bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Interrelationship of Perceptual - Motor Achievement, Academic Achievement & Intelligence of Fourth Grade Children
Authors: Skubic Vera , Anderson Marian
Published: December 2008

The relationship of perceptual-motor achievement, academic achievement, and intclligence was investigated. Eighty-six fourth grade boys and girls of normal intelligence were studied. On the basis of performance on the Stanford Achievement Test (SAT), 41 pupils were designated as low achievers and 45 were designated as high achievers. The California Test of Mental Maturity (CTMM) and a perceptualmotor battery consisting of 11 tests were also administered to the children.

Scores on the perceptual-motor battery for all children correlated significantly with their CTMM and SAT scores. The combined group of male and female high achievers performed significantly better than the low achiever group on all subtests of the CTMM including IQ. They also scored significantly better on six of the 11 perceptual-motor tests. On the remaining five tests, no differences were noted.
Seriation Actions in Preschool Children
Authors: Holowinsky Ivan Z.
Published: December 2008

This is a review of the study on “The Role of Teaching in the Formation of Seriation Actions in Preschool Children,” which appeared in the official publication of the Academy of Pedagogical Sciences of the U.S.S.R. The study suggests future research concerning cross-cultural applicability of Piaget's developmental sequence.
Emotional and Organic Characteristics in Drawings of Deficient Readers
Authors: Stavrianos Bertha K.
Published: December 2008

Characteristics of House-Tree-Person drawings were compared for problem-free, good readers, deficient readers with primary emotional problems, and two groups with specific reading deficit: perceptual-motor difficulties with and without neurological symptoms. Characteristics were scored for five emotional reaction patterns and an organic pattern. Specific reading deficit groups exhibited fewer normal and more withdrawn, constricted, dependent, and organic patterns than good readers, with greatest differences among the younger boys of average intelligence and with neurological involvement. Boys with emotionally based deficit differed from good readers only with respect to lower normal scores for younger boys, and intellectual level was unrelated to reaction patterns. Percentages of correct discriminations based on composite drawing scores suggested that projective test data can aid in differential diagnosis of reading deficit in advantaged boys, particularly in the earliest school years.
Implications for the Education of Children with Emotional and Social Disturbances
Authors: Weissmann Herbert N.
Published: December 2008

Discussed in this paper are the factors involved in the education of children with emotional and social disturbances. The roles of the school, the program, and particularly the teacher are emphasized. Criteria for identifying such children are suggested. The personality of the child with an emotional disturbance is discussed as are the implications of differential diagnosis for instruction.
An Evaluation of a New Approach in Dealing with High School Underachievement
Authors: Tolor Alexander
Published: December 2008

This study employed a method for improving the performance of underachievers that focused on a specific personality variable—namely, the internal versus external expectancy of how reinforcement is controlled. It was hypothesized that high school underachievers will perceive their successes or failures to be contingent on factors outside their control more so than normal achievers, and that underachievers will demonstrate academic improvement as indicated by grades if they learn to expect reinforcement to be due to their own behavior. In the first part of this study, 512 normal achievers were compared on Rotter's internal-external (I-E) scale with 179 underachievers. In the second part, high school underachievers who also scored high in externality were randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups: tutorial, study skill improvement, or computer. The computer group procedure was intended to maximize the expectancy of internal control by providing immediate reinforcement for each response. Underachieving seniors showed a near significantly greater externality than normal achievers. None of the experimental procedures produced significant changes in grades given to indicate academic performance levels.
Helping the Learning Disabled Through Existing Community Services
Authors: Riclmrds Hvritm E. , Fowler Rohert M. , Wyoming Casper
Published: December 2008

A significant number of public school children have learning disabilities. Helping them requires proper diagnosis and remediation ideally involving an established team of specialists. Most communities are not this advanced in providing services for the learning disabled. However, there are existing professional services within almost all school districts which can provide significant help for these children if cooperation is established among the different professions.
Classification of Hearing Impaired Children in the Classroom
Authors: Jones M. Carolyn , Byers Vincent W.
Published: December 2008

Hearing impairments are assumed to present difficulties for academic learning in the normal manner. However, the assessment of psycholinguistic skills seems to indicate that hearing impaired children achieve similar academic performance levels by individualistic modes. Since these children show a variety of methods of compensating for hearing impairment, factors other than the input channel deficit must be evaluated before any definitive statement can be made about the child's ability to function in the classroom. A classification model with four prototypes is proposed for the hearing impaired child in the classroom. The tentative classification is based upon a test battery which places greater reliance on assessing skills basic to academic success rather than on the extent of the hearing loss. The evaluation profile specifies the remedial program.
On Resarch in Visual Traning and Reading Disability
Authors: Krippner Stanley
Published: December 2008

