Abstract: Ellison, Sharon Review(s) of: Behavioral and emotional disorders in adolescents: Nature, assessment and treatment, by David Wolfe and Eric Marsh (Editors), 2000, New York, USA, ISBN: 1-59385-225, Publisher: The Guildford Press, Price: $118.00 (Aust.) inc. GST, Australian Distributor: Astam Press.
Abstract: Whitten, Janet Review(s) of: Emotional and behavioral problems of young children. Effective interventions in the preschool and kindergarten years, by Gretchen A. Gimpel and Melissa L. Holland, 2003, New York, ISBN : 1-57230-861-3, Publisher: The Guilford Press, Price: $48.95, Australian Distributor: Astam Books.
Abstract: Review(s) of: Early reading assessment - a practitioner's handbook, by Natalie Rathvon, 2004, New York, USA, ISBN: 1-57230-984-9, Publisher: The Guildford Press, Price: $106.00, Australian Distributor: Astam Books.
Abstract: Scott, Wendy Review(s) of: Handbook of language and literacy development and disorders, by Addison Stone, Elaine R. Stillman, Barbara J. Ehren and Kenn Apel, 2004, New York, ISBN: 1-59385-286-X, Publisher: Guildford Press, Price: $74.00, Australian Distributor: Astam Books.
Abstract: Minton, Pat Review(s) of: Dyslexia, by Gavin Reid, Year of Publication: 2005, Place of Publication: London, ISBN: 08264 7579 5, Publisher: Continuum Tnt. Publishing Group, Price: $19.95; Australian Distributor: Allen and Unwin.
Abstract: Stearman, Helen Review(s) of: Comprehensive disability management, by Harder, Henry G and Scott, Liz R, Publisher: Elsevier Churchill Livingstone; Date of Publication: 2005, Place of Publication: USA, ISBN: 0-443-10113-2, Price: $75.00 Inc GST, Australian Distributor: Elsevier Australia.
Abstract: Symons, Anne; Greaves, Daryl As a practising teacher, I was given the responsibility for choosing a program to use with a group of children of mixed ages who were experiencing difficulties in literacy learning. The program selected was THRASS. To justify its continued use I needed to determine: - whether the program was effective in helping these children develop their literacy skills, and - whether improvements could be made to the conduct of program and/or its assessment procedures.
Abstract: Fry, Jennifer; Bartak, Lawrence Teachers often claim that many students with learning difficulties and emotional/behavioural disorders need more support than is currently provided for them. This article presents data from survey of teacher preceptions of the levels of support required by student, primary, and secondary levels, the influence of gender, and presence of funding for these student. Learning difficulties and emotional/disorders were found to be the most common problems, encounters by the teachers. The report concludes that student with moderate to severe disorders who have not qualified for funded support, provide the greatest challenges for teachers and that the needs of this group need to be given urgent priority in order to effect systemic school-wide improvements.
Abstract: Hutchison, Michelle In this paper I am sharing my personal reflections as a person with dyslexia. In my case, my self-diagnosis opened a doorway to a journey of discovery. On this journey I have learnt that the diagnosis of dyslexia leads to self-awareness. Self-awareness is an essential step to self-acceptance. Self-acceptance provides a foundation for the development of one's inherent potential.
Abstract: McLeod, John In 1959 Fred J. Schonell invited John McLeod to take over as his deputy at Queensland University's Remedial Education Centre. He was later appointed Director of the University of Saskatchewan's new Institute for Child Guidance and Development. There he established a new programme to prepare teachers of exceptional children, which became a blueprint for the Canadian national report "Standards for the Education of Exceptional Children in Canada". His publications include the GAP reading comprehension test, Dyslexia Schedule, McLeod/Domain Phonics test and (with Jonathan Anderson) Gapadol. Association with Kirk at the University of Illinois helped reinforce his interest in psycholinguistics and Information Theory, leading to Interfacuna, based on a technique that permits comparative assessment of reading comprehension in different languages. Dr McLeod is a former Scholar in Residence at Harvard, senior Fuibright Scholar, and has received national honours in Australia and Canada for research and service to education. He is a member of the International Advisory Board of the International Dyslexia Association, was the first Chair of the Australasian branch of the International Reading Association and the founding editor of Thalamus, a journal of the International Association for Research into Learning Disabilities. In 2004, he received CEC Canada's award for lifetime achievement and the Saskatchewan Order of Merit.
Abstract: Milroy, Calvin Originally working as a graphic artist and creative director within the advertising industry for over ten years, Calvin Milroy, turned his communication skills towards Education where he has spent a large portion of his eighteen year career in training, instructional design and assessment. Calvin is currently undertaking a Master of Education and On-line/Special Education and is conducting psychological research in new concepts of learning. His company, Demiurge Pty. Ltd., has been specifically formulated to help people to improve themselves, their organisations and their lives. Indeed the name 'Demiurge' (meaning a powerful creative force or personality) has been carefully chosen to reflect Calvin's philosophy - "Creating life out of chaos through effective personal development"
Abstract: Watson, Julie This article outlines the experiences of students with an educational disadvantage in schools. The interview data agreed with existing research allowing a human face to be presented. The research found that these students were generally unhappy at school and their educational needs consistently remained unmet. Their parents were angry and frustrated by the actions of schools and grieved for their children. Interviewed teachers were positive about these students but were highly critical of school environments, of the inability of their peers to understand the link between inappropriate pedagogy and bad behaviour as well as of unsuitable assessment and curriculum. Some topics discussed included student/teacher relationships, leadership, pedagogy, support, the school/home connection, policy and community.
