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Special Education (special + education)
Terms modified by Special Education Selected AbstractsINCLUSIVE AND SPECIAL EDUCATION: Inclusive and special education in the English educational system: historical perspectives, recent developments and future challengesBRITISH JOURNAL OF SPECIAL EDUCATION, Issue 2 2010Alan Hodkinson Special education in England has over the past 25 years been subject to rapid development, not least in relation to the emergence of inclusive education. Alan Hodkinson of the Faculty of Education, Community and Leisure, John Moore's University, critically examines the development of inclusion in England and the barriers that can stall the development of this important educational and societal initiative. He discusses the journey towards inclusion from educational segregation to integration and describes the current Government stance on this important subject. Alan Hodkinson suggests that many of the barriers to effective inclusion are in practice located within the loci of Government, local authorities as well as that of schools. He concludes that it is now time to develop a new vision for the education of children with special educational needs and disabilities that is supported by straightforward, co-ordinated and well-resourced policies. If educational policy is to achieve an inclusive consciousness, it must ensure that the views of children, their families and educational professionals are listened to, and that inclusion is by the choice of the pupils and their parents and not by compulsion. [source] Public-Private Symbiosis in Nashville Special EducationHISTORY OF EDUCATION QUARTERLY, Issue 3 2002Sherman Dorn First page of article [source] Evidence-Based Strategies for Reading Instruction of Older Students with Learning DisabilitiesLEARNING DISABILITIES RESEARCH & PRACTICE, Issue 2 2008Greg Roberts Over a quarter of 8th-grade students and more than one-third of 4th graders do not read well enough to understand important concepts and acquire new knowledge from grade-level text. For students with learning disabilities, the numbers are more troubling. This article describes features of evidence-based instruction for students who continue to struggle with reading in late elementary, middle, and high school. Recommendations are organized into 5 areas that are critical to the reading improvement of older struggling readers: (1) word study, (2) fluency, (3) vocabulary, (4) comprehension, and (5) motivation. Much of the content in this article reflects our efforts with the Special Education and Reading Strands at the National Center on Instruction, funded by the Office of Special Education Programs and the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education. Two reports, both available at http://www.centeroninstruction.org/, have particular relevance,Interventions for Adolescent Struggling Readers: A Meta-Analysis with Implications for Practice and Academic Literacy Instruction for Adolescents: A Guidance Document from the Center on Instruction. [source] A Drop in the Bucket: Randomized Controlled Trials Testing Reading and Math InterventionsLEARNING DISABILITIES RESEARCH & PRACTICE, Issue 2 2005Pamela M. Seethaler The purpose of this study was to determine the proportion of empirical studies published in the last 5 years in a sample of special education peer-reviewed journals that (1) assessed the effects of reading and math interventions with group designs and (2) used random assignment to treatment conditions to test those interventions. A hand search of articles from the Journal of Special Education, Exceptional Children, Learning Disabilities Research & Practice, the Journal of Learning Disabilities, and School Psychology Review yielded 806 relevant articles, of which 5.46 percent tested a reading or math intervention using a group design and 4.22 percent used random assignment. These findings indicate that randomized experimental designs, which offer the highest level of evidence of an intervention's efficacy, are underrepresented in the literature, at least in the area of reading and math interventions. [source] Reexamining the Promise of Parent Participation in Special Education: An Analysis of Cultural and Social CapitalANTHROPOLOGY & EDUCATION QUARTERLY, Issue 3 2010Audrey A. TrainorArticle first published online: 15 SEP 2010 Highly regulated parent participation in special education requires both parents and teachers to use cultural and social capital relative to education legislation, disability, and parenting. Examined through a Bourdieuian analytical lens, data from focus groups and individual interviews with families provide examples of the salience of disability in the acquisition and use of cultural and social capital in educational contexts, serving to both reify dominance and support individual agency.,[special education, Bourdieu, cultural capital, disability] [source] TEACHER EDUCATION: Reflections upon teacher education in severe difficulties in the USA: shared concerns