bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Significant Predictors of Test Anxiety Among Students With and Without Learning Disabilities
Authors: Whitaker Sena Jolyn D. , Lowe Patricia A. , Lee Steven W.
Published: December 2007

In the present study, the relationship between students with and without learning disabilities (LD) and different aspects of test anxiety was examined on a new multidimensional measure of test anxiety. A sample of 774 elementary and secondary school students—195 students with LD and 579 students not identified with LD—completed the Test Anxiety Inventory for Children and Adolescents (TAICA), a new multidimensional measure of test anxiety for elementary and secondary school students in Grades 4 through 12. Examination of the factor structure of the TAICA scores across LD status to determine whether accurate test score interpretation was possible revealed that the majority of the coefficient of congruence values between each pair of six corresponding factors of the TAICA (Cognitive Obstruction/ Inattention, Performance Enhancement/Facilitation Anxiety, Physiological Hyperarousal, Social Humiliation, Worry, and Lie) and the Total Test Anxiety factor were above .90, and the salient variable similarity index values were statistically significant, suggesting that the factor structure of the TAICA was similar across groups. The results of seven multiple regression analyses revealed that LD predicted higher Cognitive Obstruction/Inattention and Worry scores and lower Performance Enhancement/Facilitation Anxiety and Lie scores. Implications of the findings for school personnel who work with students with LD are discussed.
Language Delays, Reading Delays, and Learning Difficulties
Authors: Hay Ian , Elias Gordon , Fielding-Barnsley Ruth , Homel Ross , Freiberg Kate
Published: December 2007

Researchers have hypothesized four levels of instructional dialogue and claimed that teachers can improve children's language development by incorporating these dialogue levels in their classrooms. It has also been hypothesized that enhancing children's early language development enhances children's later reading development. This quasi-experimental research study investigated both of these hypotheses using a collaborative service delivery model for Grade 1 children with language difficulties from a socially and economically disadvantaged urban community in Australia. Comparing the end-of-year reading achievement scores for the 57 children who received the language intervention with those of the 59 children in the comparison group, the findings from this research are supportive of both hypotheses. The interrelationships between learning difficulties, reading difficulties, and language difficulties are discussed along with children's development in vocabulary, use of memory strategies and verbal reasoning, and the need for multidimensional programming.
QuickSmart
Authors: Graham Lorraine , Bellert Anne , Thomas Jenny , Pegg John
Published: December 2007

QuickSmart is a basic academic skills intervention designed for persistently low-achieving students in the middle years of schooling that aims to improve the automaticity of basic skills to improve higher-order processes, such as problem solving and comprehension, as measured on standardized tests. The QuickSmart instructional program consists of three structured, teacher- or teacher aide—directed, 30-minute, small-group lessons each week for approximately 26 weeks. In this study, 42 middle school students experiencing learning difficulties (LD) completed the QuickSmart reading program, and a further 42 students with LD took part in the QuickSmart mathematics program. To investigate the effects of the intervention, comparisons were made between the reading and mathematics progress of the intervention group and a group of 10 high-achieving and 10 average-achieving peers. The results indicated that although the standardized reading comprehension and mathematics scores of QuickSmart students remained below those of comparison students, they improved significantly from pretest to posttest. In contrast, the standardized scores of comparison students were not significantly different from pretest to posttest. On measures of response speed and accuracy gathered using the Cognitive Aptitude Assessment System (CAAS), QuickSmart students were able to narrow the gap between their performance and that of their high- and average-achieving peers. Implications are drawn regarding the importance of interventions that emphasize the automaticity of basic academic skills for students with learning difficulties.
Innovative Programs for Improvement in Reading Through Cognitive Enhancement
Authors: Hayward Denyse , Das J.P. , Janzen Troy
Published: December 2007

Forty-five Grade 3 students from a reservation school in Western Canada were divided into two remedial groups and a no-risk control group. One remedial group was given a classroom-administered cognitive enhancement program (COGENT) throughout the school year. The second group received COGENT for the first half of the year followed by a pull-out cognitive-based reading enhancement program (PREP). Children were assessed across phonological awareness, rapid naming, reading, and cognitive ability at the beginning of the year, midterm, and at the end of the school year. MANOVA results showed a significant interaction for reading measures, with students receiving classroom intervention over the school year making the greatest gains. Results are discussed in terms of group, remediation program, and individual participant improvements.
Effectiveness of Paraeducator-Supplemented Individual Instruction
Authors: Vadasy Patricia F. , Sanders Elizabeth A. , Tudor Sarah
Published: December 2007

