Learning Disabilities Research Articles

“Exceptional Talent and Enthusiasm for Math”: An Examination of Storylines Circulated by ChatGPT about Mathematical Learners

Storylines exist about the types of learners who participate and excel in mathematics. To understand how AI chatbots participate in such storylines, we examined ChatGPT’s feedback to different learners’ mathematical writing in an exploratory study. Learners included academic labels, like gifted and special education, and race/ethnicity, like Black or Asian. Analysis of ChatGPT feedback illustrated storylines that White and Asian students were neutral and Black students were exceptional. The feedback generally participated in the narrative that doing math consists primarily in performing calculations. ChatGPT also promoted narratives that students in special education, with learning disabilities, or English language learners are similarly able and need to overcome challenges to be mathematically successful.

A Ghanaian Approach to Disability Literature in Picture Books

In this study, we examined how Ghanaian picture books present disabilities. Using a content-analysis approach, the primary goal was to deduce how picture books serve to promote positive attitudes and inclusion of students with disabilities in schools in Ghana. Data included the text and visuals of seven picture books published in 2016 by Curriculum Research and Development Division of Ghana Education Services (now known as the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment), a branch of the Ghana Ministry of Education. The findings show that picture books provide an opportunity to address issues of stigma related to learning and physical disabilities, while explaining disability to non-disabled readers and disabled readers, who identify with stories about children who are like them. The process of reading stories to and with children can act as a cultural-awareness indicator. This study of children’s literature, and others like it, serve as an educational support for the inclusion of students with disabilities in inclusive classroom settings. Picture books can help to increase disability awareness in young people.

Lived Experiences of Primary Caregivers of Children with Dyslexia: A Phenomenological Study

Background: Caregivers play an important role in children’s development. Therefore, they need to recognize the learning difficulties that their children face and support them to ensure learning gains and prevent secondary complications. Nevertheless, supporting a child with a learning disability can be challenging for caregivers in many ways. 1 This study investigated caregivers’ knowledge of dyslexia, their challenges when raising children with dyslexia, and the support they seek to raise such children. Methods: Ten individual in-depth interviews (IDIs) and four focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted among 30 caregivers in Sri Lanka. Initial codes were generated using open coding from the transcripts, leading to sub-themes and themes. Results: Thematic analysis revealed a lack of knowledge of dyslexia-type difficulties among caregivers and in society, giving rise to misconceptions, leading to labeling and abuse of children. Caregivers feel emotionally pressured, helpless, stressed, and depressed in bringing up children with dyslexia, creating family disputes. Further, as a family, they have a sense of rejection and discrimination from school and society. Caregivers receive insufficient support from the education and health sectors due to multiple complexities such as myths, misbeliefs, inadequate knowledge and skills, unavailability of resources, and inaccessibility to services. Conclusions: Caregivers and families of children with learning disabilities demand more attention to improve their mental health and family harmony, which in turn improves children’s educational and health status. Sri Lankan health, educational, and social services should be optimized to reach the families of children with dyslexia-type difficulties.

Predicting Children’s Sadness Management Based on Paternal Involvement in Parenting and Maternal Emotion Regulation in Students with Specific Learning Disabilities

Background: Current strategies used to control and manage children's emotions often overlook the crucial role of sadness management in their overall well-being. Objectives: This study investigated the relationships between paternal involvement in parenting and maternal emotion regulation with sadness management in students with specific learning disabilities (SpLDs). Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among fourth- and fifth-grade boys and girls with SpLDs and their mothers in Karaj, Alborz Province, Iran, during the 2021–22 academic year. A multistage cluster sampling method was employed to select 252 participants. Data were collected using the Children's Sadness Management Scale (CSMS), the Alabama Parenting Questionnaire (APQ), and the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ). Data analysis was performed using Pearson correlation and simultaneous regression in SPSS-27 software. Results:: Paternal involvement was positively correlated with children's sadness management (r = 0.47). Conversely, maternal maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation was negatively correlated with children's sadness management (r = -0.35). Additionally, a positive correlation was found between maternal adaptive cognitive emotion regulation and children's sadness management (r = 0.40). Paternal involvement and maternal cognitive emotion regulation together explained 52% of the variance in children's sadness management. Conclusions: Paternal involvement in parenting and maternal cognitive emotion regulation play a key role in improving sadness management in children with SpLDs. These findings underscore the importance of promoting healthy parenting practices that involve both paternal participation and effective maternal emotion regulation strategies to support children's ability to manage sadness.