The role of visual training in correcting reading disability is a controversial one. Few controlled studies have appeared in the literature and a great deal of semantic obscurity clouds the issue. Communication among professional workers is critically needed in this field. At he present time, ophthalmologists and optometrists too often og their separate ways, each profession refussing to admit that the other has something worthwhile to offer the disabled reader. Suggestions are given which may alleviate some of the problems that currently exist in this area.
Memory and Attention Factors in Specific Learning Disabilities
Authors: Senf Gerald M. , Freundl Pamela C.
Published: December 2008

In previous research, children with inadequate reading skills were found to be particularly deficient in recalling three visual items followed by three auditory items (modality recall) when the items were presented rapidly as three audiovisual pairs of simultaneous, discrepant items. When required to recall the three itempairs in their actual order of arrival, however, the disabled readers were as successful as the normal controls. In the present experiment, we assessed (a) whether these effects could be replicated in another learning disabled sample possessing very different sociocultural features, and (b) whether the modality recall deficiency, if replicated, could be explained by sensory masking resulting from the simultaneous display of the auditory and visual signals. The results of previous work were highly replicable: learning disabled children could generally recall the items in their actual order of arrival as well as the normal control group but, as before, were highly deficient in recalling the items in two modality sets. The modality recall deficiency was not attenuated when the items were staggered, thus eliminating the simultaneous audiovisual presentation and the possibility of sensory masking. Higher-order cognitive processes were implicated as bases for the deficient modality recall performance. Auditory distraction, auditory dominance, deficient visual information processing, and deficient information-organization processes were cited as possible sources of the deficient modality recall and, by implication, as bases for the reading disability.
The Role of the Learning Disability Specialist in Educating Emotionally Disturbed Children
Authors: Aylward John L.
Published: December 2008

The article describes the various functions of a learning disability specialist in a day school program for emotionally disturbed children. The importance of a differential diagnosis to evaluate need primacy and types of specific learning difficulties and behavioral characteristics are discussed. Consideration is given to the work done with the teachers and the parents by the interdisciplinary team.
The Social Control of Learning Disabilities
Authors: Auerbach Aaron G.
Published: December 2008

A new approach, the social control of learning disabilities, argues that the child's disability affects mainly his parents and then teachers, school officials, and professionals in such a way that their activities to help him are thwarted by the same complex of symptoms as those of the child's disability. The symptoms of failure, anxiety, hyperactivity, distractibility, rigidity, and emotional lability are examined from this perspective and specific patterns of controlling these symptoms are suggested.
Children with Specific Learning Disabilities
Authors: Ackerman Peggy T. , Peters John E. , Dykman Roscoe A.
Published: December 2008

The Bender Visual-Motor Gestalt Test protocols of 82 elementary school boys with learning disabilities were scored for developmental errors using the Koppitz system. Sixty-seven % of the children with learning disabilites (CLD), as compared with only 44% of a group of 34 controls, made more errors than the mean for children of equivalent ages in Koppitz's normative sample. Whereas controls with below average Bender scores were no different from controls with adequate Bender scores on any WISC subtest, CLD with subaverage Benders scored significantly lower on Information, Arithmetic, Picture Completion, Block Design, and Mazes than CLD with adequate protocols. Lower WISC IQs were coupled with poor Bender reproductions in 45% of CLD but in only 21% of the controls. The CLD with classical neurological signs did not have a reliably higher incidence of poor Bender scores than the CLD without classical signs.
An Objective Instrument for Assessing Hyperkinesis in Children
Authors: Davids Anthony
Published: December 2008

The background, development, and preliminary appraisal of rating scales for assessing characteristics of the hyperkinetic syndrome are presented. The main purpose of this report is to make the instrument available to other investigators who are conducting studies on the diagnosis and treatment of hyperkinesis.
An Educator's View of Medication and Classroom Behavior
Authors: Novack Harry S.
Published: December 2008

Classroom teachers have two tasks to perform in assisting the proper use of drug therapy on hyperactive children. The first is to supply objective observations on the effectiveness of the medication in controlling classroom behavior. The second is to develop teaching strategies for the children who are unable to benefit from medication. Proper teacher training in behavior control techniques will make it possible for many children to learn with a minimum of medication to effect behavior change.
Long-Term Managment and Some Follow-Up
Authors: Laufer Maurice W.
Published: December 2008