about quantity and qualityBRITISH JOURNAL OF SPECIAL EDUCATION, Issue 2 2009Phyllis Jones In this article, Phyllis Jones of the Department of Special Education at the University of South Florida and Elizabeth West from the University of Washington explore key issues in respect to teacher education for teachers who teach pupils with severe and profound learning difficulties in the USA. Issues relating to quantity and quality of teachers are discussed in the context of policy and practice in the USA. Reflections related to teacher education delivery in the USA, in terms of case-based learning and distance education, for example, and the content of teacher education courses, for example, in terms of helping teachers to understand the needs of pupils with learning difficulties and the promotion of evidence-based practices, are discussed. Phyllis Jones and Elizabeth West suggest that their reflections can contribute to continuing discussions about teacher education in the UK for teachers who work with pupils with severe and profound learning difficulties. [source] 35 YEARS OF BJSE: Personal reflections on 35 years of BJSEBRITISH JOURNAL OF SPECIAL EDUCATION, Issue 4 2008Christina Tilstone Christina Tilstone was, for many years, the editor of BJSE and subsequently became the chair of the Editorial Board for the nasen journals. She is therefore in an excellent position to reflect upon the contribution the journal has made to the field over the past 35 years. In this article, she traces the origins of the journal back over 100 years. She notes the launch of BJSE's ancestor, Special Education: Forward Trends, and shares the contents of the issue of this journal that marked the publication of Mary Warnock's seminal report in 1978 and the development of the notion of inclusion. She goes on to describe the metamorphosis of Special Education: Forward Trends into BJSE in 1985 and soon after that, in 1992, the formation of nasen , still BJSE's sponsoring organisation. Christina Tilstone records the origins of BJSE's valued ,Research Section', now building a substantial archive of educational research papers, and the popular ,Focus on Practice' feature that enables practitioners to share reports of their work. She also notes the role that BJSE's other regular features, ,Book Reviews', ,Politics Page UK' and ,Notes from the SENCo-Forum' (itself now ten years old) have played in the journal's recent national and international success. [source] PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE: Planning for the 2040s: everybody's businessBRITISH JOURNAL OF SPECIAL EDUCATION, Issue 1 2008Peter Mittler As we mark the publication of the 35th issue of the British Journal of Special Education, Peter Mittler, Emeritus Professor of Special Needs Education at the University of Manchester, looks into the future and asks a series of challenging questions: What kind of a future do we want to see for a baby born with a significant disability today? What changes will be needed in society and in our schools both for the child and for the family? What reforms might this year's newly qualified staff bring about in our schools and services and in society as a whole by the time they retire in the 2040s? Professor Mittler proposes that the time is ripe to take advantage of new international and national opportunities to lay the foundations for a society that fully includes disabled people and safeguards their basic human rights. He argues that each one of us can help to determine the values and priorities of the society in which today's baby will grow up and suggests that the Make Poverty History movement has provided powerful evidence that the voice of ordinary citizens can shape policies and set priorities. He encourages us all to think globally and to act locally on a host of issues, including supporting families, planning for transition, promoting quality of life, professional development and challenging inequality. [source] Inclusion: lessons from the childrenBRITISH JOURNAL OF SPECIAL EDUCATION, Issue 2 2005Phyllis Jones Phyllis Jones is assistant professor in the Department of Special Education at the University of South Florida. In this article, she describes the work she did while acting as consultant to an Early Years Childcare Development Partnership (EYCDP) in the north of England. Part of this process entailed developing a Charter for Inclusion for the Partnership. Phyllis Jones and her colleagues decided to draw upon the views of children and designed a picture booklet, with questions, in order to encourage a small group of children, aged between six and 14 years, to talk about inclusion. Parents or primary care workers worked through the booklet with the children, exploring what inclusion may mean for them from general and personal perspectives. A total of 14 booklets were returned, with responses exemplifying the strong contribution children are able to make, not only to the philosophical drive for greater inclusion, but also to our understanding of what helps and hinders inclusive