Using TED Talks to Improve Motivation of Learning English Language Skills among Middle School Students with Learning Disabilities

This study aimed to use TED Talks, which are abundant with real-life examples of English language use, that might improve the public speaking skills of elementary-level Jordanian EFL students with learning disabilities. The study also aimed at identifying the attitudes of the students with learning disabilities toward using TED Talks to increase motivation to learn English. This research used a quasi-experimental approach. The present study included 68 female EFL tenth graders from the Irbid Schools for Girls, a public institution under the Irbid Directorate of Education. The researcher created an educational program based on the TED talks. The pre-post-test was used to measure the students’ progress and a questionnaire was used to measure their attitudes to this strategy. The program seems to have created good levels of interaction among the students and boosted their appetite to participate and engage with the visual and audio materials presented in the TED Talks videos. The students showed positive attitudes toward using the TED Talks program to raise their motivation to learn English language.

Developing a Multimedia Program to Enhance Concepts on Physics and Problem-Solving Skills among Students with Disabilities in the Intermediate Stage

This investigation explored the effect of a multimedia program on developing physics concepts and physics problem-solving skills among ninth-grade students with learning disabilities. The study implemented the experimental method and built a multimedia program to develop concepts and physics problem-solving skills among ninth-grade students. The experiment was applied to 37 students from the ninth grade, who were selected from 5 different schools in Irbid, Jordan. The findings showed that the size of the effect of the program was large, as using the multimedia program helped students develop physics concepts properly because the program was designed according to organized and easy steps. It is clear from the results the effective impact of using multimedia in developing concepts and physics problem-solving skills, as the results indicated the superiority of the experimental group over the control group, even though the two groups were originally equal. The study recommends frequent use of multimedia effectively during the educational process because of its effective impact on students’ academic achievement and the creation of multimedia programs in all curricula, provided that these programs address the student, motivate him, and arouse his motivation to learn.

What Approaches Described in Research Literature Enhance the Engagement of Children and Young People With Severe or Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities? A Systematic Literature Review

ABSTRACTBackgroundChildren and young people (CYP) with severe or profound and multiple learning disabilities are more likely to experience difficulties engaging for long periods. Finding ways to facilitate their engagement is crucial in promoting their social and emotional development and their mental well‐being, particularly as they are more vulnerable to difficulties with mental well‐being compared to their peers.MethodsWe undertook a systematic literature review (SLR) to identify approaches described within peer‐reviewed research literature that enhance the engagement of these children. Data from seven relevant studies were qualitatively synthesised. Thematic networks were then developed to visually present global, organising and basic themes identified within data.FindingsA global theme derived from organising themes across studies indicated that the quality of space is an important consideration in enhancing engagement. This included the extent to which space adhered to prescribed knowledge or afforded practitioners with opportunities to follow their intuition and deviate from such ideas.ConclusionsQuality of space may be important to the engagement of these CYP and consequently to their mental well‐being. This may involve consideration of the extent to which formal learning environments for them are organised and informed by dominant theory and discourse (abstract space), prescribed (spatial) practice and the extent to which environments provide conditions for ‘lived spaces’ that are potentially more facilitative of their engagement and so their mental well‐being.

Promoting transformational leadership in learning disability nursing

Promoting transformational leadership in learning disability nursing

Bullying Involvement and Subtypes of Disabilities: Who is Likely to be Affected by What?

