Risk For Learning Disabilities Research Articles

Competency of School Teachers Regarding Learning Disabilities

Quasi experimental Study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of a Learning Package on competency of Primary School regarding Learning Disabilities among children. The study was conducted in a Primary School of Bhainyawala, Dehradun. Total 38 teachers were selected who met the inclusion criteria by non-probability, convenience sampling technique. Pretest was taken by structured knowledge questionnaire, attitude scale and knowledge of skill checklist followed by Learning Package and post- test was taken after 7 days which showed that mean post -test knowledge score (13.7 ±3.2) was higher than the mean pre- test knowledge score (5.4±2.6). Mean post- test Attitude score (31.9±4.7) was higher than the mean pre- test Attitude score (26.6±5.4). Mean post-test knowledge of skill scores (23.1±4.2) was higher than the mean pre-test knowledge of skill scores (17.2±6.6). After post- test the knowledge, attitude and skills of primary school teachers had increased significantly. Hence it is proved that the Learning Package improves the competency of primary school teachers regarding Learning Disabilities. (LD)as a heterogeneous group of disorders manifested by significant difficulties in the acquisition and use of listening, speaking (dysphasia), reading (dyslexia), writing (dysgraphia), reasoning or mathematical (dyscalculia) and motor skill (dyspraxia) abilities.School is the workplace where children and adolescents performtask, learn and discover themselves as an individuals.Successful performance is essential for psychological growth and development of self-esteem and confidence in the child. On the other side, a child with learning disabilities struggles with school-work, failing grades and low self -esteem. Teachers abilities to assess the LD are an essential component. Appropriate assessments enable teachers to recognize the early signs that a child may be at risk for LD, and the assessments permit teachers to target instructions to meet individual student needs.Scientists claimed that with the use of effective training programs, the brain can be rewired and children can learn to read and can do much better in their lives. 1.2 Need for the study In 1973, it was estimated that worldwide 1-3% of children had LD which increased up to 4-5% and by in 1994.Majority (60%) of the children had Reading Disability. There is strong evidence that individuals with LD experience more social, emotional, and motivational difficulties than those without LD. Village level surveys in India reveals that 4-10% of population constitute Persons with Disability and around 13-14 % of all school children suffer from learning disorders which goes unnoticed. In India, prevalence estimates of LD range from 9-39% and the incidence of dyslexia in primary school children has been reported to be 2-18%, dysgraphia 14%, and dyscalculia 5.5%. Unfortunately, most of the schools do not understand the intensity of the, problem and it remains unfocused; as a result, these children are identified as failures in the learning process. Hence, the researcher was motivated and felt the need to study on LD and strongly believes that challenges can be overcome with the help of support and timely guidance. What matter is someone has to take charge. It is relevant to educate the primary school teachers on early identification of LD which will help the student in various aspects. 1.3 Statement of Problem A Quasi experimental study to evaluate the effectiveness of a Learning Package on competency of Primary School regarding Learning Disabilities (LD) of children, in selected school of Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India, 2012

Extensions of Cognitive Ability Assessment With Dynamic Testing Using Self-Regulated Learning

This study investigated the extension of Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC)–based cognitive assessment with dynamic testing using self-regulated learning (SRL). It was based on extensive review, which called for an integrative assessment of the propensity for learning and cognition of children with learning disabilities (LDs). The objective was to examine whether a brief SRL engagement during dynamic testing could enhance self-regulatory behaviors and performance in 3 CHC areas and reveal differences in SRL processes. There were 50 children at risk for LDs assigned to 2 groups: 1 group participated in dynamic extensions of assessment with SRL (involving thinking aloud and mediated learning experience); the control group undertook the same tasks without SRL. Significant intergroup differences were found in behaviors across three CHC areas and test performance in writing but not in fluid reasoning or memory tasks. Thinking-aloud processes revealed SRL capacities not evident in static assessment. Implications of dynamic extensions of tests using SRL were discussed.

E-Books for supporting the emergent literacy and emergent math of children at risk for learning disabilities: can metacognitive guidance make a difference?

