1/8. Psychological management of intractable seizures in an adolescent with a learning disability.Psychological interventions aimed at seizure management are described with a 14-year-old boy with a learning disability and intractable epilepsy. Baseline records suggested that a majority of tonic seizures and 'drop attacks' were associated with going off to sleep and by environmental 'startles'. Psychological formulation implicated sudden changes in arousal levels as an underlying mechanism of action. Cognitive-behavioural countermeasures were employed to alter arousal levels and processes in different ways in different 'at-risk' situations. A multiple baseline design was used to control for non-specific effects of interventions on non-targeted seizures. Results suggested significant declines in the number of sleep onset and startle-response seizures were attained by these methods. Gains were maintained at 2-month follow-up.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = environment (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/8. Helping children with learning disabilities. Making sense of multisensory environments.Multisensory environments are specially designed to enable individuals with learning disabilities to enjoy a wide range of sensory experiences. The author, a lecturer in occupational therapy, outlines the history and features of multisensory environments. Using two case studies, he illustrates how they can be used in successful therapeutic interventions. The article reviews the function of multisensory environments for children with learning disabilities.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 7keywords = environment (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/8. Developmental dyscalculia.Developmental dyscalculia is a specific learning disability affecting the normal acquisition of arithmetic skills. Genetic, neurobiologic, and epidemiologic evidence indicates that dyscalculia, like other learning disabilities, is a brain-based disorder. However, poor teaching and environmental deprivation have also been implicated in its etiology. Because the neural network of both hemispheres comprises the substrate of normal arithmetic skills, dyscalculia can result from dysfunction of either hemisphere, although the left parietotemporal area is of particular significance. The prevalence of developmental dyscalculia is 5 to 6% in the school-aged population and is as common in girls as in boys. dyscalculia can occur as a consequence of prematurity and low birthweight and is frequently encountered in a variety of neurologic disorders, such as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), developmental language disorder, epilepsy, and fragile x syndrome. Developmental dyscalculia has proven to be a persisting learning disability, at least for the short term, in about half of affected preteen pupils. Educational interventions for dyscalculia range from rote learning of arithmetic facts to developing strategies for solving arithmetic exercises. The long-term prognosis of dyscalculia and the role of remediation in its outcome are yet to be determined.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = environment (Clic here for more details about this article) |
4/8. Acquisition and generalization of social skills in elementary-aged children with learning disabilities.The generalization of specific social skills to new environments/situations by elementary-aged students with learning disabilities was the primary focus of this study. During the spring semester of 1985, training in the learning disabilities resource room, including a discussion and verbal rehearsal of appropriate skill use and positive consequences of using the specific social skill appropriately, was initiated. Once the subject became proficient in the skill of interest, attempts to establish the skill outside the resource room were initiated (training sufficient exemplars). Reinforcement in the form of systematic attention was delivered in the new environments by teachers and parents. During the fall semester of 1985 each of the subjects was again observed with respect to the behaviors of interest. All subjects manifested generalization of the social skills to the new environments.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 3keywords = environment (Clic here for more details about this article) |
5/8. Distinguishing auditory and speech-specific perceptual deficits.The ability to discriminate speech and nonspeech auditory stimuli was tested in a learning disabled child. The perception of speech stimuli was normal when the stimuli were presented in quiet but below normal when the stimuli were presented in noise. Although the perception of pure tone stimuli and environmental sounds was normal both in quiet and noise, the perception of nonspeech stimuli with rapid changes in acoustic information was impaired in noise. These findings illustrate the importance of relating performance for speech and complex nonspeech stimuli in investigating the basis of speech perceptual deficits. Whereas abnormal performance for speech stimuli coupled with normal performance for complex nonspeech stimuli argues for the existence of specialized speech processing mechanisms, abnormal performance for both types of stimuli, as was found in the present subject, argues for the existence of more generalized auditory processing mechanisms.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = environment (Clic here for more details about this article) |
6/8. Adolescents with learning problems.The adolescent with learning problems presents a multifaceted diagnostic and therapeutic challenge to the primary care clinician. The adolescent failing in school often manifests secondary affective symptoms that tend to obscure underlying developmental deficits. Inadequate educational experiences, family stress, environmental deprivation, and preoccupation with nonacademic sources of gratification can further cloud the picture. Efforts at remediation must overcome the tendency of medical and school professionals, parents, and students themselves to be overly pessimistic about the long-term outcome. With the knowledge of the common causes of school failure and developmental dysfunction in this age group, the general physician can reach a reasonable diagnosis, develop a functional profile of strengths and weaknesses, and collaborate with parents, educators, and the adolescent to effect a comprehensive management plan. The physician's ongoing involvement can be a very important factor stimulating the school to continue to evaluate an individual student's needs and abilities. parents may need assistance to recognize their child's own strengths and to help the child utilize them appropriately. If the adolescent is helped to see that he or she can make important contributions to society within the spectrum of his or her talents, then the clinician has played a crucial role in the development of a potentially happy and successful adult.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = environment (Clic here for more details about this article) |
7/8. Taxonomy of family life styles: II. Homes with slow-learning children.A battery of instruments dealing with family social environment and family and child characteristics and behavior was administered to 218 families with slow-learning children in EMR and educably handicapped programs. cluster analysis was performed on family environment variables. Seven unique family clusters, each with distinctive patterns of characteristics, were identified: child-oriented, cohesive; learning-oriented, high residential quality; low disclosure, unharmonious; disadvantaged, noncohesive; achievement-oriented, low residential quality; expression-oriented with few sociocultural interests; and outerdirected with little achievement-orientation. Comparisons among the clusters and ethnographic/interviewer observations revealed significant differences in other family and child characteristics and behavior. Development of a classification system for families with retarded children was discussed.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 2keywords = environment (Clic here for more details about this article) |
8/8. Analyzing behavior State and learning Environments: application in instructional settings.An evaluation of the effects of the ABLE (Analyzing behavior State and learning Environments) model was presented. Eight teachers received training on observing behavior state and relevant environmental variables; analyzing potential effects of nutrition and medications; identifying strategies for individual students; and participating in a process to generate classroom-based intervention strategies based on their observations. Results showed that teachers were able to reliably implement the model, which produced significant increases in occurrences of the preferred alert and active states and significant decreases in nonpreferred states, such as sleep, drowse, daze, and crying/agitated. Additional findings indicated that the teachers were satisfied with the training procedures and found the model to be relevant and appropriate for students with profound mental retardation. Case studies were briefly presented.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = environment (Clic here for more details about this article) |