The current study uses latent class analysis (LCA) and binary logistic regression analysis to explore profiles of bullying and how they might be associated with the types of disabilities. LCA was used to determine a categorization of involvement in bullying among youth with various types of disabilities. Binary logistic regression analysis was conducted to explore how profiles of bullying involvement might be associated with types of disabilities. The study uses the 2016 National Survey of Children's Health, a large-scale survey completed on children's health, ages 0-17, in the United States. A total of 139,923 households were screened for eligibility. The study participants consisted of 50,212 caregivers of a child who completed the survey. Findings revealed that among caregivers of children without disabilities, 79.5% reported that their child was uninvolved, and 20.5% reported that their child was a victim of bullying. Children in the developmental disabilities, speech and/or language disorders, and learning disabilities groups, showed significant odds of being in the bullying victim group compared to those without any disabilities. The study did not find that children in any disability groups were likely to be in the perpetrator group.

A Suggestion for Eliminating Reading and Writing Errors of Students With Learning Disabilities

The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of using the wrongly read and written words in sentences on correcting the reading and writing errors of students with learning disabilities. The study group of this research, which was designed according to the qualitative action research, consisted of 13 second grade students and 7 primary school teachers in Uşak province in 2022–2023 academic year. In the determination of the students, the criteria of having a learning disability diagnosis, having reading, and writing difficulties and volunteering to participate in the study were sought. The data collection tools of the research consisted of 5 reading texts chosen by taking expert opinions. Obtained data were analyzed by content analysis method. Since the students understood the meaning of the word by using the word in the sentence, they did not repeat the spelling and writing mistakes of the words. Teachers’ opinions about the effectiveness of using the word in sentences were analyzed with content analysis and the findings were discussed on the basis of the literature.

Influence of Educational Measures on Emotional Adjustment in Students with and without Specific Learning Difficulties according to Gender

The prevalence of mental health problems in adolescence is high, and it would appear that certain conditioning factors such as having a Specific Learning Disability (SpLD), the application of educational measures (repeating a school year), or gender can have an impact on the socioemotional development of adolescents. However, we do not yet have a clear picture of the role played by each variable or whether there are interactions between them. Therefore, the objective of this study is to analyse the effect of these independent variables on internalising problems (anxiety and depression) and on personal resources (self-esteem, social competence, and awareness of the problem). The sample is composed of 80 students, 40 with SpLD and 40 control, aged between 12 and 17 years old, matched in terms of age and gender. The results indicate that the variables Specific Learning Disabilities and educational measures have a negative impact on internalising problems and personal resources of adolescents, while there is no significant effect with respect to gender. In addition, we identified interactions between having SpLD and being held back a year. We therefore call into question the negative impact of repeating a school year according to the condition.

Changes in Autism and Co-Occurring Conditions from Preschool to Adolescence: Considerations for Precision Monitoring and Treatment Planning.

To describe retention of an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis from preschool to adolescence and the most common co-occurring diagnoses among children with ASD in preschool and adolescence. A second objective was to identify co-occurring diagnoses more likely to emerge between preschool and adolescence among children with ASD vs. another developmental or mental health diagnosis in preschool. Children completed a case-control study when they were between 2 and 5 years of age. Caregivers reported their child's diagnoses of ASD and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), any developmental delay (DD), epilepsy/seizure disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, sensory integration disorder, and speech/language disorder when the child was preschool age and, separately, during adolescence. Any anxiety and depression/mood disorder, intellectual disability (ID), and learning disability (LD) were considered only in adolescence. 85.5% of preschool children retained their ASD diagnosis in adolescence. DD, sensory integration disorder, and speech-language disorder co-occurred in over 20% of preschool age children with ASD. These same conditions, along with anxiety disorders, ADHD, ID, and LD, co-occurred in over 20% of adolescents with ASD. Significantly more children with ASD vs. another developmental or mental health diagnosis in preschool gained diagnoses of ADHD, DD, sensory integration disorder, and speech-language disorder by adolescence. ASD is a highly stable diagnosis and co-occurring conditions are common. The prevalence of co-occurring diagnoses may depend on age, with some persisting from preschool to adolescence and others emerging over time. Health and education providers can use these findings to inform precision monitoring and treatment planning.

