Impaired Adolescents Research Articles

Neuropsychological function and psychosocial deficit in adolescents with chronic neurological impairment

Research on childhood chronic illness suggests that children with brain-related conditions show elevated risk for psychosocial maladjustment. This study explored how neuropsychological dysfunction might contribute to such maladjustment in adolescents with chronic neurological impairment. Comprehensive neuropsychological assessments were conducted with 31 impaired adolescents and 16 contrast subjects with negative neurologic histories. Groups were balanced on age, socioeconomic status, and race. Psychosocial functioning was assessed via the Achenbach Child Behavior Checklist, Woodcock-Johnson achievement, and work history. The neurological group demonstrated lower scores on almost all neuropsychological indices, more internalizing symptoms, and lower reading and math achievement. Memory continued to distinguish the two groups when IQ was controlled. Neuropsychological indices showed strong relationships to psychosocial adjustment, but these were not independent of IQ. Findings point to the broad effects of neuropsychological dysfunction on psychosocial adjustment in neurologically impaired adolescents but do not support the contribution of specific neuropsychological domains as opposed to a general ability factor.

Amplifying Pragmatics: A Decade Later

Despite advances in technology and educational methods, it is obvious that for many hearing impaired adolescents, normal communication is not a reality. Clinicians who work with these childr.en are aware of their communication problems which extend beyond limitations in syntax, semantics and phonology. Hearing impaired children exhibit deficits in the full range of pragmatic communication behaviours. The communicative skills of these teenagers suggest the need for stressing communicative competence at the preschool and elementary-school levels. Developing these abilities requires the careful coordination of amplification and teaching strategies. These papers will present information regarding the integration of amplification and teaching techniques in order to help hearing impaired children develop pragmatic communication skills, including the full range of communicative functions, strategies for effective maintenance of conversations, clarification strategies, and social appropriateness. Attention will be given to bridging the gap from amplification systems and teaching methods in the classroom to personal hearing aid use and communication in the “real world”.

The Use of Drama to Help Visually Impaired Adolescents Acquire Social Skills

A four-day developmental drama workshop was held at a rehabilitation center for blind persons. The purpose of the workshop was to create an enjoyable experience for 12 visually impaired adolescents and to test whether the dramatic process could enhance this group's acquisition of social skills. Pretest-posttest measures were taken to detect changes in behavior that may have been the result of the drama program.

Instructional factors related to hearing impaired adolescents' interest in science

Instructional factors related to hearing impaired adolescents' interest in science

Using Short-Term Group Counseling with Visually Impaired Adolescents

This article presents a study of the extent to which group counseling enhanced the self-concept of congenitally visually impaired adolescents. The researchers developed a training method using group procedures to help visually impaired teenagers cultivate a well-rounded self-concept. Group sessions focused on such topics as self-perception, assertiveness, friendship, familial relationships, and independent living skills. Pretreatment posttreatment evaluations revealed that the experimental group members’ self-concept, attitudes toward blindness, and internality improved significantly because of group counseling.

The Training and Generalisation of Conversation Skills with Moderately to Severely Handicapped Adolescents

This study utilised a Direct Instruction methodology to test the efficacy of small group social skills training on the acquisition and generalisation of conversational skills of three moderately to severely intellectually impaired adolescents. The results indicated a general increase in the conversational behaviour of the participants over the course of the intervention and that for two of the participants these changes generalised to a new setting with new conversational partners.

Parent—Child Problem-Solving Interactions in Families of Visually Impaired Youth

Investigated problem-solving and conflict-resolution strategies, an important aspect of family functioning, in visually impaired adolescents and their parents. Visually impaired adolescents were compared to adolescents with spina bifida and a control group of adolescents without disabilities. Parent-adolescent dyads participated in a problem-solving discussion of topics reflecting family disagreement. Videotapes of these discussions were rated for patterns of interaction using the Marital Interaction Coding System (MICS-III). Examination of positive and negative reciprocal patterns of interaction using sequential analyses and contrasting frequencies of specific behavioral codes revealed no differences between groups for adolescents, mothers, and fathers on the problem-solving discussion. Results are discussed in terms of (a) the impact of visual impairment on family functioning and (b) the need to identify those subgroups of visually impaired and their families that may be at heightened risk for maladjustment.

The training and generalisation of conversation skills with moderately to severely handicapped adolescents

This study utilised a Direct Instruction methodology to test the efficacy of small group social skills training on the acquisition and generalisation of conversational skills of three moderately to severely intellectually impaired adolescents. The results indicated a general increase in the conversational behaviour of the participants over the course of the intervention and that for two of the participants these changes generalised to a new setting with new conversational partners.