This paper on the symptom picture called “hyperkinetic impluse disorder” and its effect upon learning and behavior in childern and adolescents. Clinical experience hasd indicated that there may be a specific, beneficial, controlling effect from the use of psychic energinzers and cereberal stimulants, all characterized by causing an increase in available norepinephrine at cell surfaces in the central nervous system. it has also been found that the symptom picture may be worsened by medications which reduce the the level of available norepinphrine at cell surfaces. The medications in use of are quite potent ones and concerns as to how they may best be administered are discussed. Possible side effects and long term outcomes of their use are described. A method is given for determining proper dosage, lisiting and controlling side effects. other concurrent necessary kinds of help are described. Means of recongnizing the eventual outgrwoing of the hyperkinetic impluse disorder are indicated. Last, results of a follow-up study are presented: a group of private patients were followed up for varying periods after medication had been terminated. The study show the current levels of functioning and presence or absence of persistinig toxix effect from long-term use of these medications.
New Scales for the Assessment of Language Development in Young Children
Authors: Reynell Joan , Huntley R. M. C.
Published: December 2008

The Reynell Developmental Language Scales (R.D.L.S.) were developed in response to a clinical need at a center for handicapped children. They are designed for the separate assessment of different aspects of language development over the age range one to five years. The scales are based on the normal pattern of language development. They were developed with handicapped children and then standardized on a sample of 636 non-handicapped children in southeast England. Three scales are described; Verbal Comprehension A, which requires no speech; Verbal Comprehension B, which requires neither speech nor hand function; and Expressive Language, which includes separate sections on language structure, vocabulary, and content.
Approaching Cooperative Research in Learning Disabilities through Psycholinguistics
Authors: Whitcraft Carol J.
Published: December 2008

Perplexities in communication, diagnosis, remediation and terminology have created gaps between and within the disciplines concerned with the problems of children with learning disabilities. This paper describes initial steps toward the development of bridges between education, psycholinguistic and neurological research. Different approaches to cooperative research and interdisciplinary communication are suggested.
Auditory Discrimination Ability in Negro Dialect-Speaking Children
Authors: Gottesman Ruth L.
Published: December 2008

Three groups of 40 first grade boys – Negro dialect-speaking, Negro standard English-speaking, and white standard English-speaking – were given an auditory discrimination test. The test was composed of two kinds of word pairs: (1) those pairs pronounced as homonyms in Negro dialect but as contrasting words in standard English, and (2) those pairs pronounced as contrasting words by all subjects. The word pairs were presented on tape by both Negro dialect and standard English speakers. The purpose of the study was to examine whether differences existed in auditory discrimination ability between the Negro dialect-speaking and the standard English-speaking boys. Results indicate that there were no significant group differences in auditory discrimination performance on those word pairs which could be commonly differentiated in the speech of all subjects. However, both groups of standard English-speaking children scored significantly higher than the group of Negro dialect-speaking children on those word pairs pronounced as homonyms in Negro dialect when they were presented contrastingly by standard English speakers.
Educational Rhythmics
Authors: Robbins Ferris , Robins Jennet
Published: December 2008

For readers who are not acquainted with Educational Rhythmics, we present a glimpse of the work of Ferris and Jennet Robins, two of our international Advisory Board members.
Psychotherapy and Learning Therapy in the Special School
Authors: Waldman Marvin
Published: December 2008

The child who is experiencing severe learning disability will receive his greatest help through services provided in the school. Children learn best from those people who are sensitive to both their ego needs and their academic problems. In a psychologically oriented school program it is important to differentiate the roles of psychotherapist and learning therapist. The latter is represented by the teacher who brings to his role a grasp of psychodynamics, an understanding of child development, and sufficient clinical sophistication to enhance his teaching and relationship effectiveness. The psychotherapist in the school situation supports the learning therapist, aids in crisis intervention, and generally attempts to establish an emotional climate in the school conducent to helping the child function more effectively.
Practical Programs, Materials and Techniques
Authors: Bannatyne Alex
Published: December 2008

Many practical books, programs and materials have been received over the last two months and it has been encouraging to find so many useful items available. In the short time available it has not been possible to evaluate them on any extensive basis therefore I can offer only concise descriptions with an occasional comment here and there.
Perceptual-Motor Abilities and Reversal Errors in Children's Handwriting
Authors: Chapman L. J. , Wedell K.
Published: December 2008

A group of 7½-to-8½-year-old children who made persistent reversal errors in handwriting were identified in the course of a previous survey. The performance of this group of children on a variety of perceptual-motor measures was compared with that of a matched control group of children who made no reversal errors. The children in the “reverser” group were found to have a significantly poorer performance than those in the “nonreverser” group on only a few of the measures. The ways in which levels of perceptual-motor skill may affect handwriting achievement are discussed in the light of these findings.
Field Dependence, Impulsivity, and Learning Disabilities
Authors: Keogh Barbara K. , Donlon Genevieve McG.
Published: December 2008