practice. Phyllis Jones reviews those ideas here and also reflects on some of the methodological issues that arise when researching the views of children in innovative and imaginative ways. [source] INCLUSIVE AND SPECIAL EDUCATION: Inclusive and special education in the English educational system: historical perspectives, recent developments and future challengesBRITISH JOURNAL OF SPECIAL EDUCATION, Issue 2 2010Alan Hodkinson Special education in England has over the past 25 years been subject to rapid development, not least in relation to the emergence of inclusive education. Alan Hodkinson of the Faculty of Education, Community and Leisure, John Moore's University, critically examines the development of inclusion in England and the barriers that can stall the development of this important educational and societal initiative. He discusses the journey towards inclusion from educational segregation to integration and describes the current Government stance on this important subject. Alan Hodkinson suggests that many of the barriers to effective inclusion are in practice located within the loci of Government, local authorities as well as that of schools. He concludes that it is now time to develop a new vision for the education of children with special educational needs and disabilities that is supported by straightforward, co-ordinated and well-resourced policies. If educational policy is to achieve an inclusive consciousness, it must ensure that the views of children, their families and educational professionals are listened to, and that inclusion is by the choice of the pupils and their parents and not by compulsion. [source] Current issues in special needs: Special education in the last twenty years: have things really got better?BRITISH JOURNAL OF SPECIAL EDUCATION, Issue 1 2001Peter Farrell Professor Peter Farrell, Professor of Special Needs and Educational Psychology in the Faculty of Education, University of Manchester, addresses three key themes related to the education of pupils with special educational needs: the role of categories in special education; the impact of legislation on assessment procedures; and developments in inclusive education. His considered view is that progress towards more inclusive practice and an enhanced role for parents have brought about positive developments. He is more cautious about the impact of the revised Code of Practice, which, he suggests, perpetuates some of the procedural and bureaucratic burdens associated with the past. [source] Issues related to the diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorders,DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES RESEARCH REVIEW, Issue 2 2007Paul T. Shattuck Abstract This paper explores issues and implications for diagnosis and treatment, stemming from the growing number of children identified with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). Recent developments and innovations in special education and Medicaid programs are emphasized. Eligibility determination policies, innovations in diagnostic practices, the cost and financing of assessment, variability among programs in diagnostic criteria, and racial/ethnic disparities in the timing of diagnosis all influence the capacity of service systems to provide diagnoses in a timely, coordinated, accurate, economical, and equitable manner. There are several barriers to the more widespread provision of intensive intervention for children with ASDs, including lack of strong evidence of effectiveness in scaled-up public programs, uncertainty about the extent of obligations to provide services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, high cost of intervention, and variability among states in their willingness to fund intensive intervention via Medicaid. Innovative policy experiments with respect to financing intensive intervention through schools and Medicaid are being conducted in a number of states. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc. MRDD Research Reviews 2007;13:129,135. [source] Resistant readers 8 months later: energizing the student's learning milieu by targeted counsellingDYSLEXIA, Issue 2 2006Anne Brit Andreassen Abstract Several studies have reported that an alarming large subgroup of poor readers seems to be treatment resistant. This group obviously needs attention beyond standard special education instructions. In Norway, the National Centre for Reading Education and Research has been assigned the task of assisting the school psychological services nationwide in severe cases of reading disabilities. The aim of the present study of a clinical sample of students with severe dyslexia, due to phonological deficits, was to evaluate effects of counselling 8 months after a 2-day assessment at the centre. Sixty-five students, with a mean age of 12.3 years, participated. A thorough assessment of each student's strengths and problems was conducted at the centre. Additional information was obtained from the school psychological services, the teachers, and the parents. Diagnostic reports and proposals for remediation were forwarded to the school psychological services. Students', parents', and teachers' evaluation of the students' reading abilities 8 months after the assessment was retrieved for 75% of cases. Of these, 80% reported clear progress in the students' reading abilities. The progress could not be related to age, cognitive level, place of residence, or previous special education received, but instead to improved motivation. