bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Social Relationships and Verbal Interactions of Learning Disabled Children
Authors: Bryan Tanis H. 
Published: December 2008

Despite federal regulations which define LD children strictly in terms of intellect and achievement, sensitive observers recognize the social and emotional complications these children face. With increased mainstreaming, the LD child's social skills will be severely tested. Our ability to recognize the nonacademic aspects of LD should provide each child with a more understanding and supportive environment. The series of studies Bryan reviews challenges some stereotypes of the LD child and provides alternative views for teachers and researchers. All readers must recognize that the findings may not represent all LD children, nor does Bryan suggest such. Rather, this work provides an empirical touchstone against which to understand individual pupils and to accomplish increasingly refined experimental work. — G.M.S. A series of research studies is described which investigated the sociometric status, social behavior, and social relationship of learning disabled children in classroom observations and laboratory studies. The results indicate that a significant number of learning disabled children are experiencing difficulty in eliciting positive responses from others and in establishing friendships with peers. It is suggested that social relationships be considered an academic area worthy of the development of interventions strategies to train social skills.
Perspective on Parental Involvement in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Learning Disabled Children
Authors: McLoughlin James A. , Edge Denzil , Strenecky Bernard 
Published: December 2008

The provisions of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act can have a profound impact on parent-teacher relationships. The potential exists for a cooperative effort, as well as for an antagonistic one. This paper argues for the importance of parent-professional cooperation. Recognizing that new relationships often have to be consciously developed, the authors suggest a number of roles which can foster cooperation in educational settings. — G.M.S. Parents should be involved in services for their learning disabled children. In clinics, schools, homes, and communities there are many ways parents and professionals can cooperate more fully. Each phase of the intervention process, from identification through evaluation, offers ample opportunities for parent involvement.
Attention and the EEG Alpha Rhythm in Learning Disabled Children
Authors: Fuller Peter W. 
Published: December 2008

Using several measures of attention, researchers are investigating the ability of LD children to attend to various information while performing different tasks. Technological advances in “reading” EEG (electroencephalogram) brain wave information have made it possible to measure reliably the difference between two persons' brain responses. In light of considerable research showing that the reduction in the percentage of so-called alpha waves relates to attention, this study examines LD children's EEGs for evidence of deficient attentional processes. — G.M.S. Parieto-occipital EEGs were recorded during resting baseline intervals, during an initial instruction period, and during active performance on mental arithmetic and immediate recall tasks to determine if 10 learning disabled boys would show less alpha attenuation than 11 normal controls. Fourier transform power spectral analysis was performed on FM magnetic tape recordings of the EEGs. The logs of the ratio of the average power in each task over the average power in the resting period were then computed. LD boys showed less alpha attenuation than the normal control boys. In addition, control boys responded correctly to more of the problems. Since EEG research has shown attenuation of the parieto-occipital alpha rhythm to be an electrophysiological concomitant of attention, these results support the implication that attention deficits play at least some part in learning disabilities.
The Effects of Special Class Placement on the Self-Concept of Exceptional Children
Authors: Ribner Sol 
Published: December 2008

The impact of placement decisions on a child's self-concept will be a growing concern as mainstreaming efforts increase. A child's feelings of self-worth may vary from setting to setting and from one aspect of life to another. This paper well illustrates that self-concept is a complex entity. As Ribner demonstrates, both research and practice must consider these complexities, especially when the child's self-concept is in question. — G.M.S. The self-concept of minimally brain damaged children in special classes was compared with that of children with similar disabilities who were in the regular grades. Those in regular grades had significantly lower self-concepts in school adequacy but not in general competence. When compared with normal children, both groups of minimally brain damaged children had significantly lower self-concepts in school adequacy, but only those in regular grades held significantly lower self-concepts than normal children in general competence. No relationship was found between self-concept and length of stay in special classes.
Service Delivery to the Handicapped
Authors: Donaldson William S. , Stephens Thomas M. 
Published: December 2008