A total of 46 children in Grades 2 and 3 with low word-level skills were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 groups that received supplemental phonics-based reading instruction. One group received intervention October through March (21.5 hours), and one group served as a control from October through March and later received intervention March through May (17.5 hours). Paraeducators trained in a standard treatment protocol provided individual instruction for 30 min per day, 4 days per week. At the March posttest, the early treatment (ET; n = 23) group outperformed the controls (late treatment, LT; n = 20) on reading accuracy and passage fluency. Across both groups, second graders outperformed third graders on these same measures. At the 3-month follow-up, the ET group showed no evidence of decline in reading accuracy, passage fluency, or words spelled; however, 3rd-grade ET students had significantly higher spelling skills compared to 2nd graders. The LT group demonstrated significant growth during their intervention in reading accuracy and spelling, but not passage fluency. When we compared the ET and LT groups on their gains per instructional hour, we found that the ET group made significantly greater gains than the LT group across all 3 measures. The results support the value of paraeducator-supplemented reading instruction for students below grade level in word identification and reading fluency.
The Possible Relationship Between Visual Deficits and Dyslexia
Authors: Skottun Bernt C. , Parke Lesley A.
Published: December 2007

Numerous studies have found that visual deficits are associated with dyslexia. The prevailing theory regarding this association is that dyslexia is the result of a deficit in the magnocellular system (earlier called the transient system) in the visual pathway. An essential assumption of this theory is that the parvocellular system (formerly called the sustained system) is suppressed by the magnocellular system at the time of saccadic eye movements. This assumption is examined on the basis of published studies of saccadic suppression. The evidence from six studies indicates quite unequivocally that the magnocellular system, not the parvocellular system, is suppressed during saccadic eye movements. It seems, therefore, that an essential premise of the magnocellular deficit theory of dyslexia is incorrect.
Self-Organization of Mother-Child Instructional Dyads and Later Attention Disorder
Authors: Cherkes-Julkowski Miriam , Mitlina Natasha
Published: December 2007

Instructor-learner interactions are viewed from the perspective of dynamically self-organizing, coordinated systems. Mothers were asked to instruct their preterm and full-term 24-month-old children to sort blocks according to size and color (a challenging task for children of this age). Dyads were observed for their ability to find a mutual and stable instructional relationship. Dyads in which the child was later identified as having attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) were marked by significantly less stable organization, less mutuality, and greater perturbations in the system. Mothers of children later found to have ADHD tended to apply stronger constraints than those whose children grew up to have no identified school problems. Implications are drawn for optimal instruction of children who are at risk for central nervous system disorders.
The Differential Effects of Two Systematic Reading Comprehension Approaches with Students with Learning Disabilities
Authors: Rabren Karen , Darch Craig , Eaves Ronald C.
Published: December 2007

This study compared two highly dissimilar approaches for teaching students to determine character motive when reading three types of narrative text. The three text types used were textually explicit, textually implicit, and scriptually implicit. The two approaches were an explicit rule-based instruction approach and a basal-reader activity-based approach.

Forty students with learning disabilities were randomly assigned to either the explicit rule-based or the basal-reader activity-based instructional group. Daily instructional sessions lasted 45 minutes and were conducted for 2 weeks. The groups were evaluated on four comprehension measures: (a) daily retells of stories, (b) unit tests, (c) a transfer measure, and (d) a maintenance measure. The results suggest that rule-based instruction is superior to an activity-based approach when teaching students with learning disabilities to determine character motives irrespective of text type on short-term measures. However, there were no significant differences between the two instructional groups on the maintenance and transfer tests.
Visual Processing of Verbal and Nonverbal Stimuli in Adolescents with Reading Disabilities
Authors: Boden Catherine , Brodeur Darlene A.
Published: December 2007

This study investigated whether a group of children with reading disabilities (RD) were slower at processing visual information in general (compared to a group of children of comparable age and a group of children of comparable reading level), or whether their deficit was specific to the written word. Computerized backward masking and temporal integration tasks were used to assess the speed of visual information processing. Stimulus complexity (simple, complex) and type (verbal, nonverbal) were varied, creating a 2 x 2 matrix of stimulus conditions: simple nonverbal, complex nonverbal, simple verbal, and complex verbal. Adolescents with RD demonstrated difficulties in processing rapidly presented verbal and nonverbal visual stimuli, although the effect was magnified when they were processing verbal stimuli. Thus, the results of this study suggest that some youth with reading disabilities have visual temporal processing deficits that compound difficulties in processing verbal information during reading.
A 10-Year Follow-Up Survey of Programs and Services for Students with Learning Disabilities in Graduate and Professional Schools
Authors: Ganschow Leonore , Coyne Jennifer , Parks Allen W. , Antonoff Stanley J.
Published: December 2007

