number of reversals reduced from an initial 10 to zero. For five children in the control group, without hypnosis or special training, number reversals increased from a total of 8 to a total of 13 over a two-week period. Neurological and psychiatric evaluation indicated that all children in both groups had learning disabilities which could be considered developmental, presumably resulting from a maturational lag of the nervous system.
Education Programing for Puplls with Neurological Based Language Disorder
Authors: Zedler Empressy E.
Published: December 2008

Fijiy nuztched pairs of otherwise normal, underachievitig pupils with neurologically based language-learning disorders were divided into two groups: an experimental group and a control group. Experimental subjects remained in regular classes in school and received individualized teaching outside of school hours from specially trained clinicians. Control subjects were enrolled in special education classes and did not receive clinical teaching after school. Half of the experimental and half of the control subjects had anticonvulsive medication prescribed by their physicians; the others did not. The groups were pre and post-tested for changes in academic achievement and mental functionihg. Experitnental groups made significantly greater gains in both variables than did the cotitrol groups. Medicated groups did not make greater gains when compared with unmedicated groups. Suchfindings suggest schools should refrain from referring such children to special educationclasses; rhey should leave them in regular classes and provide them with individualized supple
On Reporting the Findings of a Diagnostic Center
Authors: Waugh Ruth
Published: December 2008

Diagnostic reports prepared by a university clinc for children with learnign disabilities were evaluated by the teachers of these children Sisty-one percent felt the findings were applicable to instruction in the classroom. Thirty-nine percent rated the reports not pertinent to the child's educational program. Emphasis on educational deficits enchanced the usefulness of the reports. The responses were analyzed, and recommendations for improving the effectiveness of diagnostic reporting were proposed.
Language Disabilities in Men of Eminence
Authors: Thompson Lloyd J.
Published: December 2008

Strong evidence exists that some of our great men had unusual difficulty in learning certain aspects of language — particularly reading and spelling. Information on this topic obtained from biographies of these men in recorded in this article. Among the eminent names mentioned are Thomas Edison, Harvey Cushing, Woodrow Wilson, Auguste Rodin, Albert Einstein. It is anticipated that this information will provide hope and stimulation for the multitude of dyslexic children, their parents, and their teachers.
Auditory - Visual Integration in Language - Delayed Children
Authors: Holloway Gordon F.
Published: December 2008

Twelve language-delayed children with nonspecific etiologies were matched with children having normal language development for age, sex, and IQ. Measurement of auditory-visual integrative ability, visual-motor integrative ability, and perception of distorted speech revealed the two groups to be significantly different in the auditory-visual component and perception of distorted speech, but not in visual-motor integrative ability.
The Auditory Analysis Test
Authors: Rosner Jerome , Simon Dorothea P.
Published: December 2008

A new test for auditory perception, the Auditory Analysis Test, was given to 284 children in kindergarten through grade 6. The instrument, consisting of 40 items, asks the testee to repeat a spoken word, then to repeat it again without certain specified phonemic elements - such as a beginning, ending or medially-positioned consonant sound. Seven categories of item difficulty were proposed. Test results varied, both within and between class groups. Performance tended to improve with age and grade placement. Pearson Product-Moment Correlations of individual AAT scores with Stanford Achievement Test reading scores yielded significant relationships (p<.01) ranging from .53 (grade 1) to .84 (grade 3). Analysis of errors supported the validity of test item difficulty and provided direction for the design of a treatment approach to auditory perceptual dysfunction.
Learning Disabled Children as Behavior Modifiers
Authors: Drass Sarah D. , Jones Reginald L.
Published: December 2008

Three learning disabled children were taught to apply principles of behavior modification to school-related problems of their schcolmates. The results revealed that the tutors were able to modify problems of capital letter recognition, the beginning of an assignment, and the completion of an assignment. According to teacher reports, the modified behavior carried over into the classroom. Several suggestions are offered for further work in this area.
Cerebral Stimulants for Children with Learning Disorders
Authors: Comly Hunter H.
Published: December 2008