Twenty-seven boys with serious learning and behavioral disorders and 25 boys with moderate learning problems were evaluated in terms of constructs of “field dependence-independence” and “reflection-impulsivity” using a portable rod and frame test, a pattern walking test, and the Matching Familiar Figures Test. Compared to available normative data for normal-achieving children, LD boys were found to be highly field dependent; extreme LD boys were also impulsive. Field dependence associated with rapid response rate appears incompatible with success in most educational tasks. Analysis of children's perceptual and cognitive styles is proposed as a tentative but promising approach to understanding the educational problems of LD children.
Dialectal Differences and Learning Disorders
Authors: Adler Sol
Published: December 2008

Sufficient information has accumulated to indicate that there is frequently a positive relationship between functional mental retardation and linguistic conflicts where speakers use standard English and auditors use nonstandard English. In order to negate the effects of this relationship, phonological, grammatical, and lexical interferences must be reduced between subculturally different teachers or clinicians and children. Ear training methodologies are suggested that provide for auditory contrastive analysis or bidialectal teaching. The inappropriateness of conventional auditory discrimination testing and training programs is discussed.
The Vane Kindergarten Test as a Predictor of First Grade Achievement
Authors: McKnab Paul A. , Fine Marvin J.
Published: December 2008

If children with potential learning difficulties could be identified at an early age, they could be placed in an appropriate developmental or remedial program which could help prevent some serious problems and academic failures in later grades. But while the early identification of children with potential learning difficulties is desirable, there are few generally accepted techniques or methods available with which to detect the problems. The purpose of this study was to determine if a relatively new test, the Vane Kindergarten Test (VKT), would facilitate the early identification of children with learning difficulties. The continued use of the VKT is questioned for three reasons. The obtained coefficients appear to be too minimal to make educationally relevant predictions; the test has a ceiling effect when used with average to slightly above average ability kindergarten children; and it could have the same ceiling effect related to the age of kindergarten students.
The “Special” in The Special Teacher
Authors: Green Leonard
Published: December 2008

Described here are certain qualities of the successful special education teacher to remind us of the direction our efforts should take.
Effects of Preschool Language Training Later Academic Achievement of Children Language and Disabilities
Authors: Evans Joyce Stewart , Bangs Tina
Published: December 2008

This analysis combines the study of a preschool predictive instrument with the assessment of the effects of preschool training program on the later academic achievement of children with language and learning disabilities. A preliminary follow-up study of children who were initially evaluated and trained in a joint project of the Houston Speech and Hearing Center and the Pasadena, Texas, Independent School District from 1963--1966 revealed marked differences in later academic achievement. From a sample of subjects with language and learning disabilities, 70 percent of those who completed the preacademic training program were found to be achieving at grade level in 1969. Of those subjects who entered but did not complete the program, only 25 percent were achieving at grade level, just 18 percent of a control group with language and learning disabilities who did not receive preacademic training were achieving at grade level. The results of the pilot study support the use of the Language and Learning Assessment for Training battery as an initial identifying instrument during preschool years, and the use of specific preschool training methods for children with language and learning disabilities.
Auditory and Visual Inadequacies in Maturation at the First Grade Level
Authors: Snyder Robert , Pope Peggy
Published: December 2008

This paper reports a series of studies of the neurological maturational status of six-year-old, first grade children in the areas of visual and auditory learning modalities. Three studies in visual perception published by the authors are reviewed; the prevalence of maturational unreadiness in “normal” samples is emphasized, and evidence is presented to show how testing techniques can obscure capability. A new study of 204 first graders is reported in full in which the emphasis is on auditory learning modalities. A correlation matrix is offered showing correlations among any combination of auditory memory, auditory discrimination, visual perception, and visual memory. The highest order correclation is -.27. The point is made that at the six-year, beginning school level, variability in intercorrelations of ability among children is so great as to be the rule rather than exception. Within the child, capability within one modality does not imply capability in any other. Implications for the concept of specific learning disability are that deviation from a particular norm, by itself, is not as clear an indicator of disability as is currently thought.
Achievement on a Test of Specific Coding Skills Contrasted with Achievement Global Tests of Reading Skills
Authors: Gallistel Elizabeth
Published: December 2008