This 10-year follow-up study compares programs and services for students with learning disabilities (LD) in graduate and professional schools between 1985 and 1995. In 1995, surveys were sent to the same institutions (n = 682) as in the earlier survey, with a response rate of 30.6%. Significant changes over the 10 years include a higher level of awareness about LD and evidence of greater compliance with Section 504, a greater specificity of assessments required for the identification of students who receive services, improvements in the types and extent of services available, and increased program visibility. Despite these positive changes, 24% of the respondents indicated that they did not have a coordinator for LD at their institution, and 33% did not have a written plan for services. Eighteen institutions with programs or services for students with LD gave permission to publish their names. Implications and recommendations are discussed.
ADHD: A Psychological Response to an Evolving Concept
Authors: Reason Rea
Published: December 2007

The British Psychological Society is the only national organization of psychologists within the United Kingdom representing all aspects of psychology and all subspecialisms within psychology. It is both a learned scientific society and a professional association. To address the concept of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), the Professional Affairs Board of the Society convened a Working Party, consisting of individuals nominated by subsystems of the Society because of their recognized professional and academic expertise. They covered a range of specialisms, including educational, clinical, criminological, neurological, and cognitive psychology.

A report by the Working Party was published in September 1996. It had two main aims: first, to outline the research that was relevant to current understanding of the notion of ADHD from an historical, psychological, and biological perspective, and, second, to consider implications for practice in the light of the information obtained. The focus was predominantly on children, although it was recognized that problems could persist into adulthood. The intention was to write a report for professionals that also would be accessible to a wider audience.

This article is a highly abridged version of the report. It omits the references to research reviews and research studies contained in the full account. Selected extracts are included in order to justify the conclusions and the recommendations that are made and to inform a North American audience of developments in the United Kingdom.
Effectiveness of the MASTER Program for Teaching Special Children Multiplication and Division
Authors: Van Luit Johannes E. H. , Naglieri Jack A.
Published: December 2007

In this study, the utility of a MAthematics Strategy Training for Educational Remediation (MASTER) program, (Van Luit, Kaskens, & Van der Krol, 1993) was examined. The effectiveness of the program, designed to encourage strategy utilization with multiplication and division problems, was investigated for 84 students with poor mathematics skills, some of whom had learning disabilities ( n = 42) and others with mild levels of mental retardation ( n = 42). The results showed that the use of the self-instruction program resulted in significant improvement over the general instruction program. Furthermore, far transfer was found for the children with learning disabilities in the experimental group when they used effective problem-solving strategies on nontrained tasks. The results are consistent with previous findings suggesting the importance of self-instruction in mathematics training programs.
Stability of Arithmetic Disability Subtypes
Authors: Silver Cheryl H. , Deborah-Lynne Pennett H. , Black Jeffrey L. , Fair George W. , Balise Raymond R.
Published: December 2007

Cross-sectional research has identified subtypes of children with learning disabilities who may have distinctive cognitive ability patterns. This study examined the stability over 19 months of academic subtyping classifications for 80 children ages 9 to 13 representing four subtypes of arithmetic disabilities (AD), using three criteria for learning disability identification. Approximately half of the sample retained AD regardless of identification method. Children with pervasive deficits in arithmetic, reading, and spelling displayed the greatest subtype stability. Only one third of the children with the other subtypes, including those with isolated arithmetic deficits, retained their original subtypes. Thus, drawing conclusions and making recommendations based on academic subtyping at a single point in time may be unwise.
Not All Reading Disabilities Are Alike
Authors: Aaron P.G. , Joshi Malatesha , Williams Kathryn A.
Published: December 2007

In this article, reading disability is defined broadly to refer to below-average achievement in reading comprehension as assessed by a standardized test. With our research we tried to answer the question of whether all children with reading disability share a common etiology of deficient phonology, or constitute heterogeneous groups. The answer to this question was sought in four studies that examined reading disabilities from the perspective of componential skills of reading. In Part 1, the results of the first study are reported. A principal-components analysis of the performance of 139 children from Grades 3, 4, and 6 on reading-related tasks yielded two factors: decoding and comprehension. However, factor analyses conducted for each grade separately indicated that orthographic skill and processing speed could possibly constitute a third component. The orthography-speed factor emerged as a factor only in the 6th grade. Part 2 of this article reports the findings of three studies that analyzed the componential skills profiles of poor readers. It was found that the poor readers constituted heterogeneous groups and that four different types of poor readers could be identified with deficiency in any one of the following skills: (a) decoding only, (b) comprehension only, (c) a combination of decoding and comprehension, and (d) a combination of orthographic processing and reading speed. It was also found that the criteria used in selecting poor readers influenced the distribution of the ratio of the four types of poor readers within any given group.
Central Auditory Processing Ability in Children with ADHD With and Without Learning Disabilities
Authors: Gomez Rapson , Condon Margaret
Published: December 2007