Audit of readmissions in patients with learning disabilities

Audit of readmissions in patients with learning disabilities

Characteristics and primary care experiences of people who self-report as autistic: a probability sample survey of adults registered with primary care services in England

ObjectivesLittle is known about adults who self-report as autistic. This study aimed to profile the demographic characteristics, long-term health conditions and primary care experiences of adults who self-report as autistic...

Productive Problem-Solving Behaviors of Students with Learning Disabilities

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to explore the problem-solving behaviors of middle-school students with learning disabilities (SLD). Think-aloud interviews were performed with 20 seventh- and eighth-grade students who had learning disabilities to observe their behaviors while solving mathematical word problems (i.e., behaviors and patterns of behaviors). Themes emerged from qualitative analysis indicating that the students engaged in problem-solving behaviors, as well as common patterns of behaviors. There were two consistent behaviors: (a) verbalizing a plan before moving forward on a problem and (b) reengaging after hitting an obstacle in the problem. Data also revealed common patterns of behavior that suggested participants were (a) sensemaking and (b) reflecting throughout the problem-solving process. Findings suggest that these participants, middle-grade students with learning disabilities (SLD), were engaging in productive problem-solving behaviors and persevering throughout the process. Future studies are discussed that maintain an asset-based view on students with learning disabilities.

A - 40 Food Insecurity Is Associated with Serious Cognitive Difficulties among Adolescents with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Learning Disabilities

Abstract Objective Youth with neurodevelopmental disorders, such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and learning disabilities (LD), experience cognitive difficulties in their daily lives. Food insecurity, a public health problem, disproportionately affects youth with neurodevelopmental disorders and is associated with mental health and academic functioning. We examined the association between parent-reported food insecurity and cognitive difficulty among youth after adjusting for factors associated with cognitive difficulty. Methods The 2022 National Survey of Children’s Health, conducted in the United States, is designed to provide parent-reported information on the health and well-being of children and adolescents. Associations between cognitive difficulty, food insecurity, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), psychiatric conditions, flourishing, receiving federal assistance, and low socioeconomic status were analyzed using binary logistic regressions. Results There were 6422 youth (aged 6–17) with ADHD and/or LD (63.4% boys). Around half had parent-reported serious cognitive difficulties (50.5%). A third (31.9%) were reported to have mild food insecurity and 6.7% had moderate/severe food insecurity. In the multivariable model [χ2(6) = 1138.25, p < 0.001; Nagelkerke R2 = 0.22], food insecurity [Odds Ratio (OR) = 1.21; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.07–1.34)] was an independent predictor of serious cognitive difficulty, in addition to ACEs (OR = 1.121, 95%CI = 1.075–1.168), anxiety or depression (OR = 2.279, 95%CI = 2.041–2.545), flourishing (OR = 0.473, 95%CI = 0.442–0.505), and free or reduced school meals (OR = 1.244, 95%CI = 1.108–1.397). Conclusion Food insecurity was independently associated with parent-reported cognitive problems among youth with ADHD and LD. Better understanding the mechanisms that underlie the associations between food insecurity, other social determinants of health, and cognitive difficulties can facilitate the development of targeted, evidence-informed interventions to bolster functional and academic outcomes for youth with neurodevelopmental disorders.