The purpose of the study reported here was to examine the effect of activity with an educational electronic book (e-book), with/without metacognitive guidance, on the emergent literacy (rhyming) and emergent math (essence of addition, ordinal numbers) of kindergartners at risk for learning disability (LD). Seventy-seven children (M = 5.88, SD = .67) participated in the study. The children’s cognitive level (verbal and non-verbal), emergent literacy (rhyming) and emergent math (essence of addition and ordinal numbers) were examined pre- and post-intervention. The findings indicate a significant improvement in these variables among the two groups of subjects who worked with the e-book when compared to the control group. The experimental group that received metacognitive guidance as part of their e-book experience exhibited the greatest improvement in rhyming. The findings are discussed in light of the still meager research on the effectiveness of e-books for promoting learning of children at risk for LD.

Early Screening for Risk of Reading Disabilities

Response-to-intervention (RTI) models incorporate a screening process to identify students who appear to be at risk for learning disabilities (LDs). The purpose of this position article is to incorporate what is known about screening into a flexible, yet comprehensive screening system to help school psychologists and other school administrators in establishing school-specific screening procedures. The authors begin by discussing past. research on screening for reading disabilities (RDs) within the RTI framework. Then, they propose a four-step screening system advocating a short screener (Step I), progress monitoring (Step 2), follow-up testing (Step 3), and ongoing revision of procedures and cut scores (Step 4). Their goal is to improve screening within RTI systems with practical procedures to permit schools to implement state-of-the-art screening batteries that accurately and efficiently distinguish students who are at high risk for RD.

Educational e-books: a support for vocabulary and early math for children at risk for learning disabilities

Mathematical learning difficulties can originate at an early age. However, research on young children’s math development, especially those who are at risk, is in its early stages. The current study is the first to examine the effects of an activity with an educational e-book on emergent math with 52 preschoolers at risk for learning disability (ALD). The effects on their emergent vocabulary of the e-book intervention was also tested. The findings revealed that following the intervention, children in the experimental e-book group improved both their vocabulary and early math skills as compared to the control group who engaged in their regular preschool activities. The implications of these results are discussed.

Cadmium exposure and neurodevelopmental outcomes in U.S. children.

Background: Low-level environmental cadmium exposure in children may be associated with adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes.Objective: Our aim was to evaluate associations between urinary cadmium concentration and reported learning disability (LD), special education utilization, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in U.S. children using National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data.Methods: We analyzed data from a subset of participants in NHANES (1999–2004) who were 6–15 years of age and had spot urine samples analyzed for cadmium. Outcomes were assessed by parent or proxy-respondent report. We fit multivariable-adjusted logistic regression models to estimate associations between urinary cadmium and the outcomes.Results: When we compared children in the highest quartile of urinary cadmium with those in the lowest quartile, odds ratios adjusted for several potential confounders were 3.21 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.43, 7.17] for LD, 3.00 (95% CI: 1.12, 8.01) for special education, and 0.67 (95% CI: 0.28, 1.61) for ADHD. There were no significant interactions with sex, but associations with LD and special education were somewhat stronger in males, and the trend in the ADHD analysis was only evident among those with blood lead levels above the median.Conclusions: These findings suggest that children who have higher urinary cadmium concentrations may have increased risk of both LD and special education. Importantly, we observed these associations at exposure levels that were previously considered to be without adverse effects, and these levels are common among U.S. children.

The effect of activity with e-book on vocabulary and story comprehension: a comparison between kindergarteners at risk of learning disabilities and typically developing kindergarteners

The purpose of the current study was to investigate the effectiveness of e-book activity for vocabulary acquisition and story comprehension among kindergarteners at risk for learning disabilities (LD) as opposed to typically developing (TD) children. Participants included 136 children aged between five and seven (M = 71.2; SD = 5.64, in months), 75 LD and 60 typically developing children. The children in each group were then randomly assigned to either the e-book intervention or the control group, which experienced the regular kindergarten program – a total of four groups. The findings indicated significant improvement in vocabulary among both groups exposed to the e-book intervention. Conversely, typically developing children received higher scores for story comprehension than did children at risk for LD following the intervention. These findings and their implications are discussed.

Learning Disability in Children as an Outcome in Anesthesia and Analgesia Research

Learning Disability in Children as an Outcome in Anesthesia and Analgesia Research

E-books effectiveness in promoting phonological awareness and concept about print: A comparison between children at risk for learning disabilities and typically developing kindergarteners

Despite the young child’s increasing access to electronic books and the evidence indicating it’s effectiveness for promoting emergent literacy, research among young children at risk for learning disabilities is only just beginning. Motivated by this challenge, the study reported here compared the effect of an educational e-book on improvements in Phonological Awareness (PA) and Concept About Print (CAP) among 136 pre-school-aged children at risk for learning disabilities (ALD) and typically developing children (TD). The findings indicated improved performance by both experimental groups, but especially ALD children in the area of CAP. These results are explained by the effectiveness of the multimedia e-book especially for ALD. Implications are discussed.