Inadequate newspaper reporting of medication usage in Omaha school children, scare headlines, adroitly misleading editorials, and overemphasis on hyperactivity prompted this reporting of two careful studies of the effects of cerebral stimulants on M.B.D. children. Forty children were rated twice weekly by their classroom teacher on the Fels Rating Scale for six weeks. A double blind placebo method proved that dextro-amphetamine significantly (P < .001) improved their classroom behavior. Using a questionnaire, parents of 197 children taking cerebral stimulants reported details of symptom and trait changes brought about by cerebral stimulants. This work plus subsequent clinical experience suggests that with certain precautions, it is safe to employ these chemical aids for a year or more, if necessary. No habituation to cerebral stimulants has been encountered in any school-aged child by the author in 25 years of clinical experience. These drugs may ameliorate listening ability, over-excitability, forgetfulness, and peer relationships as much as “overactivity.” As such, psychcpharmaceuticals are not chemical strait-jackets and may be compared with eyeglasses or other necessary prosthetic devices which enable more normal functioning.
The Relationship between Ability to Read and the Meaning and Expression of Emotion
Authors: Farmer Cornelia Reynolds , Garfield Sol L.
Published: December 2008

Two carefully matched groups of institutionalized lower-class boys, differing only in reading level, were compared on several measures of emotional meaning and expression. Although some previous findings suggested possible differences in the two groups, no relationship was found between these measures and ability to read. The implications of these findings are discussed, both with reference to previous published reports and in terms of the need for future research.
Stressful School Work
Authors: Piggott Leonard R. , Kempler Hyman L. , Borja Carlos Perez , Tigay Barry I. , Cutler Charles
Published: December 2008

An 11-year old girl with a nonspecific EEG abnormality and a mild dyscalculia was tested on five separate occasions. Testing consisted of EEG monitoring while she performed five separate tasks as follows: (1) rest; (2) key pressing; (3) a learning task; (4) arithmetic; (5) easy reading. The results demonstrated significantly greater EEG discharge activity when she was working on either the arithmetic or the learning tasks than when she was involved with any of the other tasks. Questions raised are whether this child is representative of a group of school children who may show EEG disorganization under stress, and whether sub-clinical EEG disorganization may have an effect on the child's school functioning and behavior.
Short-term Memory and Cross-modal Information Processing in Autistic Children
Authors: Bryson Carolyn Q.
Published: December 2008

The short-term memory and cross-modal information processing capacities of seven autistic/schizophrenic children were tested with visual-visual and auditory-visual matching and sequencing tasks presented under three conditions: (1) simultaneous, (2) successive, and (3) delayed presentation. Although there were large individual differences in the patterning of intact functions, most of the children showed severe visual-visual short-term memory deficits and several children were unable to make cross-modal associations between auditory and visual stimuli. The results suggest that perceptual disabilities rather than emotional disturbance may underly the delayed intellectual and language development of psychotic children and may contribute to the development of bizarre behavior patterns.
A Comparison of Two Tests of Visual-Sequential Memory Ability
Authors: Paletz Merrill D. , Hirshoren Alfred
Published: December 2008

Two tests of visual-sequential memory ability, the Visual-Sequential Memory subtest of the revised Illinois Test of Psycholinguistic Abilities, and the Knox Cube Test, were administered to 24 children (12 boys and 12 girls) in kindergarten, second, fourth, and sixth grade. The data indicate that these two tests measure different aspects of visual-sequential memory ability.
Practical Programs, Materials and Techniques
Authors: Bannatyne Alex
Published: December 2008

This is the first of a continuing series of papers featuring practical programs, materials and techniques for use with learning disability children in classroom, center or clinic. The comments are my own, unless otherwise indicated, and usually they are the result of trying out the devices, programs or ideas at the Bannatyne Center with learning disability children. Authors, publishers and manufacturers are invited to send papers, practical programs, techniques and equipment for review directly to Dr. Alex Bannatyne, Bannatyne Children's Learning Center, 6950 N. Kendall Drive, Miami, Florida 33156. If manuscripts or materials are to be returned to the sender, include return postage.
Electrodermol and Cardiovascular Responses in Nonreaders
Authors: Hunter Edna J. , Johnson Laverne C. , Keefe F. Barry
Published: December 2008