A test was constructed to measure coding ability --- skill in recognizing classes of words grouped by their phonic structure and the grapheme-phoneme combinations they contained. When the test was administered to low and middle group readers and to children in a learning disability program, marked differences in mastery of these skills appeared among children who had similar word recognition scores on standardized tests. The ability to read any or most words incorporating particular graphemephoneme combinations within a particular phonic structure requires mastery of the coding process and represents a more complex skill than the ability to recognize by sight a few words incorporating these same phonic elements. The experimental test 1) identified children with possible coding process disabilities common among the learning disability population, 2) indicated which particular classes of phonemes a child had not yet learned to use in recognizing words, and 3) proved more useful than standardized global tests in evaluating progress of children in a special learning disability program where instruction was based on a systematic syntheticphonic progression of skills. It also showed promise as a research and curriculum evaluation tool for studying the development of the coding process and the acquisition of generative phonic skills.
Learning Disability or Error of Growth?
Authors: Ames Louis Bates , Gillespie Clyde
Published: December 2008

This paper presents the case of a boy nearly nine years of age who behaves like a 5 1/2 to 6-year-old, and discusses the question: when a child's behavior fits his body's age but is far behind what one would expect from his birthday age, must he be considered immature and/or defective? Or can expectations and handling be adapted to his body age and can behavior which fits his body age be considered relatively normal, for him, even though far behind expectation?
Language Rehabilitation and Programmed Conditioning
Authors: Fygetakis L Juana , Ingram David
Published: December 2008

The following study was undertaken to test the effectiveness of a program of language rehabilitation that combined current knowledge about language development with established techniques of programmed conditioning. The subject was a five-year-old girl with a very reduced language system. or a five-month period, she was trained to produce sentences with structures that characterized the next level of development, based on what is known about stages of language acquisition. The sentences were presented through programmed conditioning. Language samples taken before and after training were compared; it was found that the second sample showed a marked gain in mean length of utterance and a large increase in the use and complexity of basic grammatical relations.
Learning Rate and Retention in Retarded Readers
Authors: Camp Bonnie W.
Published: December 2008

The relationship between rate of learning and long-term retention was studied in 46 children with severe reading disability who were receiving individual tutoring in reading. The majority of individual learning curves showed a characteristic pattern of initial acceleration followed by gradual deceleration. There was very little change in rank order after the sixth lesson at each level of difficulty. The majority of these children showed learning curves qualitatively similar to normal children. Rank order correlations between learning rate and three measures of retention ranged between .54 to .94. Since individual differences in retention have been shown to be a function of degree of learning, these results suggest that learning rate could be used as a basis for determining degree of original learning.
Viewpoint
Authors: Behrmann Polly
Published: December 2008

This is a small town story of how a group of girls who had become problems to society helped a group of children who were having problems in school — and everyone benefited.
Programs, Materials, and Techniques
Authors: Bannatyne Alex
Published: December 2008

The consensus of our reader survey and followup consultations indicated that a question of major interest is: How shall we handle this child? On behalf of our readers, we are expanding the section, Programs, Materials, and Techniques on dealing with children with learning disabilities.

This month we have reviewed a wide variety of programs and topics. The Rebus reading program is novel, The KeyMath Test is useful and the handbook by Anne Rogovin is valuable. A physical education program is included for those who teach a full curriculum.

Each month I intend presenting a different “Techniques” section in which I will describe in some detail a practical method for helping learning disability children. which has proved useful in our Learning Center. These will not be THE technique. There is no technique for dealing with all these children as yet, but we feel a contribution can be made by telling what has been successfully used before. If readers have any tips or techniques they would like to share, send them to me and I will print them with full credit as to who supplied them. Material submitted for publication should be limited to two typewritten pages, maximum, and should include the following: (1) the rationale on which the method or program is based; (2) an explicit and detailed description of the type of children with whom the method was used; (3) a clear description of the method; and (4) some caution (include pro and con) as to the value of this experience for the children. Thus, we really don't know how much training in visual discrimination or auditory discrimination has to contribute to an 8-year-old child. But given that caution, it seems useful to provide material for professionals working with children so they can make their own judgments.
Self-Management Projects with Children with Behavioral Disabilities
Authors: Lovitt Thomas C.
Published: December 2008

This report includes seven projects; each is concerned with one or more components of self-management. (1) A pupil was instructed to self-schedule, -correct and -chart. He was also allowed to specify his own contingencies. Throughout the study data were obtained regarding his performance in several academic subjects. (2) Data were obtained in math and reading. During some periods the teacher selected which subject should be initially scheduled; at other times the pupil selected the order. Data from the two conditions were compared. (3) Data were gathered with self-scheduling as a contingency: a pupil worked in a phonics program during conditions when (a) the teacher scheduled the subjects and (b) the pupil could earn the privilege of scheduling. (4) and (5) involved self-recording of troublesome behaviors. During the first condition of these projects the teacher recorded the behaviors, while during the second condition the pupils recorded their own behaviors. Data between conditions were compared. (6) The self-specification of contingencies was assessed. During certain conditions the teacher specified the contingencies; whereas this responsibility was assumed by the pupil at other times. The data from the two conditions were compared. (7) A group of students were taught to self-correct, -count, -time, -chart, and -evaluate. Throughout the project data were kept regarding their performances in reading.
Aspects of Teaching Long Division to a Group of Exceptional Children
Authors: Lerner Sandra
Published: December 2008