Domain-specific Rapid Automatized Naming deficits in children at risk for learning disabilities

Performance in Rapid Automatized Naming (RAN) tasks with different materials (dice, digits, letters, objects) and key precursor skills of reading and arithmetic were assessed in kindergarten children ( n = 541) in their last year before entering elementary school. Based on their precursor skills, three groups of children were identified, i.e. children at risk for reading problems ( n = 31), children at risk for arithmetic problems ( n = 39), and children at risk for problems in both domains ( n = 34). These at-risk children were compared to a control group ( n = 343) regarding their performance in the different RAN tasks. Results revealed domain-specific deficits in both groups of children with a single risk: While children at risk for problems in reading exhibited deficits in the RAN of letters and objects, children at risk for problems in arithmetic showed deficits in the RAN of dice and digits. The group of children at risk for problems in both domains displayed additive, domain-general deficits. Findings are discussed in the context of behavioral and neurocognitive research on reading and mathematical disabilities.

Assessing College-Level Learning Difficulties and “At Riskness” for Learning Disabilities and ADHD

This article describes the development and validation of the Learning Difficulties Assessment (LDA), a normed and web-based survey that assesses perceived difficulties with reading, writing, spelling, mathematics, listening, concentration, memory, organizational skills, sense of control, and anxiety in college students. The LDA is designed to (a) map individual learning strengths and weaknesses, (b) provide users with a comparative sense of their academic skills, (c) integrate research in user-interface design to assist those with reading and learning challenges, and (d) identify individuals who may be at risk for learning disabilities and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and who should thus be further assessed. Data from a large-scale 5-year study describing the instrument’s validity as a screening tool for learning disabilities and ADHD are presented. This article also describes unique characteristics of the LDA including its user-interface design, normative characteristics, and use as a no-cost screening tool for identifying college students at risk for learning disorders and ADHD.

Repeat anaesthesia: what are the effects?

“Early exposure to anesthesia and learning disabilities in a population-based birth cohort” was published in Anaesthesiology in March 2009. Wilder et al studied the association between anaesthesia before the age of four and the development of learning disabilities (LD), and found that, while a single anaesthetic was not associated with an increased risk of LD, receiving two or more anaesthetics was associated with a increased risk of LD (hazard ratio 1.59 for two anaesthetics, and 2.60 for ≥ three exposures). The risk for LD increased with longer cumulative duration of anaesthetic exposure.

Nicotine Exposure in Pregnant Rats Puts Offspring at Risk for Learning Disabilities

Nicotine Exposure in Pregnant Rats Puts Offspring at Risk for Learning Disabilities

Promoting vocabulary, phonological awareness and concept about print among children at risk for learning disability: can e-books help?

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of activity with an educational electronic book (e-book), as compared with adult reading of the printed version of the same book, on the vocabulary, phonological awareness as well as concept about print of preschool children at risk for learning disabilities. The study involved the participation of 110 children aged 5–7. All participants were identified as having developmental delays placing them at risk for learning disabilities. The sample was randomly assigned to three groups: activity with the e-book, listening to the book’s printed version read by an adult (reading-as-usual) and a control group. The findings indicated that the children exposed to the e-book displayed significantly higher emergent literacy improvement (vocabulary and phonological awareness) when compared with the children who participated in the other two groups. These findings and their implications are discussed.

Load and Order in Rapid Automatized Naming: A Large-Scale Prospective Study of Toddlers With Brain Injury

The rapid automatized naming task (RAN) is a well-established tool to evaluate risk of developmental disorders. Its potential use with 3-year-olds who are at risk for learning difficulties and factors affecting its dependent measures are not yet understood. This study investigated the effects of neonatal central nervous system compromise grouping (five levels, N = 617) on RAN task adapted for 3-year-olds, using two levels of information load and two presentation orders. Results showed that increased errors and slowed speed in toddlers are expected subsequent to severe neonatal CNS compromise. Furthermore, collaborative information may have a beneficial effect on processing speeds of toddlers born with severe, but not with moderate, neonatal CNS compromise. Finally, the study highlights the feasability of evaluating RAN performance in toddlers who are at a developmental risk for learning disabilities and the conditions of RAN that may facilitate performance of severely affected participants.