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Identifying Essential Topics in General and Special Education Introductory Assessment TextbooksEDUCATIONAL MEASUREMENT: ISSUES AND PRACTICE, Issue 1 2007Cynthia Campbell We reviewed the five top-selling introductory assessment textbooks in both general and special education to identify topics contained in textbooks and to determine the extent of agreement among authors regarding the essentialness of topics within and across discipline. Content analysis across the 10 assessment textbooks yielded 73 topics related to 13 categories: Decisions, Law, Technical Adequacy, Plan Assessment, Create Assessment, Score Assessment, Assessment Target, Assessment Type, Assessment Method, Interpret Assessment, Communicate Assessment Results, Assessment Population, and Computer-Assisted Assessment. Many of the topics identified were consistent with traditional assessment expectations of general and special education environments, while other, arguably important, topics were not identified as essential. The idea of core assessment topics for all teachers is introduced. [source] THE CONFLICT BETWEEN INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS AND ABSTRACT SYSTEMS IN EDUCATIONEDUCATIONAL THEORY, Issue 2 2007Benjamin Endres Endres uses Anthony Giddens's account of "abstract systems" and "pure" relations to suggest that the tension that teachers face is not only the result of opposing ideologies or philosophies of teaching, but it is the product of conflicting undercurrents in modern social and economic life. Although there is no simple solution to the ambiguous and contested status of teaching, Endres points to two examples of how the interpersonal dimensions of teaching may gain recognition and support by the institutional system of schooling: research on the effects of class size and legal guarantees for individualized educational plans in the area of special education. He concludes by emphasizing the particular challenge of cultivating interpersonal relations for the most disadvantaged students. [source] The Impact of Childhood Epilepsy on Neurocognitive and Behavioral Performance: A Prospective Longitudinal StudyEPILEPSIA, Issue 4 2000Laura L. Bailet Summary: Purpose: To assess neurocognitive and behavioral performance in children with idiopathic epilepsy (CWE, n = 74), their siblings without epilepsy (control, n = 23), and children with migraine (CWM, n = 13), and to identify medical factors related to learning or behavioral problems in CWE. Methods: Subjects, ages 8,13 years with IQs of ,80, completed a neurocognitive test battery annually for ,3 years. For CWE, age at seizure onset, most recent EEG results, seizure type, seizure frequency, current antiepileptic drug (AED), and most recent AED serum levels were documented at each visit. Results: CWE and CWM had high rates of grade retention and placement in special education compared with sibling controls. CWE performed worse than controls on numerous neurocognitive variables. These differences persisted over time. CWE with abnormal EEGs scored lower than CWE with normal EEGs on reading and spelling measures, even with comparable IQs. Age at seizure onset, seizure type, and seizure frequency were not related to neurocognitive or behavioral test scores. CWE taking carbamazepine (CBZ) performed better than CWE taking valproate (VPA) on academic achievement measures, although the study lacked controls necessary to assess this finding thoroughly. CWM did not differ from CWE or controls in cognitive or academic achievement skills. Conclusions: Long-term risk of learning problems exists among CWE as compared with controls, even with normal IQs and well-controlled seizures. Predicting learning problems in CWE based on medical factors remains elusive. Monitoring of educational progress and neurocognitive screening may be most effective in assessing academic risk for CWE. [source] Depression among mothers of children and adults with an intellectual disability in TurkeyINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF NURSING PRACTICE, Issue 3 2010Hatice Yildirim Sari PhD RN Yildirim Sari H, Ba,bakkal Z. International Journal of Nursing Practice 2010; 16: 248,253 Depression among mothers of children and adults with an intellectual disability in Turkey The aim of this study was to determine sociodemographic factors that play a role in depression among mothers of children and adult with an intellectual disability. The research was conducted in 24 special education and rehabilitation centres in Izmir (in Turkey) provincial