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Special Education Services (special + education_services)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Medical Sciences	50%

Selected Abstracts

Low vision services in South Devon: a multi-agency, multi-disciplinary approach,

OPHTHALMIC AND PHYSIOLOGICAL OPTICS, Issue 4 2004
John Collins
Abstract Since 1994, the Low Vision Service in South Devon has been provided by a multi-agency, multi-disciplinary team. The team comprises of staff from Devon Social Services Sensory Team, Optima Low Vision Services Ltd, Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB) Manor House, Devon and Torbay Special Education Services and South Devon Healthcare Trust. In the 9 years of operation this service has been independently audited twice for patient satisfaction levels and compliance level in the use of low vision aids (LVAs). The results of the most recent service audit questionnaire reveal a high and constant patient satisfaction level with 92% of patients who answered the question reporting that the service was sufficient to meet their needs. The number of patients who used LVAs at least weekly was 88% of those answering the question. Plans for the future expansion of the service include the further development of interdisciplinary working. [source]

A population-based study of the recurrence of developmental disabilities , Metropolitan Atlanta Developmental Disabilities Surveillance Program, 1991,94

PAEDIATRIC & PERINATAL EPIDEMIOLOGY, Issue 1 2005
Kim Van Naarden Braun
Summary Serious developmental disabilities (DD) are quite common and affect approximately 2% of all school-aged children. The impact of DDs with respect to the need for special education services, medical care and the demand on family members can be enormous. While this impact can be magnified for families with more than one child with a DD, little is known regarding the epidemiology of recurrence of DDs. When the cause of a DD is unknown, genetic counsellors rely on recurrence risk estimates which for DDs are over 10 years old. The objectives of our study were to: (1) assess the contribution of recurrent cases to the prevalence of DDs; (2) provide current, population-based recurrence risk estimates; and (3) examine characteristics of the first affected child as predictors of recurrence. Two population-based data sources were used to identify all children born to the same mother during the period 1981,91 in the five-county metropolitan Atlanta area with at least one of four DDs: mental retardation (MR), cerebral palsy, hearing loss, or vision impairment. Recurrence risk estimates for these DDs ranged from 3% to 7% and were many times higher than the background prevalences. The risk of recurrence of DDs was greatest for MR , approximately eight times greater than the baseline MR prevalence. Isolated mild MR (IQ 50,70) was highly concordant between siblings with MR. Sex, race, and birthweight of the index child, maternal education, and maternal age were not significantly associated with recurrence risk. Further research is needed to investigate the roles of genetic and environmental factors on the recurrence of DDs, particularly isolated mild MR. [source]

Factorial validity of the Reynolds Intellectual Assessment Scales for referred students

PSYCHOLOGY IN THE SCHOOLS, Issue 10 2009
A. Alexander Beaujean
The Reynolds Intellectual Assessment Scales (RIAS) is a recently developed, individually administered psychometric instrument designed to measure general cognitive ability, as well as verbal (crystallized) intelligence, nonverbal (fluid) intelligence, and memory. Test reviewers have recommended the use of the RIAS despite the fact that, although the RIAS has been in circulation for more than four years, there is a paucity of independent research published about its psychometric properties. The purpose of the current study was to examine the factor structure of the RIAS across three samples of school-age children: the RIAS norming sample; the data reported by Nelson, Canivez, Lindstrom, and Hatt; and a new, independent sample of students referred for special education services. Using confirmatory factor analytic techniques, this study found that a two-factor model, positing verbal and nonverbal factors, fit all three data sets better than a one-factor model. Furthermore, the two-factor model demonstrated partial measurement invariance across the three samples, although the verbal factor showed much stronger invariance, construct reliability, and overall interpretability than did the nonverbal factor. Implications of this study for practitioners are discussed. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source]

Sources of variance in curriculum-based measures of silent reading

PSYCHOLOGY IN THE SCHOOLS, Issue 4 2003
Rachel Brown-Chidsey
Curriculum-Based Measurement silent reading (CBM-SR) items have been found to be reliable and valid for measuring reading comprehension skills This generalizability study reports the findings from administration of three CBM-SR passages to fifth through eighth grade students in one school district. Using Repeated Measures Analyses of Variance (RMANOVA) procedures, the statistical probability of performance on the CBM-SR task as a differential indicator of reading comprehension skill was found to be significant among students in different grade levels and between students who did and did not receive special education services. Follow-up analyses were conducted using generalizability theory to estimate the amount of variance in CBM-SR scores from individual score differences, grade levels, and special education status. The results indicated that on two of the passages, variability in CBM-SR scores came primarily from grade level differences in scores on the tasks, while on the third passage, the differences were most attributable to individual differences in scores, regardless of grade level or special education services. Implications for the use of CBM-SR items for routine assessment of students' reading skills are discussed. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 40: 363,377, 2003. [source]