A few studies have shown more central auditory processing deficits in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorde (ADHD) than in nondisabled children. Because these studies failed to screen participants with ADHD for learning disabilities (LD it is not clear whether these deficits are correlates of ADHD or LD or both. In the present study, the central auditory processing ability of children with ADHD, ADHD with LD, and no disabilities was examined. Results indicated lower central auditory processin ability, and significant correlations between reading and ADHD symptoms and reading and central auditory processing ability in the ADHD with LD group compared with the other two groups. These findings suggest that central auditory processing deficits ar more likely to be associated with LD than ADHD.
LD and Delinquency
Authors: Malmgren Kimber , Abbott Robert D. , Hawkins J. David
Published: December 2007

Longitudinal data from a 7-year prospective study was examined to investigate whether the presence of learning disabilities (LD) increases a youth's risk of becoming a juvenile delinquent. The sample included 515 students enrolled in the fifth grade in the fall of 1985, 51 (9.9%) of whom were youth with LD. Self-report data on delinquent activity were collected in the spring of 1993. Official court records were obtained for the vears 1985 through 1992. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were performed using a block of three demographic variables (gender, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status) as predictors in the first step and including LD status in a second step. Seven separate analyses were performed, using different measures of delinquency as criterion variables. In no case did LD status account for a significant portion of unique variance in the delinquency variables when the demographic variables were controlled for. The results of this study did not confirm the presence of a direct relationship between LD and delinquency and suggest that the finding of a direct relationship in other studies may have been due to confounding of the LD status with age, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status.
Verbal Retelling Abilities in Adolescents With and Without Language-Learning Disabilities for Social Studies Lectures
Authors: Ward-Lonergan Jeannene M. , Liles Betty Z. , Anderson Angela M.
Published: December 2007

Verbal retelling abilities for social studies lectures were examined and compared in 20 adolescent boys, ages 12-5 to 14-7, with language-learning disabilities (LLD) and 29 with normal language abilities (NL). Participants viewed one videotaped social studies lecture with a comparison expository discourse structure and one with a causation discourse structure. Following each lecture presentation, participants verbally retold the lecture. Results of several repeated-measures analyses of variance indicated that the group with LLD produced a significantly smaller number of T-units, subordinate clauses, subordinate clauses per T-unit, T-units per second, lecture components per second, and percentage of lecture components in their retellings, compared with the group with NL, regardless of lecture type. Both groups produced a significantly greater number of T-units and subordinate clauses for the comparison lecture. By contrast, both groups recalled a significantly greater number of lecture components per T-unit and per second for the causation lecture. Results indicated that the comparison discourse structure facilitated more substantive and elaborate retellings, whereas the causation discourse structure facilitated more efficient, concise retellings in both groups. Research and instructional implications are discussed.
Phonological and Morphological Processing in Adult Students with Learning/Reading Disabilities
Authors: Che Kan Leong
Published: December 2007

A target group of college students with learning/ reading disabilities was compared with reading-level (RA) and chronological-age (CA) contrast groups on several phonological and morphological computerized information-processing tasks. Results confirm the importance of accurate and rapid processing of simple lexical items to the automatic level. The target students were less accurate and took longer reaction time, as compared with their CA controls, though not with the RA contrast group, in deciding if pseudohomophonics sounded like real words and if pairs of words with different rime conditions rhymed. The target students showed both quantitative and qualitative differences in processing morphological words and morphographic letter strings, in contrast to some earlier findings. The integration of phonological and morphological knowledge is emphasized in working with adult college students with learning/ reading disabilities.
Arithmetic Disabilities and ADD Subtypes
Authors: Marshall Richard M. , Schafer Vickie A. , O'Donnell Louise , Elliott Jennifer , Handwerk Michael L.
Published: December 2007

This study investigated whether specific academic deficits were associated with attention-deficit disorder (ADD) subtypes. Twenty students (ages 8-12) with attention-deficit disorder with hyperactivity (ADD/H) were compared to 20 students with attention-deficit disorder without hyperactivity (ADD/noH). Group differences were compared using a MANCOVA, and paired t tests were used to compare within-group differences. Dependent variables for the within-group differences were four achievement subtest scores from the Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-Educational Battery-Revised: Letter-Word Identification, Passage Comprehension, Calculation, and Applied Problems. Consistent with much of the previous research, no significant between-group differences were found on the achievement measures. Significant differences did, however, appear in the six within-group comparisons, all involving lower performance on the Math Calculations subtest. For students with ADD/H, only one comparison (with Math Applied Problems) reached significance. Students with ADD/noH, however, had significantly lower scores on the Calculation subtest compared to all of the other achievement subtests. These results provided additional support for the hypothesis that inattention exerts a specific and deleterious effect on the acquisition of arithmetic computation skills. These findings have important implications for the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD as conceptualized in the fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM- IV; American Psychiatric Association, 1994), because they suggest that students with ADHD-Predominantly Inattentive Type may be at increased risk for arithmetic calculation deficits.
LD, Interpsonal Understanding, and Social Behavior in the Classroom
Authors: Kravetz Shlomo , Faust Miriam , Lipshitz Shahar , Shalhav Shlomo
Published: December 2007