centre in which intellectually disabled individuals are taught. A total of 355 mothers were reached in the research. Data were collected using face-to-face interviews. Two forms were used for data collection in the research: Family Description Questionnaire Form and Beck Depression Inventory. The mothers included in the study had mean depression scores of 16.7 ± 10.06 (minimum: 0, maximum: 49). There was a significant relation between depression scores of the mothers and education level of the mothers and their spouses and financial status of the families. Mothers with insufficient income and lower education levels were found to be at risk of depression. [source] Comparison of the WAIS-III and WISC-IV in 16-Year-Old Special Education StudentsJOURNAL OF APPLIED RESEARCH IN INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES, Issue 2 2010Shirley Gordon Background, Previous research with earlier versions of the WISC and WAIS has demonstrated that when administered to people who have intellectual disabilities, the WAIS produced higher IQ scores than the WISC. The aim of this study was to examine whether these differences still exist. A comparison of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale , Third Edition (WAIS-III) with the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children , Fourth Edition (WISC-IV) was conducted with individuals who were 16 years old and receiving special education. Materials and Methods, All participants completed the WAIS-III (UK) and WISC-IV (UK). The order of administration was counterbalanced; the mean Full Scale IQ and Index scores on the WAIS-III and WISC-IV were compared. Results, The WAIS-III mean Full Scale IQ was 11.82 points higher than the mean Full Scale IQ score on the WISC-IV. Significant differences were also found between the Verbal Comprehension Index, Perceptual Reasoning/Organization Index and Processing Speed Index on the WAIS-III and WISC-IV, all with the WAIS-III scoring higher. Conclusions, The findings suggest that the WAIS-III produces higher scores than the WISC-IV in people with intellectual disabilities. This has implications for definitions of intellectual disability and suggests that Psychologists should be cautious when interpreting and reporting IQ scores on the WAIS-III and WISC-IV. [source] A Functionally Focused Curriculum for Children with Profound Multiple Disabilities: a Goal AnalysisJOURNAL OF APPLIED RESEARCH IN INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES, Issue 2 2004Annette Van Der Putten Background, This study analysed goals formulated in a functionally focused curriculum called Mobility Opportunities Via EducationÔ (MOVE). Method, The subjects were 49 children with profound multiple disabilities (PMD) who attended a centre for special education where the MOVE curriculum was implemented. Each goal was analysed to see whether or not it was formulated in terms of concrete skills. Furthermore, each goal was analysed for its objective, and it was decided whether or not the goal focused on the child's interests. The three aspects were analysed separately, so the percentages cannot be added up. Results, Ninety-six per cent of the goals were formulated in terms of concrete skills. With regard to the objectives, 53% of the goals dealt with mobility skills and 23% were related to social functioning. Only 14% of the goals dealt with aspects related to care. In 52% of the analysed goals, it was made clear what the interest of the child was. Conclusions, Goals formulated for children with PMD by a curriculum that is based on functionality did not completely satisfy theoretical principles. This can be partially explained because the concept of functionality is a broad and unspecific notion that can be implemented in various ways. [source] Working memory functioning in children with learning disabilities: does intelligence make a difference?JOURNAL OF INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY RESEARCH, Issue 1 2009C. Maehler Abstract Background Children with learning disabilities are identified by their severe learning problems and their deficient school achievement. On the other hand, children with sub-average school achievement and sub-average intellectual development are thought to suffer from a general intellectual delay rather than from specific learning disabilities. The open question is whether these two groups are characterised by differences in their cognitive functioning. The present study explored several functions of working memory. Method A working memory battery with tasks for the phonological loop, the visual,spatial sketchpad and central executive skills was presented in individual sessions to 27 children with learning disabilities and normal IQ (ICD-10: mixed disorders of scholastic skills), 27 children with learning disabilities and low IQ (intellectual disabilities), and a control group of 27 typically developing children with regular school achievement levels and normal IQ. Results The results reveal an overall deficit in working memory of