Subdivisions of the federal government, acting as the implementation agents of Congress, have proliferated beyond the expectations of most knowledgeable persons. As this growth in numbers has taken place, a corresponding increase in the amount of tax dollars required has been experienced. An impressive portion of these support dollars are partitioned by agencies to fund programs that have been approved at the agency's discretion. Competition among bidders for these funds reflects the widespread interest competing institutions have in federal programs and in the various other benefits coming to the successful institution. The process for competing is well documented, and readers of this formidable set of rules and regulations would be correct in assuming that the process is both widely known and accepted. Relying only on this documentation, offerors for federal contracts should conclude that they are entering into a truly competitive arena, one best characterized under the “best contract” maxim. Here, careful review of offers by highly competent experts always discloses the most productive offer at the lowest price to the government. Yet the number of formal appeals to the government's official hearing body continues to grow. Thousands of contract-award protests are filed each year, and this does not take into account the many reluctant, unsuccessful offerors who suspect bias but who elect not to pursue the matter formally. Many highly respected professionals are beginning to feel more inclined to ask questions and to demand definitive answers. This being the case, there must be opportunities for what first appears to be an objective review/award process to become subjective. In examining the federal procurement code and the recent decision of the Government Accounting Office (GAO), inconsistencies and ambiguities are revealed immediately. There are many opportunities for subjectivity, bias, personal preferences, and the like to repudiate the foundation of the federal procurement activity: integrity of the competitive process.
Psychotropic Drugs and Learning Problems—A Selective Review
Authors: Aman Michael G. 
Published: December 2008

Past research into psychotropic drugs can be divided conveniently into laboratory studies that have generally looked at the more immediate effects on learning and follow-up studies that have investigated long-term effects as they pertain to academic attainment. Many of the commonly used drugs in childhood disorders appear to have beneficial effects in the short term and in the laboratory situation, though there are notable exceptions. Long-term assessments, however, have generally been unable to document lasting educational gains due to the psychotropic drugs. Historically the application of diagnostic labels has frequently been inaccurate, giving vent to the false impression that certain drugs are of demonstrated benefit in children with specific learning problems. The research relating to drug effects on academic attainment in children with pronounced learning problems was reviewed. The evidence attesting to educational gains was found to be negligible, and possible directions for future research were indicated.
How Learning Disabled Student's Failure to Attend to Suffixes Affects Their Oral Reading Performance
Authors: Henderson Anne J. , Shores Richard E. 
Published: December 2008

This research trained learning disabled students to attend to suffixes (-ed, -ing) and examined the resulting effects on their oral reading performance. The study indicated that oral reading performance improved when children were trained to correctly read -ed and -ing verb endings. Implications of the research for classroom reading instruction were as follows: (a) pinpointing individual errors was useful in teaching LD children: (b) providing a structured format for teaching the suffixes was effective; and (c) LD students' oral reading performance improved significantly after this instruction. The translation of the teaching methods into classroom practice also are discussed.
A Visual Arts Program for Enhancement of the Body Image
Authors: De Chiara Edith 
Published: December 2008

The purpose of this study was to determine whether a visual arts program related to the human figure would enhance the body-image of children with learning disabilities. Body-image was defined as the integrated mental image one has of one's own body. Four measures of body-image were used: The Human Figure Drawing Test, the Imitation of Postures Test, the Arthur Manikin Test, and the Self-Identification of Body Parts Test in Response to Verbal Instructions. Sixteen boys and four girls from learning disabilities classes participated in the study. The paired subjects were randomly assigned to either the experimental or the control group. The experimental group received training in a program designed to improve the body image. The art program focused on aspects of awareness: body schema, body image, and spatial awareness. A wide variety of media, materials, and techniques were utilized in the production of two- and three-dimensional art forms. Classes met three times a week for one-hour sessions for 24 sessions. Two of the sessions were set aside for pretesting and posttesting. Nonparametric statistics were used for analysis of the data. The results indicated that there were significant differences between the experimental and the control group on three of the body-image measures, which confirmed the hypothesis that through participation in a visual arts program, children with learning disabilities will exhibit a more adequate body image. The results of the Manikin Test were inconclusive.
Effective Use Of A Computer-Managed Instruction Program
Authors: Anderson David O. , Glowinski Debra J. 
Published: December 2008

Linda is a first-grade teacher. This month she is working on initial consonants with her class. She has a whole wall of instructional materials at her disposal, as well as piles of workbooks, worksheets from her last several years of teaching, and the resources of the Chapter 1 office at the district building. Linda sits at her desk and writes out code numbers of the several Initial Consonant Skills that were determined as important by the Chapter 1 staff. Johnny Jones is student 1101, so Linda writes 1101-010101, 1101-010102, 1101--010103. Similarly, she goes through all the students in her classroom, deciding which instructional skills they need to work on next week, listing their student codes and skill codes on the appropriate Skills Request Form. After school, she drives to the local Chapter 1 office to drop off this form. The next morning the secretary at the Chapter 1 office types that list into the Apple computer, prints it out to verify accuracy, then processes that Request File through a specifically developed computer program. An hour later, the computer printer will have printed out a sheet for each student in Linda's class containing up to six instructional activities appropriate for the skills Linda wants the student to work on the next week. Additionally, there will be a printed list of all students assigned to each instructional activity for Linda to use when grouping students during the week. Linda can now concentrate on working individually with her students rather than spending many hours keeping detailed records about her students.
The Search for Subtypes of Specific Learning Disability
Authors: McKinney James D. 
Published: December 2008