A new approach in teaching long division, based on a theoretical model of how the brain functions in problem-solving, was presented to a group of mentally ill adolescents who were previously unable to learn long division. Subjects with IQ scores one S.D. below normal and with an adequately developed number sense mastered the task.
What Parents Need To Know About Stimulant Drugs And Special Education
Authors: Conners C. Keith
Published: December 2008

This paper addresses some of the complexities surrounding the use of stimulant drugs for behavior and learning disorders. The problems of diagnosis, professional communication, follow-up, and role of other therapies are discussed. Parents are warned not to accept simplistic treatment programs lacking careful diagnostic evaluation and continued follow-up.
The Bender Gestalt as a Group Screening Instrument for First Grade Reading Potential
Authors: Norfleet Mary Ann
Published: December 2008

The group Bender Gestalt Test (BGT) was administered to 311 beginning first graders (158 boys and 153 girls). Teacher ratings of reading achievement and information regarding the presence or absence of prior kindergarten experience were also obtained. The Gates-MacGinitie Reading Tests were used as the criterion measure of year-end reading achievement. BGT cut-off scores were used to predict good, average, and poor reading potential. They were significant at the .001 level of association for year-end reading achievement. The BGT was especially accurate in predicting good reading performance. Teacher judgments and BGT performance were also significantly associated, as were prior kindergaten attendance and BGT performance. This study revealed many sex differences which have important implications for screening programs.
Programs, Materials and Techniques
Authors: Bannatyne Alex
Published: December 2008

This month the section begins with a review of Project LIFE which is a series of programs using a novel teaching machine. Head Start teachers and those with many young learning disability children would do well to look into this series.

The psychologists (and others) among our readers will be interested in Dr. Donald Holmes' refreshing book, Psychotherapy. It is intended for anyone interested in the topic and I found it excellent.

Those interested in the adolescent with learning disabilities (that includes almost all of us) will read my review of The Educator's Enigma with close attention. There is room for much more research on adolescents with learning disabilities and how best to treat them.

Also reviewed are Specific Helps for Specific Learning Disabilities, a book which suggests remedial activities for specific perceptual deficits, and the Sensory Programmer, a kit of 10 tasks to help children in achieving readiness in various perceptual and motor skills.

For my own contribution this time I have chosen the topic of auditory closure. If I was asked to name one language processing deficit which was most often found in learning disability children I would be hard put to decide between auditory closure and auditory sequencing memory. Coding would be a close third.
Data Gathering: The Reliability and Validity of Test Data from Culturally Different Children
Authors: Adler Sol
Published: December 2008

This essay explores those factors deemed relevant to cross-cultural testing situations.
The Use of English Morphology by High-Risk and Learning Disabled Children
Authors: Wiig Elisabeth H. , Semel Eleanor M. , Crouse Mary Ann B.
Published: December 2008

The application of morphological rules by 10 high-risk and 10 normal children and 12 learning disabled and 12 achieving children were compared. An adaptation of Berko's experimental test of morphology was administered. High-risk and learning disabled children gave significantly fewer correct responses than their controls. For high-risk children, the greatest relative performance differences were for third person singular, progressive, past tense, and adjectival inflections. For learning-disabled children, the greatest relative differences were for third person singular, possessives, and adjectival inflections. It was concluded that high-risk and learning disabled children exhibited differential and qualitatively similar delays in the acquisition of morphological rules.
Which Remedial Reading Method Works Best?
Authors: Silberberg Norman E. , Iversen Iver A. , Goins Jean T.
Published: December 2008

Four groups of third grade children were exposed to different remedial reading methods for one year. Although the usual spurt in tested reading score was observed at the conclusion of that experience, a six-month follow-up indi-cated that the improvement in tested reading was transitory. There was not sufficient evi-dence to believe that any one method tried had any greater long-term effect than did any other, or that any of the methods involved in this study had a demonstrable long-range practical impact on a child's reading level.
Sensory Integration in the Learning Disabled
Authors: Baker Georgia Pitcher , Raskin Larry M.
Published: December 2008

Letter learning and recognition by young learning disabled children were studied using visual, tactual, and visual plus tactual training and testing with 5- and 15-second exploration times. All children in the training and testing conditions using vision or vision plus touch made more correct responses than those using touch alone. However, there were no differences between the visual and visual plus tactual conditions, indicating that the additional input from touch did not help performance. There was some benefit from more exploration time; the 15-second groups tended to make fewer errors of a certain type.
Programs, Materials and Techniques
Authors: Bannatyne Alex
Published: December 2008

The first program reviewed this month in some detail is the Prescriptive Profile Procedure, developed as a Title IV B project in Miami, Florida. It is a useful model which other school districts would do well to examine thoroughly.