This study used Baron and Kenny's (1986) criteria for mediation to investigate the extent to which interpersonal understanding mediates the relation between learning disabilities (LD) and social adaptation in the classroom. Twenty-two children with and 22 children without a diagnosis of LD completed a semistructured developmental dinical interview measure of interpersonal understanding. They were also rated by their fourth- and fifth-grade teachers on a measure of sodal adaptation in the classroom. Interpersonal understanding and social adaptation in the classroom were found to be positively correlated. Children with LD exhibited less interpersonal understanding and sodal adaptation. Although this group difference on social adaptation was greatly reduced when interpersonal understanding was statistically controlled, it remained statistically significant. These results suggest that reduced social adaptation in the classroom and lower interpersonal understanding are both associated with a diagnosis of LD. However, they do not conclusively support the claim that interpersonal understanding mediates the relation between LD and social adaptation. Thus, whether the social difficulties of people with LD stem from the same complex phenomena that produce these people's learning problems remains an open question.
Visual and Auditory Temporal Processing, Cross-Modal Transfer, and Reading
Authors: Rose Susan A. , Feldman Judith F. , Jankowski Jeffery J. , Futterweit Lorelle R.
Published: December 2007

The present study reexamined the relevance of auditory and visual cross-modal matching to reading ability, an issue first addressed in a seminal study by Birch and Belmont (1964). By presenting all patterns to be matched as temporal sequences of tones and lights, including intramodal as well as cross-modal conditions, and covarying memory, three problems with the Birch and Belmont design were corrected. Results showed that poor readers had difficulty in perceiving temporal patterns generally: They did worse than good readers not only on cross-modal conditions but also on intramodal ones. These results were replicated in two tasks. Nonetheless, hierarchical regressions provided some indication that cross-modal abilities themselves are relevant to reading. For one of the two tasks, cross-modal performance contributed to the prediction of reading ability over and above intramodal performance. Poor readers also showed slower response times—a factor that contributed marginally to the prediction of reading independent of temporal processing.
Issues in the Definition and Diagnosis of Learning Disabilities
Authors: Siegel Linda S.
Published: December 2007

This article reviews issues related to the definition of learning disabilities in the context of the Guckenberger v. Boston University case. Four major questions are addressed: (a) Who is learning disabled? (b) How should learning disabilities be assessed? (c) Who is qualified to make a decision about whether or not an individual has a learning disability? and (d) What accommodations should be provided by a postsecondary institution and how should they be selected? Although these are complicated and difficult questions, it is possible to develop a simple, reasonable classification system for learning disabilities, and to conduct assessments based on a coherent and relevant set of achievement tests in which individuals who score below a cutoff are considered learning disabled. Scores on IQ tests are irrelevant and not useful and may even be discriminatory. The issues of decision making regarding learning disabilities and appropriate accommodations remain significant dilemmas for the field; resolution of these issues seems virtually impossible without agreement on appropriate procedures for the definition, identification, and assessment of learning disabilities.
The Case for Course Substitutions as a Reasonable Accommodation for Students with Foreign Language Learning Difficulties
Authors: Shaw Robert A.
Published: December 2007

It has been observed for decades that some students have a particularly difficult time learning another language. Colleges and universities have an obligation to offer special language programs designed to help these students succeed in their attempts to learn another language. However, for those few students who cannot learn another language even with special instruction, allowing them to meet the foreign language requirement though the substitution of related courses is appropriate and does not constitute a fundamental alteration of the goals of a liberal education.
Students Classified as LD and the College Foreign Language Requirement
Authors: Sparks Richard L. , Javorsky James
Published: December 2007