Autonomic response patterns of 20 male nonreaders, ranging in age from 7 years 11 months to 11 years 4 months, were compared with those of 20 matched controls. Analyses were made of the onset orienting response, the offset orienting response and anticipatory response as measured for heart rate, finger pulse and electrodermal pheonomena (skin potential and skin resistance). Nonreaders had lower mean skin conductance levels across trials, greater amplitude of skin resistance response to a novel stimulus (75 decibel tone), fewer electrodermal offset responses, fewer negative and diphasic skin potential responses, fewer electrodermal and heart rate anticipatory responses, slower motor reaction times, and a higher degree of sinus arrhythmia. All these differences between the groups were statistically significant. Habituation of the electrodermal, finger pulse, and heart rate onset responses did not differ, and no difference was found between groups as to the magnitude or shape of the heart rate onset response. Both groups showed decreasing skin conductance levels with increasing heart rate levels over trials. Data suggest nonreaders were physiologically less mature, unable to maintain a constant attentional level, and slower in “simple” learning than their matched controls.
The “Sesame Street” Challenge
Authors: Hamre Curtis E. , Speas Susan
Published: December 2008

Considering the success of the children's television program, “Sesame Street,” the authors suggest that it may be feasible to program language stimulation activities in a similar manner. A challenge to the field of learning disabilities is presented in terms of (1) investigating the need for such a program, (2) arriving at the most beneficial approach to language stimulation, and (3) recommending a course of action.
Is your Child Ready for School?
Authors: Behrmann Polly
Published: December 2008

Presented here a list of questions and suggestions for all those concerned with young children, pertaining to the child's preparedness to function in his school situation. These questions deal with factors other than the “3 Rs”: specifically, comfort, nutrition, clothing, sense of time, etc.
Helping Parents of Children with Learning Disabilities
Authors: Adamson William C.
Published: December 2008

This article attempts to spell out a three dimensional approach to helping parents of children with learning disabilities: (1) educative counseling, (2) interpretive counseling, and (3) habilitatiw involvement of parents. Such an approach has been effectiw with parents regardless of the nature and degree of their neurotic problems, or their lewl of psychological sophistication. The method is adaptable to individual casewrk or group parent counseling. Family therapy counselors can also use much of the content as elaborated on in the article.
How Adequate Is The Concept of Perceptual Deficit for Education?
Authors: Zach Lillian , Kaufman Judith
Published: December 2008

This study was prompted by concern as to the validity of current procedures for identifying the perceptually deficient child, for providing him training in perceptual skills and for understanding the concept of perceptual deficiency. Seventy children (41 boys, 29 girls) of kindergarten age from the lower socioeconomic classes were studied. Thirty-five children were administered the Bender Visual Motor Gestalt Test and were then required to perform a discrimination task using these same forms. For the other 35 subjects, these tasks were performed in reverse order. Results showed that performance on one task was not related to performance on the other. It was possible for a child to discriminate forms well and still obtain a score on the Bender which indicated “perceptual” difficulties and vice versa. It would be highly questionable to subject a child, labeled as having perceptual problems, to remedial tasks requiring visual discrimination in the service of perceptual training if, in fact, he can perform this kind of task quite well. The authors discuss both the validity and the educational usefulness of perceptual deficit as a global concept and suggest that labeling of this kind may impede our understanding of the child's problem.
Clinical Syndromes in Learning Disabilities
Authors: Denckla Martha Bridge
Published: December 2008

A neurologist presents the argument that we have passed the stage of assigning the adjectives “organic” or “neurophysiological” to a child's learning disabilities syndrome. The variety of separate syndromes which in fact present themselves to the clinician belies any unitary statement about the child with minimal brain dysfunction. Three of these syndromes are described. Greater precision in syndrome-description, utilizing the combined strengths of neurology and psychology, is seen as a prerequisite for discovering causes, prognosis, and treatment of learning disabilities.
Genetic and Psychodynamic Aspects of Developmental Dyslexia
Authors: Thomas Hugh B.G.
Published: December 2008

This paper sets out to providc a theoretical approach to cognitive functions and their acquisition, and includes discussion of brain damage, heredity, and family environment as factors in the genesis of dyslexia. The presence of “noise,” not only in the brain itself, but also in the input data which it has to process, implies that inference must play an important part in many psychological processes; language acquisition in particular appears to be one type of pattern-detection process involving inference. Whenever inferential procedures are used, standards of inference must be adopted. A method of estimating the standard (D) adopted by an individual on a given occasion, in a recognition-learning situation, is described and explained. If a child habitually adopted excessively lax or stringent standards in all matters or in specific areas of cognitive growth such as language or reading acquisition, this overconfident or overcautious attitude would have deleterious effects. It is shown that in 33 families attending a dyslexia clinic, a much higher proportion of the children than of their fathers or mothers had abnormally high or low D values by comparison with normal young adult students.
Criterion-Reference Measurement
Authors: Proger Barton B. , Mann Lester
Published: December 2008