the two groups with learning disabilities compared with the control group. However, unexpectedly, there were no differences between the two groups of children with disabilities (normal vs. low IQ). Conclusions These findings do not support the notion of different cognitive functioning because of differences in intelligence of these two groups. In the ongoing discussion about the role of intelligence (especially as to the postulated discrepancy between intelligence and school achievement in diagnosis and special education), our findings might lead to rethinking the current practice of treating these two groups as fundamentally different. [source] ICF-CY: A Universal Tool for Documentation of DisabilityJOURNAL OF POLICY AND PRACTICE IN INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES, Issue 2 2009Rune J. Simeonsson Abstract The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health,ICF (ICF-CY) conceptual framework offers a new paradigm and taxonomy of human functioning disability, which can be used to guide holistic and interdisciplinary approaches to assessment and intervention. In settings serving children, youth, or adults with disabilities, the ICF-CY can provide comprehensive documentation of its involvement in special education and rehabilitation. Implementation of the ICF-CY in early intervention, special education, and habilitation settings should build on the adoption of the dimensional framework for practice and corresponding applications in assessment and intervention practices. An important priority in such applications is the identification and development of instruments and assessment tools that can provide evidence for assigning severity levels to ICF-CY codes. [source] Intellectual Disability in the Context of a South African PopulationJOURNAL OF POLICY AND PRACTICE IN INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES, Issue 2 2008Jennifer Kromberg Abstract, Childhood disabilities, including intellectual disabilities (ID), are thought to occur in 5,17% of children in developing countries around the world. In order to identify and describe the childhood disabilities occurring in a rural South African population, as well as the context in which they occur, a study was carried out in the Bushbuckridge district in the poor northeast part of the country. Altogether, 6,692 children were screened in their homes in eight villages using the Ten Questions questionnaire. This questionnaire was used by local-trained field-workers in interviews with mothers and other carers, to screen children for five disorders (viz., intellectual, hearing, visual and movement disorders, and epilepsy). Altogether, 722 (10.8% of the total sample) children, who screened positive, were examined at clinics in their villages by a pediatrician for diagnostic, treatment, and referral purposes. In addition, 100 traditional healers in the district were interviewed with a specially designed schedule of questions to assess their attitudes toward disabilities and their management of affected children. The results showed that 291 (4.3%) children had at least one of the five disabilities. ID occurred in 3.6%, epilepsy in 0.7%, visual disorders in 0.5%, movement disorders in 0.5%, and hearing disorders in 0.3%. More boys than girls with hearing disorders were receiving special education. Many of the affected children were not receiving treatment or education, resulting in a reduction in their quality of life. Traditional healers were attempting to treat epilepsy and seldom referred affected children to hospital, although effective treatment was available there. Genetic factors were involved in about half the conditions, but genetic services were negligible. Appropriate health, diagnostic, treatment, educational, and supportive services are required for children with disabilities, and awareness of their needs and the resources to meet them should be increased in this community. [source] Medicaid's Role in Financing Health Care for Children With Behavioral Health Care Needs in the Special Education System: Implications of the Deficit Reduction ActJOURNAL OF SCHOOL HEALTH, Issue 10 2008David S. Mandell ScD ABSTRACT Background:, Recent changes to Medicaid policy may have unintended consequences in the education system. This study estimated the potential financial impact of the Deficit Reduction Act (DRA) on school districts by calculating Medicaid-reimbursed behavioral health care expenditures for school-aged children in general and children in special education in particular. Methods:, Medicaid claims and special education records of youth ages 6 to 18 years in Philadelphia, PA, were merged for calendar year 2002. Behavioral health care volume, type, and expenditures were compared between Medicaid-enrolled children receiving and not receiving special education. Results:, Significant overlap existed among the 126,533 children who were either Medicaid enrolled (114,257) or received special education (27,620). Medicaid-reimbursed behavioral health care was used by 21% of children