Two studies examined students classified as having learning disabilities (LD) who had received course substitutions for the college foreign language (FL) requirement. In the first study, 42 students at one university were divided into groups and compared on measures of IQ, academic achievement, FL aptitude, college grade point average (GPA), and FL and English grades. Findings showed that most of the 42 students had been classified as LD in college after experiencing problems in FL courses. Comparisons based on students' performance on measures of FL aptitude, native language skill, and performance in FL courses showed few significant group differences. In the second study, the 42 students from the first study were compared with 86 students at another university who had also been classified as LD and received course substitutions for the college FL requirement. Comparisons on demographic information and measures of IQ, academic achievement, FL aptitude, college GPA, and FL GPA showed few significant differences between the two groups. Both studies suggest that students classified as LD at different universities exhibit similar demographic, cognitive, academic achievement, and FL aptitude profiles and that educators should not make the a priori assumption that students classified as LD require course substitutions for the FL requirement or experience problems with FL learning.
The Sociopsychometrics of Learning Disabilities
Authors: Stanovich Keith E.
Published: December 2007

The Boston University (BU) case illustrates how the psychometrics of ability differences interact with the concept of learning disability and with the sodopolitics of schooling and society. It also illustrates that learning disabilities advocacy will not be on a sound footing as long as the field refuses to rid itself of its IQ fetishism, refuses to jettison its fixation on aptitude-achievement discrepancy, and fails to free clinical practice from the pseudoscientific neurology that plagued the field in the 1970s. A more inclusive definition of learning disability—one that abandons discrepancy notions-and a more self-critical attitude toward its own claims would advance the field of learning disabilities and help to rid it of distractions such as the BU case.
Options and Limitations of the Cognitive Psychological Approach to the Treatment of Dyslexia
Authors: Tønnessen Finn Egil
Published: December 2007

If the field of cognitive psychology is to avoid the use of introspective methods, it must focus on the objective norms or rules for correct performance of cognitive tasks and not on subjective processes. In this manner, the cognitive approach will be more logical than empirical. Cognitive psychology alone is not able to answer the question "Why is it that some people have difficulty following some of the cognitive norms or rules?" Behaviorism and connectionism can make more important contributions here. In the treatment of dyslexia, emphasis must be placed on the fact that reading is a skill that requires both automatization and awareness. To have a flexible and functional combination of these, we must borrow from cognitive psychology, connectionism, and behaviorism.
Foundation-Level Dyslexia
Authors: Seymour Philip H. K. , Evans Henryka M.
Published: December 2007

It is supposed that there is an early, foundation stage in beginning reading during which children acquire basic letter-sound knowledge, a capability for alphabetic processing, and a logographic sight vocabulary. An assessment of foundation processes was administered to Scottish children with reading difficulties (n = 51) and to reading-level-matched controls (n = 56). The results suggested that the foundation is normally in place by the time a reading age of about 7 years has been achieved. Foundation-level dyslexia is identifiable in children with reading difficulty whose reading ages fall below this level. Differing patterns of dyslexia were observed, depending on whether the primary effect was on letter-sound learning (literal dyslexia), the acquisition of the alphabetic process (alphabetic dyslexia), or retention of a sight vocabulary (logographic dyslexia). Balanced dyslexia, in which both alphabetic and logographic functions were impaired, was also found. Some implications for assessment and treatment are discussed.
Kindergarten Prevention of Dyslexia
Authors: Schneider Wolfgang , Ennemoser Marco , Roth Ellen , Küspert Petra
Published: December 2007

This study examined the effects of training in phonological awareness on kindergarten children. Comparisons of children at risk (i.e., children with initially low levels of metalinguistic ability) with initially average and advanced children revealed that training gains were similar for all of these groups. Furthermore, training had comparable long-term effects on reading and spelling in Grades 1 and 2 for each group. In fact, the trained children at risk showed better reading and spelling performance than a randomly selected control group. Although considerable individual differences in training effectiveness were found within the group of at-risk children, there was clear evidence that the training program substantially reduced the risk of becoming dyslexic in school.
Who Benefits From Training in Linguistic Awareness in the First Grade, and What Components Show Training Effects?
Authors: Poskiparta Elisa , Niemi Pekka , Vauras Marja
Published: December 2007

Who among first graders benefit from training in linguistic awareness, and what components of the linguistic awareness are most amenable to training effects? At the beginning of Grade 1 prospective at-risk readers (26 out of 117) were identified on the basis of very low phonological awareness. In the autumn term, they received practice in linguistic awareness. When compared to controls individually matched controls on phonological awareness, listening comprehension, and WISC-R scores, the intervention group showed a more rapid building-up of phonological awareness, especially phoneme-blending ability, as well as superiority in word recognition, spelling, and listening comprehension, which were sustained until the end of Grade 1. Reading comprehension could not be compared because 8 of the 26 controls did not read fluently enough to be tested. The half of the control group with cognitive delays, receiving normal special education instruction, performed consistently worse than their matched pairs in the intervention group. The latter group showed development of phonological awareness, decoding, and spelling equal to that of the cognitively nearly average intervention group and their matched pairs in the control group, who received no additional support. These three groups, originally defined as at-risk readers, performed at the level of other preschool nonreaders at the end of Grade 1. In sum, the children with cognitive delays benefitted from training in linguistic awareness. The results underscore the importance of phoneme synthesis skills in beginning reading and spelling, at least with regular languages.
Effects of Outpatient Treatment of Dyslexia
Authors: van Daal Victor H. P. , Reitsma Pieter
Published: December 2007