For the learning disabled, individualization of instruction is of primary importance. Traditionally, individualized prescriptions for the learning disabled child have relied upon evaluation of the deficient and intact “processes” of the child, using standardized, or norm-re ferenced, measurement techniques (NRM). Educational prescriptions have then been posited on the basis of such intensive but traditional psychological evaluations. However, for the continuous (not once-anddone) and frequently occurring assessment of a child's educational progress, the relatively new system of measurement methodology known as criterion-referenced measurement (CRM) is more useful, Because the CRM trend is far too often neglected for special education in general and for the learning disabled in particular, this paper discusses three existing CR M systems, provides guidelines for building one 3 own CRM systems, and summarizes the advantages and difficulties of CRM for children with learning disabilities.
Prismatic Adaptation and Visuo-Motor Skils in Children with Learning Disabilities
Authors: Netley C.
Published: December 2008

Two groups of children, both presenting difficulties in academic achievement, but one with and one without visuomotor impairments, were assessed. The purpose of the study was to determine whether poor drawing ability was related to any of the following: disorders of perceptual analysis, disorders of motor or executive skills, disorders of perception or motor integration. A guessing-game technique involving the serial analysis of a visual array, was given to measure the perceptual competence of a child. Motor skills were assessed by a simple motor test which did not depend on visual input. Perceptual-motor integration was explored through the use of prismatically induced visual distortion. The results were interpreted to indicate that the child who draws poorly is characterized by disorders of perceptual analysis and visuomotor integration.
A Community Approach to Specific School Learning Disabilities: The Omaha STAAR Project
Authors: Oberst Byron B.
Published: December 2008

This paper outlines a program designed to help the educational, medical, and parent sectors of the greater Omaha area to better understand the problems of specific learning disabilities and the minimal brain dysfunction syndrome. The evolution of the project and its various components are described. The program is presented as a series of guidelines for other communities interested in dealing with the multifaceted needs of children with these problems, guidelines which may enable a community to avoid some obstacles and pitfalls in implementing such a program. The Omaha Project is in its fourth year, is gaining momentum rapidly, and is spreading statewide. Improved attitudes and a better spirit of cooperation between the educational, medical, and parent sectors of the community are increasingly evident.
Temperament and Child Development
Authors: Brown George W.
Published: December 2008

"Temperament" means the individual patterns of behavioral style of the child i.e., develop-mental traits somewhat different from intelli-gence, language, perceptual ability, and related "cognitive" capacities and functions. Tempera-ment differences among children are often totally attributed to faulty child rearing, neg-lect, emotional turmoil, or other environmental or cultural influences. This essay is presented to encourage consideration of some biological, innate contributions to temperament qualities and traits.
Binocularity and Reading
Authors: Brod Nathan , Hamilton David
Published: December 2008

A relationship between binocularity and read-ing was developed in terms of the recognition function in reading. A sample of 162 fifth grade students in a parochial school were divided into good, average, and poor readers on the basis of a standardized reading test. All subjects were given an oral reading test under a control condition and two conditions of binocular disturbance. The two experimental conditions differed in the location of an aniseikonic lens, one on the right eye the other on the left. Change in the number of errors from the control condition was used as a measure of disturbance of reading performance. The results offered evidence for a relationship between binocular instabilities and reading performance.
Articulatory Deviances and Social-Class Membership
Authors: Adler Sol
Published: December 2008

Social class membership criteria are utilized to compare articulatory deviances as derived from an established screening test. Implications of these comparisons are noted.
Learning Modality and Word Recognition of First Grade Children
Authors: Ringler Lenore H. , Smith Inez L.
Published: December 2008

This study investigated the relationships between learning modalities and word recognition of first-grade children. The learning modality—auditory, visual, or kinesthetic—of 106 children was identified. Subjects within each modality were then randomly assigned to one of four experimental groups and a control group. The treatment groups were presented with word recognition tasks that were differentiated by modality emphasis. Each of the four treatment groups differed significantly from the control group on the criterion word recognition meausre but not significantly from each other. There were no significant differences among the groups when the subjects were categorized by modality preference; and there was no significant difference between the like treatment-modality preference group and the unlike treatment-modality preference group. Results of this study, which were not conclusive, did indicate that learning modalities can be differentiated and that further research in matching prescriptive teaching to diagnostic findings is needed.
Programs, Materials and Techniques
Authors: Bannatyne Alex
Published: December 2008