Creative Group Songwriting

Songwriting with adolescents has proven to be an effective technique in developing group cohesiveness, enhancing self-expression, increasing self-esteem, and developing insight into feelings and needs, both of self and of others. Songwriting has been used with a variety of populations, but the primary emphasis has been primarily on lyric writing. This paper explains one approach to songwriting, “Creative Group Songwriting,” in which groups of emotionally impaired adolescents were given opportunities not only to write lyrics but also to compose their own music. An overview of the characteristics and needs of emotionally impaired adolescents is provided followed by a review of research and literature in therapeutic songwriting techniques as well as song composition in general. After describing the structure used in sessions, Creative Group Songwriting is divided info six steps, each of which is described in terms of procedures and objectives. Three group case examples are presented.

The Bender-Gestalt as a method of personality assessment with adolescents.

Normative data are presented for two Bender-Gestalt scoring systems with a sample of "normal" controls (n = 150), emotionally disturbed (n = 140), and mentally retarded/neurologically impaired (MR/NI) adolescents (n = 47), aged 12 to 17 years. The results failed to support the use of Hutt's (1985) Psychopathology Scale and Adolescent Configuration in differentiating the "normal" and emotionally disturbed groups, but did support their use in differentiating the MR/NI group from the other two. The Hutt scores also were found to be related inversely to age and IQ. By contrast, the Koppitz scores differentiated the three groups from each other and were not related significantly to IQ. The results supported limited use of Koppitz's (1975) Emotional Indicators as a "sign" approach to brief screening for emotional disturbance in adolescents.

Hearing impaired adolescents' signed and written expression of locative state relations

ABSTRACTHearing impaired adolescents from three schools were asked to produce sentences expressing simple locative state relations. Subjects varied on three hearing levels, two ages, and the use or nonuse of sign language. All subjects wrote English sentences to describe pictures; signers also described pictures in sign. Data were analyzed using chi-square procedures. Errors of noun reversal and pragmatic focus were apparent in 7% of the signed responses and 15% of the written responses. Errors were produced by subjects at each age and hearing level, and by signers and nonsigners as well. Most errors were produced by profoundly hearing impaired signers attending public day school (as compared to residential school). Implications for instruction and for further research are discussed.

Mathematics achievement of hearing impaired adolescents in different placements.

This study, involving 215 students and 63 teachers, addressed three concerns related to mainstreaming for hearing imparied students: the selection process, the difference between a mainstream placement with an interpreter and a self-contained placement, and the quality of the educational experience. Almost half of the variance in achievement between the two settings is described. Three conclusions can be drawn. First, student background factors are a primary determinant of achievement. Second, mainstreaming with an interpreter has no specific effect on achievement for hearing impaired students. Third, the quality of instruction is the prime determinant of achievement, regardless of placement.

Adolescent Physical Fitness: A Comparative Study

This study compares the physical fitness of 283 segregated resident (SR), 64 segregated nonresident (SN), and 137 integrated (IN) visually impaired subjects aged 10 to 17 years. Subjects were considered visually impaired if they met criteria for either partial sightedness or legal blindness. All subjects were administered the UNIQUE Physical Fitness Test. Test items included sum of the triceps and subscapular skinfolds, sum of right and left hand grip strength, sit and reach, sit-ups, 50-yard dash, and long distance run. Data were analyzed using multivariate ( p< .05) and univariate (p< .01) ANCOVA techniques. Educational environment, age, and gender served as independent variables, and severity of visual impairment served as the sole covariate. Results indicated that educational environment was a significant factor on four of the six items in the battery. Findings suggest that the physical fitness status of visually impaired adolescents may be influenced by their educational environment.

The Bender-Gestalt with adolescents: comparison of two scoring systems.

The present study was designed to evaluate the relative efficacy of two different scoring systems (Koppitz, 1975; Lacks, 1984) for use in evaluating Bender-Gestalt performance by adolescents. Normative data are presented for the two scoring systems with a sample of "normal" controls (N = 150), emotionally disturbed (N = 140), and mentally retarded/neurologically impaired adolescents (N = 47), aged 12-17. Results suggested that age and psychopathology were not related to the quality of the Bender-Gestalt reproductions of these subjects. An inverse relationship was found between cognitive ability and visual motor skills. Data obtained from these samples of adolescents showed a high degree of consistency between the scoring systems, which suggests that either scoring procedure is suitable for evaluating the Bender-Gestalt performance of adolescents.