The effects of a Dutch intervention program for dyslexia are reported. The program was individually tailored, depending on the style of reading, the phase of the learning process, and the intermediate results of the treatment. Two groups of participants were involved: (a) a group of children with pure dyslexia (n = 109) and (b) a group that had reading problems but also suffered from cognitive deficits or psychiatric symptoms (n = 29). Scores of reading single words and text at intake and after the intervention were analyzed to assess the efficacy of the intervention program. Furthermore, the effects of pre-intervention variables such as intelligence, reported speech, and language problems and of intervention variables such as the initial level of performance and the duration of the treatment were examined. Both groups benefitted from the intervention, but the children with pure dyslexia profited most. Neither of the groups could catch up the reading deficit. Intelligence and reported speech and language problems did not affect the treatment outcomes. Individual differences in treatment outcome were related to the absolute level of word reading and age at intake. In the group with comorbidity, the intervention program was more successful in relatively younger children. Within this group, the cognitive deficits and types of psychiatric problems were not related to the treatment.
The Development of Phonological Abilities and Their Relation to Reading Acquisition
Authors: Aro Mikko , Aro Tuija , Ahonen Timo , Räsänen Tuuli , Hietala Anne , Lyytinen Heikki
Published: December 2007

The relation between phonological abilities and reading acquisition and the interindividual variation in the development of different phonological manipulation skills were assessed for six 7-year-old Finnish nonreaders. Intensive time series data were collected by following the children for 13 months. Assessments were conducted every 4 weeks with five phonological manipulation tests. The results indicated gradual progress at the group level. However, analysis of the individual profiles indicated large interindividual variation in the rate of improvement and in the relation between different manipulation skills and reading acquisition.
Reading and Dual-Task Balancing
Authors: Wimmer Heinz , Mayringer Heinz , Raberger Thomas
Published: December 2007

Nicolson and Fawcett (1990) demonstrated specifically impaired balancing performance of children with dyslexia when balancing had to be done simultaneously with a secondary task. This finding was taken as evidence for a general automatization deficit of children with dyslexia. We attempted to replicate this finding with German children with dyslexia, whose characteristic reading difficulty is a fluency problem quite in correspondence with the automatization deficit explanation. Because we were concerned about a potential confound between dyslexia and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), we also collected teacher ratings on ADHD symptoms. We found that poor dual-task balancing was limited to children with higher ADHD ratings and that children with dyslexia without higher ADHD ratings performed as well on dual-task balancing as age-matched control children. This finding supports the aforementioned confound. Together with other findings from our research group, it supports the position that, even in consistent orthographies, difficulties in learning to read are caused by a specific phonological deficit.
The LD Label for Relatively Well-Functioning Students: A Critical Analysis
Authors: Gordon Michael , Lewandowski Lawrence , Keiser Shelby
Published: December 2007

The number of students identified since the mid-1970s as having learning disabilities has produced a corresponding increase in the population of such individuals in postsecondary programs. The Americans with Disabilities Act, along with Section 504 of the Vocational Rehabilitation Act of 1973, provide the basis for civil rights for students in higher education. These laws protect individuals who have a substantial limitation in a major life activity when compared with the general population. A disparity between the legal definition and the clinical definition of learning disabilities, which can encompass those identified on the basis of academic underachievement relative to intellectual potential, has stimulated debate about the fairest, most appropriate standard for declaring a student functionally impaired. Extending services to individuals without significant academic impairment may tax or even deplete scarce resources for others in greater needs, distort the normal processes by which individuals select careers, and diminish the credibility of the diagnosis itself.
Occupational and Educational Aspirations and Attainment of Young Adults With and Without LD 2 Years After High School Completion
Authors: Rojewski Jay W.
Published: December 2007