Hyperoxia in Pediatric Anesthesia: Time for Reconsideration?

Hyperoxia in Pediatric Anesthesia: Time for Reconsideration?

Neurophysiologic and Neurocognitive Case Profiles of Andean Patients with Chronic Environmental Lead Poisoning

This report presents case profiles of three siblings in a family of lead (Pb) glazing workers living in a Pb-contaminated Andean village who presented with extreme plumbism (blood Pb levels: 47 to 128 μg/dl) from childhood to adolescence. These cases are examples of persons who have chronic Pb poisoning as a result of prolonged occupational and environmental exposure in a Pb-glazing ceramic cottage industry in the study area. Using behavioral and physiological techniques for measuring the integrity of the peripheral and central auditory systems, including otoacoustic emissions, and replicated auditory brainstem electrophysiological potentials, the authors found normal auditory neurosensory function in each patient, thus ruling out hearing impairment as a basis for adverse neurocognitive outcomes. This finding is contrary to the prevailing view regarding the detrimental effects of Pb poisoning on the cochlear and auditory brainstem of children. Performance on tests of visual spatial intelligence and auditory memory/attention was below average in these patients, which may underlie their reported learning disabilities. In two of the cases, there was an improvement in cognitive performance following a lowering of PbB levels from chelation therapy and Pb prevention education, suggesting some level of reversibility of their neurocognitive deficits. Nevertheless, these case profiles suggest that if the patients persist in Pb-glazing activities, in spite of repeated chelation therapy and family counseling, they may continue to be re-intoxicated and remain at risk for learning disabilities and other neurological impairments.

Anesthesia for Cesarean Delivery and Learning Disabilities in a Population-based Birth Cohort

Anesthetics administered to immature brains may cause histopathological changes and long-term behavioral abnormalities. The association between perinatal exposure to anesthetics during Cesarean delivery (CD) and development of learning disabilities (LD) was determined in a population-based birth cohort. The educational and medical records of all children born to mothers residing in five townships of Olmsted County, Minnesota from 1976-1982 and remaining in the community at age 5 were reviewed to identify those with LDs. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to compare rates of LD between children delivered vaginally and via CD (with general or regional anesthesia). Of the 5,320 children in this cohort, 497 were delivered via CD (under general anesthesia n = 193, and regional anesthesia n = 304). The incidence of LD depended on mode of delivery (P = 0.050, adjusted for sex, birth weight, gestational age, exposure to anesthesia before age 4 yr, and maternal education). LD risk was similar in children delivered by vagina or CD with general anesthesia, but was reduced in children receiving CD with regional anesthesia (hazard ratio = 0.64, 95% confidence interval 0.44 to 0.92; P = 0.017 for comparison of CD under regional anesthesia compared to vaginal delivery). Children exposed to general or regional anesthesia during CD are not more likely to develop LD compared to children delivered vaginally, suggesting that brief perinatal exposure to anesthetic drugs does not adversely affect long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes. The risk of LD may be lower in children delivered by CD whose mothers received regional anesthesia.

Repeated Reading Interventions for Students with Learning Disabilities: Status of the Evidence

For students with or at risk for learning disabilities, developing fluency with reading connected texts remains a formidable challenge. In response, teachers often use repeated reading practices designed to provide students with multiple exposures to the same words. This study examined research focused on determining the efficacy of repeated reading approaches for improving reading fluency for students with or at risk for learning disabilities. Studies employed experimental/quasi-experimental and single-subject research designs. Results suggest that repeated reading is not supported by rigorous research as defined by the quality indicators used and, therefore, is not an evidence-based practice based on those criteria for students with and at risk for learning disabilities. Implications for future research and for practice are discussed.

Teaching Writing to At-Risk Students: The Quality of Evidence for Self-Regulated Strategy Development

This study evaluates the quality of the research and evidence base for a writing intervention called Self-Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD; Graham & Harris, 1989; Harris & Graham, 1996) for students with and at risk for learning disabilities, using criteria for group research studies suggested by Gersten et al. (2005) and single-subject research studies suggested by Horner et al. (2005). Five experimental and quasi-experimental studies and 16 single-subject studies investigating SRSD were analyzed on numerous methodological dimensions. Both the group design and single-subject studies also met proposed standards for an evidence-based practice. The potential value of analyzing approaches and interventions using the proposed quality indicators and standards for evidence-based practices is discussed, as are implications for research and practice.