receiving special education (37% of those Medicaid enrolled) and 15% of other Medicaid-enrolled children. Total expenditures were $197.8 million, 40% of which was spent on the 5728 children in special education and 60% of which was spent on 15,092 other children. Conclusions:, Medicaid-reimbursed behavioral health services disproportionately support special education students, with expenditures equivalent to 4% of Philadelphia's $2 billion education budget. The results suggest that special education programs depend on Medicaid-reimbursed services, the financing of which the DRA may jeopardize. [source] A Tiered Intervention Model for Early Vocabulary Instruction: The Effects of Tiered Instruction for Young Students At Risk for Reading DisabilityLEARNING DISABILITIES RESEARCH & PRACTICE, Issue 3 2010Paige C. Pullen Vocabulary knowledge at school entry is a robust predictor of later reading achievement. Many children begin formal reading instruction at a significant disadvantage due to low levels of vocabulary. Until recently, relatively few research studies examined the efficacy of vocabulary interventions for children in the early primary grades (e.g., before fourth grade), and even fewer addressed vocabulary intervention for students at increased risk for reading failure. In more recent work, researchers have begun to explore ways in which to diminish the "meaningful differences" in language achievement noted among children as they enter formal schooling. This article provides a review of a particularly effective model of vocabulary intervention based on shared storybook reading and situates this model in a context of tiered intervention, an emerging model of instructional design in the field of special education. In addition, we describe a quasi-experimental posttest-only study that examines the feasibility and effectiveness of the model for first-grade students. Participants were 224 first-grade students of whom 98 were identified as at risk for reading disability based on low levels of vocabulary. Results of a multivariate analysis of variance revealed significant differences on measures of target vocabulary knowledge at the receptive and context level, suggesting that students at risk for reading failure benefit significantly from a second tier of vocabulary instruction. Implications for classroom practice as well as future research are provided. [source] Learning Disabilities in Taiwan: A Case of Cultural Constraints on the Education of Students with DisabilitiesLEARNING DISABILITIES RESEARCH & PRACTICE, Issue 3 2007Shih-Jay Tzeng Learning disabilities (LD) has been recognized as a category of special education in Taiwanese law since 1984, and policies ensure educational services for children and youth who have LD. The official definition and identification criteria established in Taiwan's laws closely correspond with those of the United States, but practice differs, largely influenced by the people's cultural and linguistic background. I discuss these legal and cultural features as well as other matters (e.g., growth and change in professional literature on LD). Compared to economically developed countries such as the United States, the educators in Taiwan implement identification procedures, placement, and services at a lower cost. Contents of implementation are introduced in detail. The prevalence rate of LD has been very low (<1 percent). I examine culture- and/or society-specific reasons for low prevalence, such as Chinese orthography, regular teachers' compliance with referral procedures, the education-first belief of parents, and problems with identification procedures. [source] A Drop in the Bucket: Randomized Controlled Trials Testing Reading and Math InterventionsLEARNING DISABILITIES RESEARCH & PRACTICE, Issue 2 2005Pamela M. Seethaler The purpose of this study was to determine the proportion of empirical studies published in the last 5 years in a sample of special education peer-reviewed journals that (1) assessed the effects of reading and math interventions with group designs and (2) used random assignment to treatment conditions to test those interventions. A hand search of articles from the Journal of Special Education, Exceptional Children, Learning Disabilities Research & Practice, the Journal of Learning Disabilities, and School Psychology Review yielded 806 relevant articles, of which 5.46 percent tested a reading or math intervention using a group design and 4.22 percent used random assignment. These findings indicate that randomized experimental designs, which offer the highest level of evidence of an intervention's efficacy, are underrepresented in the literature, at least in the area of reading and math interventions. [source] "How Come Nobody Told Me?"LEARNING DISABILITIES RESEARCH & PRACTICE, Issue 1 2002Fostering Self-Realization Through a High School English Curriculum Through collaboratively designed qualitative inquiry, we investigated the responses of high school students with learning disabilities to a teacher's intervention