This is followed by a review of a publication which contains a welter of practical materials from the Ashlock Learning Center, and in a sense i t follows on naturally from the Prescriptive Profile Procedure.

Next there is a section on large type editions of books. I have suggested that these novels might be used with advantage with older more advanced learning disability children to help them attain fluency in their reading. But of course, they should not be used exclusively.

Finally, there is a review on one of our own programs — a different approach to the physical development programs which have been so popular over the last two decades.

If you have any interesting and effective materials, programs or ideas you may wish to share send them to me addressed to Dr. Alex Bannatyne, Bannatyne Children's Learning Center, 6950 North Kendall Drive, Miami, Florida 331 56.
Music as an Aid in the Remediation of Learning Disabilities
Authors: Rejto Alice
Published: December 2008

This article describes the use of music taught in a specifically structured manner as a form of therapy for children with learning disabilities due to perceptual problems. The procedure consisted of visual, aural, and tactual training through the medium of piano and theory lessons, over a period of six months. Significant positive gains in language skills, auditory and visual perception abilities, sensory-motor integration, symbolic representation, and memory were shown for the child in this study. Further studies are suggested.
An Observational Analysis of Classroom Behaviors of Children with Learning Disabilities
Authors: Bryan Tanis S.
Published: December 2008

This study was designed to measure taskoriented and social behavior of learning disabled and normal children in the classroom. Using an Interaction Process Analysis, the classroom behaviors of children were coded for five days over a fivemonth period. Results indicate that the learning disabled children spent significantly less time engaged in attending behavior for a variety of school subjects and that learning disabled children had different interpersonal relationships with teachers and peers than did comparison children.
Predicting Reading Failure:
Authors: Book Robert M.
Published: December 2008

Early identification of potentially high risk children in the area of reading achievement was investigated by following a group of 725 children from kindergarten through the second grade. End-of-kindergarten predictive measures were the Metropolitan Readiness Test, the Bender-Gestalt and the Slosson Intelligence Test; followup measures were reading levels completed at the end of first and second grade. Significant correlations were found between placement in one of six diagnostic categories and end of first and end of second grade reading levels (r = .99, p<.001). Findings support the use of this battery as a means of initial screening and determining program placement and planning for children entering formal school programs.
WISC Subtest Scores of Disabled Readers:
Authors: Rugel Robert P.
Published: December 2008

Twenty-five studies which reported WISC subtest scores of disabled readers were reviewed. The subtests were reclassified into categories labeled Spatial, Conceptual, and Sequential, and disabled readers were ranked as to their relative strength in these three categories. Disabled readers were highest in the Spatial category, intermediate in the Conceptual category, and lowest in the Sequential category. The high rank in the Spatial category suggests that disabled readers are strong in visual-spatial skills. The low rank in the Sequential category can be accounted for by deficits in short-term memory processes and attentional processes.
Book Reviews
Authors: Scheffelin Margaret
Published: December 2008

Something's Wrong with My Child. Milton Brutten, Sylvia O. Richardson, and Charles Mangel. N.Y.: Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich, 1973, 246pp., $7.50.
Psychometric Deficits Related to Perinatal Stress
Authors: Colligan Robert C.
Published: December 2008

Based on the postulate that there is a continuum of reproductive casualty, it was hypothesized that potentially stressful perinatal experiences would subsequently produce measurable effects on certain psychologic tests in the children studied. Prospectively gathered data from 386 neurologically normal 7-year-old children were reviewed, and a perinatal stress score was derived for each by a simple count of deviant symptoms during pregnancy, delivery, and puerperium. Results marginally supported the concept of continuum of reproductive casualty but were neither clear nor systematic. The perinatal stress score may have been contaminated with items of little or no significance, which would have decreased its discriminating power.
The Use of a Wechsler Subtest Ratio as an Index of Brain Damage in Children
Authors: McIntosh William J.
Published: December 2008

An index of brain damage adapted from an adult neuropsychological assessment key was applied to the WISC scores of 40 brain-damaged and control children. Using the existing adult cut-off points, 30 out of 40 nine- to fourteen-year-old children were correctly classified as brain-damaged or control on the basis of 4 WISC performance test scores. This rate of correct classification was highly significant (p < .01).
Achievement Test Performance of High and Low Perceiving Learning Disabled Children
Authors: Black F. William
Published: December 2008