HEARING IMPAIRED ADOLESCENTS' COMPREHENSION OF ANAPHORIC RELATIONSHIPS WITHIN CONJOINED SENTENCES

Thirty-two hearing impaired adolescents were administered a test instrument assessing comprehension of three anaphoric forms within conjoined sentences: repeated noun, personal pronouns, and null form. The null form was presented in two semantic environments. One environment allowed use of the object-subject deletion rule, a deviant rule found in the language of some hearing impaired students. In this environment, use of the deviant rule produced a conceptually acceptable event. Use of the deviant rule in the second environment, however, produced a conceptually unacceptable event. The null form anaphora in the semantically acceptable environment was significantly more difficult than the other anaphora. Implications for teaching language and development of reading materials for hearing impaired students are discussed.

A Vocational Readiness and Independent Living Skills Program for Psychiatrically Impaired Adolescents

The opportunity for learning vocational and inde- pendent living skills is limi~ed for psychiatrically impaired adolescents. Few resources exist in local public education s stems to (Y meet their unique needs. A vocational readiness and in ependent living skills (VRIL) training program has been developed to address the needs of clients aged 12 to 18 years who are enrolled in a combination long term residential treatment and specialized education program. The VRIL's program is based on systems theory which integrates structured learning activities with the client's daily living and treatment regime. A case study illustrates the VRIL's program effectiveness with one chronically psychiatrically impaired adolescent in ,the development and maintenance of vocational readiness and independent living skills.

The ways of the hand : a study of hand function among blind, visually impaired and visually impaired multi-handicapped children and adolescents

This article describes a study of the manual development of 148 blind, visually impaired and visually impaired multi-handicapped children and adolescents between the ages of three and nineteen. The study was undertaken to determine the extent to which object manipulation, tool use and speech express active interaction and communication within the environment. Both manual function and speech depend upon interaction for their optimal development. The data derived from questionnaires confirmed the importance of interaction. The data also showed an inverse relationship between object manipulation and stereotypic hand mannerisms.

Hearing-impaired children in Venezuela

The first Venezuelan Survey of Deaf Children during the 1984-85 school year was a collaborative effort of the Ministry of Education in Venezuela and Gaullaudet University in the U.S. Limited in its first year to the capital city of Caracas, the study used a survey methodology developed over 18 years in the U.S. Annual Survey of Hearing-Impaired Children and Youth. In its first year of operation the Venezuelan study collected information on 804 deaf students, over 90% of whom were between the ages of 3 and 14, had severe or profound hearing losses (i.e., hearing level of 71 dB or greater in the better ear), and experienced their hearing impairments before the age of 3. Significant findings of the Venezuelan Survey include a large number of children (29%) with hearing losses caused by maternal rubella. This result is important to educators because rubella-deafened children tend to have other handicaps in addition to their hearing impairment. Meningitis was the most frequently reported after-birth cause of hearing losses in Caracas. Thirty-six percent of the Venezuelan students were reported to have other handicaps in addition to their hearing impairments. Survey results also raise questions about the educational status of less severely hearing impaired children and older deaf adolescents; these two groups were not reported in any significant numbers to the survey. Implications of the Venezuelan data are discussed, and, where appropriate, comparisons with data from the U.S. 1985 survey are made.

Use of Depression Rating Instruments in Developmentally and Educationally Delayed Adolescents

The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and The Depression Self-Rating Scale (DSRS) were administered to a mixed population of intellectually and educationally delayed adolescent inpatients. The scores from these instruments were analyzed in relation to affective diagnoses generated in this population with the use of the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for Children (K-SADS). Both instruments significantly differentiated depressed from nondepressed groups regardless of IQ, with the BDI providing the sharpest delineation. The format of the BDI appears to explain its superiority over the DSRS as a measure of depression even with cognitively impaired adolescents. A verbal IQ of 55 appears to be sufficient to reliably complete either the BDI or DSRS.

The effects of integration on the mathematics achievement of hearing impaired adolescents.

In a study of three metropolitan high school programs for the deaf, a matched groups design was used to assess the relative effects of placement in an integrated class on the mathematics achievement of hearing impaired adolescents. The mathematics achievement of a group of 36 students in mainstreamed mathematics classes was compared with a group of 44 students in self-contained classes matched on the variables of mathematics ability, reading ability, degree of hearing loss, and social adjustment. An analysis of covariance controlling for prior achievement, sex, ethnicity, and degree of hearing loss showed that the integrated students performed significantly better than the students in the self-contained classes. A ‘post-hoc’ model of the differences in the instructional process is proposed to account for the differences which includes (a) higher expectations, (b) exposure to greater quantities of demanding material, (c) availability of individual support, and (d) training in academic content for regular mathematics teachers. The authors propose that differences are attributable to alterable factors in placements.