intended to promote self-realization, a fundamental component of self-determination. Activities were embedded within the general English curriculum and delivered in a special education classroom over the course of an academic year. Several themes emerged from analysis of student interviews, student responses to writing prompts and surveys, a teacher journal, and student portfolio pieces. Silence and misconceptions were prevalent in student experiences. However, through the intervention students acquired information that helped them make sense of their school experiences, redefine themselves in positive ways, and take small steps toward greater self-advocacy within their current school setting. The mediating influence of positive adult voices and concerns about social stigma were evident in students' responses, which prompted us to question teachers' and families' responsibilities for engaging young people in dialogue about special education and disability. [source] Effectiveness of using a computer to improve attention to visual analysis activities of five preschool children with disabilitiesOCCUPATIONAL THERAPY INTERNATIONAL, Issue 1 2000Maria Del Pilar Cardona Abstract This study used a single-subject reversal research design to examine the effectiveness of using a computer to improve attention to visual analysis activities in five preschool children with disabilities in a special education programme. Baseline levels of attention to task behaviours were measured during the performance of fine motor tabletop visual analysis activities of matching, requiring shape recognition, counting, free drawing, and size and colour discrimination. During the intervention phase, computer-based visual analysis activities were introduced. Results suggest that each child's attention to task performance improved during the computer-based activities, when measured by the number of distractions, although sitting tolerance and visual attention to the task did not change. The findings of this study, although limited to five participants with developmental disabilities, suggest that the students were interested and motivated to engage in computer-based activities. More research is needed to examine a longer intervention phase and the effectiveness of computer-based intervention in natural settings such as a classroom. Copyright © 2000 Whurr Publishers Ltd. [source] Potential utility of actuarial methods for identifying specific learning disabilitiesPSYCHOLOGY IN THE SCHOOLS, Issue 6 2010Nicholas Benson This article describes how actuarial methods can supplant discrepancy models and augment problem solving and Response to Intervention (RTI) efforts by guiding the process of identifying specific learning disabilities (SLD). Actuarial methods use routinized selection and execution of formulas derived from empirically established relationships to make predictions that fall within a plausible range of possible future outcomes. In the case of SLD identification, the extent to which predictions are reasonable can be evaluated by their ability to categorize large segments of the population into subgroups that vary considerably along a spectrum of risk for academic failure. Although empirical comparisons of actuarial methods to clinical judgment reveal that actuarial methods consistently outperform clinical judgment, multidisciplinary teams charged with identifying SLD currently rely on clinical judgment. Actuarial methods provide educators with an empirically verifiable indicator of student need for special education and related services that could be used to estimate the relative effects of exclusionary criteria. This indicator would provide a defensible endpoint in the process of identifying SLD as well as a means of informing and improving the SLD identification process. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Evidence-based early reading practices within a Response to Intervention systemPSYCHOLOGY IN THE SCHOOLS, Issue 5 2010Bill Bursuck Many students who experience reading failure are inappropriately placed in special education. A promising response to reducing reading failure and the overidentification of students for special education is Response to Intervention (RTI), a comprehensive early detection and prevention system that allows teachers to identify and support struggling readers early, before they fail. A key component of RTI is the implementation of evidence-based reading practices within a multitiered framework. School psychologists are increasingly being asked to lead or be members of RTI building teams. As such, they can play an important role in assuring that evidence-based practices in reading are implemented with integrity. The purpose of this article is to provide a framework for judging the extent to which early reading instruction within a multitier RTI system is evidence based. Key evidence-based practices related to the content, design, and delivery of early reading instruction are described. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] | ||||||||||||||||