B - 69 Exploring Gratitude: its Associations with Executive Function and Mental Health in College Undergraduates

Abstract Objective Strength-related traits, particularly gratitude, have received little attention in the literature on the psychological and cognitive well-being of undergraduate students. This study examined whether dispositional gratitude predicts both objective and perceived executive functions, and reconsidered other known predictors such as mood, gender, and positive affect in a diverse sample of 270 undergraduate students. Method The students completed self-report mood and executive skill measures, then participated in the computerized version of the Trails Making Test, parts A and B. Students with prior brain injury, Dx of ADHD, or learning disability were excluded. Correlations, T-tests, and ANOVAs were used to analyze data. Results Gratitude was negatively correlated with depression (r = −0.492), anxiety (r = −0.377), and stress (r = −0.260). Conversely, it was positively correlated with positive affect (r = 0.503), all statistically significant at p < 0.001. Additionally, students with higher levels of gratitude self-reported higher executive functioning skills, such as planning and emotional regulation, representing small sized effects. However, there was no significant relationship between gratitude and objective performance on a task of cognitive flexibility, nor were there differences in gratitude scores between male and female participants. Eighty-six percent of students who identified as Asian were in the lower level of gratitude group. Conclusion These findings support prior research suggesting that gratitude has a stronger influence on boosting mood and positive emotions, rather than on higher-order executive skills, such as cognitive flexibility. The study also highlights cultural considerations of gratitude interventions, taking into account differences found between ethnic groups.

B - 2 Life-Changing Treatment, Lifelong Challenges: a Case Study on the Neuropsychological Impact of Remission of Multiple Sclerosis Following Clinical-Trial Treatment

Abstract Objective The impact of neurodegenerative diseases on cognitive functioning is well documented; however less is known about the lasting impacts following remission of diseases with previously limited treatability. The present case uses neuropsychological assessment in furthering the understanding of the brain-behavior relationship in a case of multiple sclerosis (MS) in remission subsequent to clinical-trial treatment complicated by a history of medical comorbidities, childhood trauma, underlying psychiatric conditions, and preexisting learning disabilities. Method The patient is a 45-year-old right-handed male with nine years of education, diagnosed with MS (in remission) complicated by cerebrovascular disease, myocardial infarction, cerebral vascular accident, past substance-abuse, and multisource childhood trauma., He was referred for neuropsychological evaluation by his primary-care physician pursuant to learning, attention, and emotional concerns impacted by his medical history. Results Neuropsychological testing reflects global cognitive deficits evidenced by difficulties with intellectual functioning, motor abilities, complex sequencing, executive functioning, problem-solving, phonemic fluency, and variable attention, which affects learning and recall tasks. A self-report of psychological functioning revealed emotional difficulties associated with anxiety, depression, health concerns, hypersensitivity, emotional discord, a history of self-harm, cognitive inefficiency, and difficulty managing anger and past and present stressors. Findings were most consistent with cognitive decline associated with medical conditions, learning difficulties, and attention deficit disorder. Conclusions This neuropsychological case study provides an example of the long-term consequences of neurodegenerative diseases across multiple areas of neuropsychological functioning and quality of life, even when ground-breaking and innovative medical interventions result in remission. It further emphasizes the complex interactions between neurological disease and biopsychosocial factors.

Work-In-Progress: Investigate Eye-Tracking Metrics and Effectiveness of Visual Learning Aids in Online Learning Environments for Students With Learning Disabilities Using Machine Learning

This Work-In-Progress study proposes a novel approach to explore the learning behaviors of students with learning disabilities in online learning environments by investigating eye-tracking metrics and effectiveness of visual learning aids. It builds on previous research that suggests that students with learning disabilities often face difficulties in online learning environments due to the lack of visual cues and their limited ability to interact with the learning material. The use of machine learning to analyze eye-tracking data and visual learning aids can provide insights into how students with learning disability interact with online learning materials, with the goal of improving the learning outcomes as well as informing the design of constructive teaching strategies and seeking to expand this research to the online learning context

From Compensation to Accommodation: The History of Learning Disabilities in American Higher Education

From Compensation to Accommodation: The History of Learning Disabilities in American Higher Education