This month's Topical Review discusses recent research that has attempted to divide the general population of learning-disabled children into a variety of different subtypes. The research is important because it is the first sustained attempt to deal with one of the most troublesome problems in the field: the heterogeneity of learning-disabled children. Past failure to adequately conceptualize the variability within the LD population has produced heated debates over the “nature” of learning disabilities and has limited progress toward adequate diagnosis and treatment. Although we are still a long way from having an adequate taxonomy of learning disabilities subtypes, the research presented in this review certainly constitutes one of the first steps toward the attainment of that goal.---JKT This paper reviews and evaluates the current research on subtypes of learning-disabled children. Early research on LD subtypes used a clinical inferential approach to subdivide heterogeneous samples of children into various syndromes. More recently, several studies have appeared in which multivariate classification techniques have been used to group children empirically. Collectively, the evidence argues against a “single syndrome” theory of learning disability and demonstrates the feasibility of creating more homogeneous diagnostic groups within this broad and ill-defined category of exceptional children.
The Training of Psycho-Educational Technicians (Para-Professionals) to Administer a Screening Battery Which Delineates Dyslexia and Hyperkinesis
Authors: Hardman Patricia K. 
Published: December 2008

A methodology is described regarding the training of paraprofessionals to administer and score a battery of tests which assesses the areas of intelligence, academics, perception, and behavior. The data could be utilized by the professional diagnostician or educational psychologist to obtain a differential diagnosis of dyslexia and hyperkinesis, i.e., SLD. The training program involved 40 hours of concentrated instruction and 10 participants with varying academic backgrounds and experience. The study indicated that a high percentage of the participants became proficient in the administration and scoring of the battery. These could be expected to test under the direction of a professional diagnostician; thereby increasing the professional's effectiveness and efficiency. The study established no correlation between the participant's previous academic degrees or level of intelligence and the level of proficiency during the training program. A positive correlation existed between the participants who had previous experience with the dyslexic and hyperkinetic child and their level of proficiency attained in the testing program. This positive correlation also existed with participants who were dyslexic or hyperkinetic themselves and the level of proficiency they attained. The study indicated that the training of sufficient numbers of qualified, lower cost, technicians to assist professionals in the preliminary stages of a child's assessment was feasible. This training could be conducted at a lower cost and in a reasonable time frame. This would allow the professional more time for diagnosis, counseling, and prescribing appropriate placement. More children could be addressed at less cost, increasing the probability of early detection, diagnosis, and proper academic placement for dyslexic and hyperkinetic children.
The Effects of a Strategy and Sequenced Materials on the Inferential-Comprehension of Disabled Readers
Authors: Holmes Betty C. 
Published: December 2008

The purpose of this study was to determine whether teaching disabled readers a structured inferencing strategy using materials sequentially arranged from easy to more difficult would improve their ability to answer inferential questions. The subjects consisted of fourth and fifth grade poor readers who were randomly placed in one of four groups—strategy plus materials, strategy only, materials only, control. An analysis of covariance revealed that the strategy plus materials group scored significantly better than the other three groups on experimenter—designed inference questions. In addition, the strategy plus materials group and the materials only group scored significantly better than the control group on a standardized reading test. Results suggest that disabled readers' apparent lack of logical reasoning in answering inferential questions may exist because they do not have a successful strategy for attacking problems. Furthermore, a strategy may be enhanced by the use of materials sequentially arranged from easy to more difficult.
Book Reviews
Authors: Chandler Harry N. 
Published: December 2008

Working With Parents Of Exceptional Children: A Guide For Professionals, By Richard M. Gargiulo, Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1985, 238 pages, $18.95 paperback. Communicating With Parents Of Exceptional Children: Improving Parent Teacher Relationships, By Roger L. Kroth, Denver: Love Publishing Co., 242 pages, $11.95 paperback.
Evidence for relative cortical sparing in benign multiple sclerosis: a longitudinal magnetic resonance imaging study
Authors: Calabrese M , Filippi M , Rovaris M , Bernardi V , Atzori M , Mattisi I , Favaretto A , Grossi P , Barachino L , Rinaldi L , Romualdi C , Perini P , Gallo P 
Published: December 2008