MASTER is a series of workbooks designed to help teach learning disability children basic arithmetic skills but it assumes at least a beginning second grade knowledge of math. Following this is a set of manuals on remedial activities from the Educational Services Center, Glens Falls, N. Y. In a field allied to the MASTER program (there is evidence that spatial ability underlies mathematical skills) is the book of Tangrams which contains 330 spatial problems. They are both valuable for training children as well as for motivating them. The Reading Readiness Program and Animal Stories are filmstrips (and in the latter instance, cassettes) which hold a lot of potential for future development. The readiness program can serve as a very good visual discrimination training series. Carrascolendas is a TV series designed with the special difficulties of Spanishspeaking children in mind. Please continue to send me novel programs and matcrials you'd like to share with other learning disability teachers. Mail them to Dr. Alex Bannatyne, Bannatyne Children's Learning Center, 6950 N. Kendall Drive, Miami, Fla. 33156.
Programs, Materials and Techniques
Authors: Bannatyne Alex
Published: December 2008

The theme this month concerns pleasurable games and activities. This may seem to contradict the findings of the distinguished team of writers and investigators in the excellent report entitledNot All Little Wagons Are Red. Their main conclusion for successfully educating preschool exceptional children is to teach them exactly the academic subject you wish them to learn. However, there is no reason why straight academic content cannot sometimes be served more palatably in the form of games. Sentence Builders is an excellent game for older children which teaches parts of speech and syntax very effectively. Deal Me In suggests many ways of using playing cards in the classroom, whileTwo Hundred Plus Art Ideas for Teachers will prove valuable to teachers who consider the development of spatial skills to be as important as the verbal. Our own interest in the relationship of body image with communication was stimulated by the motor programLearning To Move and Moving To Learn. The idea of using the movements of aquatic animals is ingenious. Books and programs on mathematics are always welcome, especially ones which provide an entertaining format and a wealth of supplementary materials.Arithmetic Instructional Activities are designed to supplement basic math programs with additional practice in addition, subtraction, multiplication, divisional fractions. My own contribution this month proposes a new spatial hypothesis for the reversals of words (not the mirror imaging of graphemes). I hope it intrigues some research worker to test it out. — A.B.
A Follow up Study of Psychoeducational Evaluations Sent to Schools
Authors: Pope Lillie , Haklay Abraham
Published: December 2008

Communication between clinic and school has traditionally been weak. In an attempt to bridge this gap, the Psycho-Educational Center of Coney Island Hospital has prepared prescriptive psychoeducational evaluations of each child referred. In an attempt to determine whether these evaluations are helpful in reeducating children with learning disabilities, teachers and guidance counselors were asked to evaluate the reports sent to them over a six-month period. Response to the questionnaire was positive; analysis of the responses indicates that the psychoeducational evaluations were considered helpful. Specific recommendations for ways to increase the value of these reports are given.
Learning Options
Authors: Tonra Robert M.
Published: December 2008

Even at the college level, reading is not the only learning option open for students. There is evidence that, if given the opportunity, they will choose the option most comfortable to them. Newer technologies permit multi-modal learning and these are cost-effective if the program is continued over time. Technical and procedural modification is a must in a multimedia program — even conditions under which tests are given can be modified for poor readers. In terms of time spent on course development, the challenge to the teacher is formidable, but there are compensations — e.g., student achievement and satisfaction, increasing course enrollment, and so forth.
A Review of Measures of Lateralized Cerebral Hemispheric Functions
Authors: McNeil Malcom R. , Hamre C. E.
Published: December 2008

Due to renewed interest in lateralized cerebral hemispheric functions (cerebral dominance), the authors review the history and current status of six areas of inquiry relevant to this topic: (1) Autopsy Studies, (2) Handedness Correlates, (3) Cortico-anatomical Techniques, (4) Intracarotid Sodium Amytal Technique, (5) Dichotic Techniques, and (6) Dichoptic Techniques. The final two categories are of particular interest because of the potential they offer for clarifying key issues pertinent to the nature and remediation of language and learning disabilities.