The achievement test performance of low and high perceiving learning disabled children was compared, and the relationship of visual-perceptual and achievement variables in a sample of learning disabled children was investigated. With the effects of intelligence controlled, the reading test performance of the low perceivers was significantly higher than that of the high perceivers. No significant differences existed between the two samples in spelling or arithmetic. Only two of a possible 18 correlations between perceptual and achievement variables were found to be significant. The implications of the use of perceptual tests in the evaluation and remediation of a learning disability are discussed.
Use of Medication Versus Reinforcement to Modify a Classroom Behavior Disorder
Authors: Strong Catherine , Sulzbacher Stephen I. , Kirkpatrick Marjorie A.
Published: December 2008

Contingency management procedures and psychotropic medication (diphenhydramine hydrochloride) were both applied in an attempt to decelerate facial grimaces by a five-year-old language and learning disabled boy. Effects of self-recording, teacher praise, and candy were compared with effects of self-recording and praise only; grimacing in the classroom setting decelerated using both procedures. A doubleblind, placebo-controlled study of the effects of diphenhydramine on grimacing was also conducted in the child's classroom and the medication was found not to significantly affect the behavior's rate of occurrence. The child's arithmetic performance was also unaffected by the medication. It was concluded that the behavioral effects of drugs could be measured in the same fashion as the effects of other behavior modification procedures.
Effects of Relaxation Training upon Handwriting Quality
Authors: Carter John L. , Synolds Donald
Published: December 2008

It was theorized that brain-injured children who have poor handwriting are in fact trying too hard to write and using too much energy in the process. An audio-taped relaxation program was devised and presented to 32 boys who were in special classes for minimally brain-injured children. An equal number of randomly selected age mates were chosen as controls. Relaxation training was administered to the experimental group three days a week for four weeks. Results indicated that: (1) the program was effective in enhancing the quality of handwriting; (2) there was transfer effect to nonexperimental situations; (3) the changes were stable over time; and (4) there was very high interjudge reliability of handwriting quality.
Programs, Materials and Techniques
Authors: Bannatyne Alex
Published: December 2008

This month the copy for Programs, Materials and Techniques has come from a wide variety of sources. (Reader contributions are encouraged; send to Alex Bannatyne, 6950 N. Kendall Drive, Miami, Florida 33156). TheMWM Program for Developing Language Abilities, reviewed by E. Eugene Ensminger, is a well organized kit for language training. The intent of the program goes beyond identifying a language disability and provides a series of intervention activities to increase performance in the 12 language areas identified by the ITPA. Bryant Cratty needs no introduction to most readers. His recent book onEducational Games is most helpful. Sound Wheel No. 2 by Paul Moskau is a neat gadget which many teachers may wish to add to their phonics resources.Phillip and the White Colt, reviewed by reader Hannah Miller, is a variation on the classic film theme of a boy and his horse. It is an excellent point of departure for a guided discussion of feelings about someone who is handicapped.Speech and Language Rehabilitation by Robert Keith is a workbook which will interest those working with aphasic patients in need of speech therapy. Several practical and interesting papers were presented at the conference of the International Federation for Learning Disabilities in Amsterdam; a selection has been included in my review. The note on Rugel's paper about recategorization of WISC scores should also interest diagnosticians. The hard evidence for good overall visuo-spatial ability in most learning disability children is getting to be overwhelming. Rugel's paper and my own research reviews include numerous studies and investigations, not just one or two samples of children.
Demonstration Techniques Simulating Four Learning Disabilities
Authors: Carroll James L.
Published: December 2008

For many individuals it is very difficult to understand how a child with a learning impairment may perceive his or her world. Four demonstration techniques, simulating receptive difficulties in the areas of visual, auditory and tactile discrimination and impairments in problem-solving and concept formation, have been developed and are described. These techniques have been successfully used in various university courses, as well as in workshops and inservice training sessions with students, teachers and parents.
The Relationship of Selected Auditory Perceptual Skills and Reading Ability
Authors: Hammill Donald D. , Larsen Stephen C.
Published: December 2008

A review of studies using correlational statistical procedures to examine the relationship of reading to measures of auditory discrimination, memory, blending, and auditory-visual integration is presented. The consensus of this research suggests that the auditory skills are not sufficiently related to reading to be particularly useful for school practice. The conclusions provide information regarding the desirability of training these skills with the aim of increasing reading ability. The direction future research must take to further explore the relation of other auditory variables to reading is indicated.