Background Using double inversion recovery (DIR) MRI, cortical lesions can be seen in the brain of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). The burden of such lesions seems to be well correlated with the severity of MS-related disability. Objective To investigate whether the extent of cortical damage in patients with benign MS (BMS) might contribute to explain their favorable clinical status. Methods Forty-eight patients with BMS (Expanded Disability Status Scale [EDSS] score ≤3.0 and disease duration ≥15 years) and 96 patients with non-disabling, early relapsing–remitting (RR) MS (EDSS score ≤3.0 and disease duration ≤5 years) were studied. Brain MRI, including a DIR and a fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) sequence, was acquired at baseline and after 12 months. On DIR images, intracortical (ICL) and cortical-subcortical lesions (CSL) were identified and their number and volume calculated. Total white matter (WM) lesion volume was quantified on FLAIR images. Results Compared with early RRMS, patients with BMS had lower number of ICL at both study time points ( P ≤ 0.001 for both comparisons). At one-year follow-up, a significant increase of ICL and CSL number and total volume was observed only in early patients with RRMS. The number and volume of cortical lesions was not correlated with WM lesion volume. Total ICL number at baseline, total cortical lesion volume at baseline, and total cortical lesion volume change were independent predictors of MS phenotype. Conclusion In patients with BMS, the selective sparing of the cortex from disease-related focal pathology might be one of the factors associated to their favorable clinical status, independently of the (possible) accrual of WM lesions.
Assessing UK drug policy from a crime control perspective
Authors: Reuter Peter , Stevens Alex 
Published: December 2008

Over the entire last quarter of the 20th century the British drug problem worsened, despite the implementation of a variety of approaches and commitment of substantial criminal justice and other resources. The link between chronic use of expensive drugs and property crime makes this experience important for understanding trends in crime and justice in Britain. The worsening of the problem can be seen in the growing number of new heroin users each year over almost the entire period 1975—2000, on top of which was layered, starting in the late 1990s, the first major outbreak of chronic cocaine use. This was not the common pattern in Western Europe over that time and by 2000 the UK had Western Europe's most serious drug problem. One component of the response has been increasing enforcement against drug markets; in just the decade 1994—2005 the number of prison cell years handed out in annual sentences has tripled. Even with this expansion we estimate that the annual probability of incarceration for a class A drug dealer is only approximately 6 per cent. Since 2000 there has also been a massive increase in treatment resources linked to the criminal justice system. The number of treatment assessments in recent years has been as large as 58 per cent of the number of persons estimated to be problematic users of Class A drugs. The government believes that drug policy has contributed to the decline in crime in the UK since 2000. Using what is known about treatment outcomes, we argue that despite impressive evidence of effect on individual level offending, the effect of treatment expansion in reducing overall crime rates is likely to have been limited.
Electrochromic Polymeric Films Derived from (Diphenylamino)phenyl-substituted Metallophthalocyanines
Authors: Kimura Mutsumi , Yasuta Kazumasa , Adachi Naoya , Tatewaki Yoko , Fukawa Tadashi , Shirai Hirofusa 
Published: December 2008

Abstract
Copper and zinc phthalocyanines decorated with four triphenylamines were synthesized and a green film was formed by oxidative linkage between two peripheral triphenylamines. The film deposited onto an ITO electrode exhibited a reversible electrochromic switching among green, red-brown, and blue.
Molecular Recognition Using Dendrimer to Deliver Ti-sources into Reverse Micelle–Water Pool
Authors: Satoh Norifusa , Kamikura Kenta , Yamamoto Kimihisa 
Published: December 2008

Abstract
Molecular delivery using dendrimers has attracted much attention because dendrimers have a uniform molecular size and inner cavities containing small molecules. We describe the delivery of titanium ions into the reverse micelle–water pool using a dendrimer. The size of the Ti-assembling dendrimer was hierarchically recognized by the water pool size of the reverse micelles, resulting in the formation of smaller TiO2 particles than samples obtained without the dendrimer.
Graphitic Porous Carbons Prepared by a Modified Template Method
Authors: Shen Ke , Huang Zheng-Hong , Gan Lin , Kang Feiyu 
Published: December 2008

Abstract
Graphitic porous carbons were prepared by adding FeCl3 into a preliminary water-soluble mixture of poly(vinyl alcohol) and magnesium acetate, followed by carbonization and acid washing. The samples were then characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and N2 adsorption at 77 K. XRD patterns showed that Fe could accelerate carbon graphitization at 1000 °C. Although the MgO particles worked as template, they resulted in the decrease of crystallinity. Thus it is necessary to balance between crystallinity and pore structures for diversified applications.