A national longitudinal database was used to compare the aspirations and attainment of individuals with and without learning disabilities (LD) 2 years after high school completion. Analyses revealed that individuals with LD reported lower graduation rates, were more likely to aspire to moderate- (men) or low-prestige (women) occupations, and were more likely to be employed and less likely to be enrolled in some type of postsecondary education program than their nondisabled peers. High educational aspirations in Grade 12 and successful completion of an academic or college-prep high school program were equally important in predicting 2-year postsecondary status for adolescents enrolled in postsecondary education regardless of disability status. However, depending on disability status, different predictors were identified for individuals who were either employed or out of the workforce. These results point to a continued need for transition planning and support for young adults with LD and suggest ways in which professionals can anticipate and adjust for identified differences in aspirations and postsecondary attainment.
Comparison of Students Classified as LD Who Petitioned for or Fulfilled the College Foreign Language Requirement
Authors: Sparks Richard L. , Philips Lois , Ganschow Leonore , Javorsky James
Published: December 2007

In this study, we compared the cognitive, academic achievement, and demographic profiles of 46 students from one university who had been classified as learning disabled (LD) and had received permission to substitute courses for the university's foreign language (FL) requirement (petition group) with the profiles of 21 students from the same university who had been classified as LD and had fulfilled the university's FL requirement by passing FL courses (nonpetition group). Results showed no significant differences between the two groups on measures of reading, mathematics, written language, American College Testing score, and graduating grade point average when IQ was used as a covariate. More petition than nonpetition students had at least a 1.0 SD discrepancy between IQ and achievement and had been referred only for FL learning problems. More nonpetition than petition students had taken an FL in college and received accommodations in the FL. The two groups together appeared to constitute a heterogeneous group of learners, with more than half failing to meet a minimum discrepancy criterion for classification as LD. The discussion addresses the classification system for LD, the process for determining the presence of FL learning problems and how to address them, and directions for further research.
Clinical Problem Solving in Micro-Case Management
Authors: Peterson David B.
Published: December 2007

An updated and expanded version of Berven and Scofield's (1980) computer simulation of a clinical scenario in rehabilitation counseling was administered to 65 graduate students in rehabilitation counseling and 30 rehabilitation counseling professionals (criterion group). Cluster analysis of simulation results identified four homogenous groups of graduate students, indicating four different problem-solving approaches: thorough and discriminating, shotgun, constricted, and random. The influence of affective characteristics, as measured by the NEO Five-Factor Inventory and the Repertory Grid Test, on clinical problem-solving behavior was explored; no significant relationships were demonstrated. Implications of the obtained results for future use of computer simulations in rehabilitation counseling education and research were discussed.
A 20-Year Longitudinal Perspective on the Vocational Experiences of Persons with Spinal Cord Injury
Authors: Crewe Nancy M.
Published: December 2007

The vocational experiences of 50 individuals 22 to 45 years after a spinal cord injury are recounted based on interviews conducted in 1974 and 1994. As a group, their work records exceeded that of most samples reported in the literature; all except 7 have engaged in remunerative employment. At the time of the last interview, 58% were working full time and 16% were working part time. Factors that contributed to the vocational accomplishments of this sample include early work experiences, comprehensive rehabilitation services, and work ethic.
The Relationship Between Sense of Coherence and Adjustment in Persons with Disabilities
Authors: Lustig Daniel C. , Rosenthal David A. , Strauser David R. , Haynes Kelly
Published: December 2007

The concepts of salutogenesis and Antonovsky's sense of coherence are introduced. Salutogenesis and sense of coherence are based upon factors (i.e., comprehensibility, manageability, and meaningfulness) that promote health rather than those factors that cause disease. This study investigated the relationship between sense of coherence and adjustment in individuals with a disability (i.e., 89 college students with disabilities). Results indicated a positive correlation between sense of coherence and adjustment (p < .01). The subscales of sense of coherence accounted for 77% of the variance in adjustment, with the meaningfulness subscale accounting for the greatest percentage. The value of these paradigms and implications for rehabilitation counseling are discussed.
The Code of Ethics for Professional Rehabilitation Counselors
Authors: Tarvydas Vilia M. , Cottone R. Rocco
Published: December 2007

This article provides an overview of the ethical and professional trends and concerns that led to the formation of the Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification "Ethics Task Force." This task force has been charged with rewriting the ethical code for rehabilitation counselors. Historical issues, the Commission's ethics review process, and the present code are briefly analyzed. Procedures used by the task force for revising the code are outlined. Code revisions should serve the profession by guiding ethical and professional practice well into the 21st century.
Choice
Authors: Patterson Jeanne Boland , Patrick Adele , Parker Randall M.
Published: December 2007

The concept of choice, which has been inherent in the rehabilitation process since its inception, has evolved into legal mandates and ethical challenges for rehabilitation professionals during the latter part of the 20th century. This article identifies the ethical and legal issues related to choice, summarizes a pilot project on rehabilitation counselors' perceptions of choice, and provides recommendations for rehabilitation professionals in resolving ethical dilemmas related to choice.