Abstract: Griffiths, Mark Online gaming has become a very popular leisure activity among adolescents. Research suggests that a small minority of adolescents may display problematic gaming behaviour and that some of these individuals may be addicted to online games, including those who have learning disabilities. This article begins by examining a case study of a 15-year old adolescent with a learning disability who appeared to be addicted to various computer and internet applications. Despite the potential negative effects of excessive internet and gaming, the article then briefly reviews the therapeutic benefits of gaming for the learning disabled before examining some of the potential factors in gaming addiction. The article concludes with some advice for parents about what issues to consider in relation to making child and adolescent gaming as safe and enjoyable as possible.
Abstract: Pearce, Anne; Graham, Lorraine; Paterson, David This paper describes the intervention program, Moving with Language, which was developed at a large rural primary school on the outskirts of Darwin, Northern Territory. Moving with Language is a multi-dimensional approach to providing learning support for young students who have a range of disabilities. Specifically, this program targeted oral language and motor skill development within a strategy-training context. The program focused on motor planning, self-directed student talk and the use of pictographed instructions to support the development of independent learning and literacy skills.
Abstract: Wood, Christopher; Larkin, Rebecca F Developmental dyslexia and language impairments are generally considered to be distinct disorders, both in diagnostic criteria and academic literature. However, with increased research into this domain, the dividing line is becoming progressively more blurred. Initial research suggests that a deficit in speed of processing skills may be common to both disorders, yet studies directly addressing this hypothesis are sparse. The present study directly compares the speed of processing skills of adolescents with dyslexia, adolescents with language impairment and an age-matched control group. Measures of Rapid Automatic Naming (RAN) and simple reaction time were administered alongside standardised processing speed tests. Generally, findings suggested that speed of processing differences are present on tasks which require more cognitive processing and phonological ability, yet are not present on simple reaction time tasks. More specifically, findings show that on Rapid Automatic Naming letters, individuals with dyslexia performed poorest, while on Rapid Automatic Naming Digits, the language impaired group performed significantly worse than the dyslexia group. This suggests that any speed of processing deficits observed in these populations may be linked to the stimuli presented. The implications of these findings for both research and practice are discussed.
Abstract: Firth, Nola International best practice for students with dyslexia/specific learning disabilities was researched in the USA, Canada, and in the United Kingdom. It was found that in each of these countries there was better support for these students in government policies, legislation, school options and teacher education than in Australia. The recently released Australian National Dyslexia Agenda appears to begin to address shortcomings in the Australian system.
Abstract: Shield, Margaret; Graham, Lorraine One of the biggest challenges arising from the introduction of second language programs in primary schools has been the inclusion of children with disabilities or learning difficulties. Language teachers began to ask questions such as: 'Will these children actually benefit from learning a second language''; 'What difficulties will these children encounter in the language classroom''; and 'How can I, as a language teacher, adapt the language program to suit children with such a wide range of abilities and ensure that their language learning experiences are both enjoyable and beneficial'' This study sought to gain a better understanding of inclusion in the second language classroom by identifying some of the challenges faced by both children and their teachers and by documenting successful strategies employed by language educators to meet these challenges.
Abstract: Coltheart, Max The key aspects and features of learning to talk and learning to read are discussed. The vital points that need to be kept in mind when teaching students to talk as well as teaching them to read are highlighted.
Abstract: Firth, Nola This paper reports on a comparison between the results of a coping measure completed by 53 students aged 12 to 13 who were assessed as having learning disabilities with published means from the general Australian student population on the Adolescent Coping Scale (Frydenberg and Lewis, 1993). The comparison indicated higher use by the students who had learning disabilities of a more passive coping style that included ignoring the problem, giving up, not working hard on the problem, and not blaming themselves. Nevertheless they indicated a higher use of some positive strategies including focusing on the positive. These findings are discussed in relation to a need for development of interventions that give young people who have learning disabilities strategies that address their risk of a passive coping style and of further investigation into their positive coping responses.
Abstract: Konza, Deslea; Gray, Tracey The characteristics of struggling adolescent readers in order to provide a context for a discussion of strategies that may be useful for secondary teachers preparing to teach a new unit of work as well as assessing the learning of students with literacy difficulties are discussed. The important role that parents and family can play in supporting the students is also highlighted.
Abstract: Christensen, Carol A Whole School Literacy is an approach to literacy that aims to develop high levels of literate competence for all students. Students are initially assessed on reading comprehension and placed in a curriculum strand according to their current level of achievement. Students reading at early primary level are located in a program that focuses on building decoding skills. Students reading at Year 3 - 4 level have a program that enhances their decoding and builds some comprehension skills. Students reading at upper-primary level focus on comprehension. Their program covers comprehension monitoring, inferential thinking and building mental models that correspond to concepts and ideas in text. Finally, students reading at secondary level have a program that builds the capacity to invent and use sophisticated strategies to conceptualise, learn and remember information from text. While dramatic gains in achievement can be shown for students from all achievement groups, particular benefits accrue for students experiencing difficulties in learning to read. Many of these students begin with a program that develops proficiency in decoding. They then progress to a focus on comprehension and finally to invention of sophisticated strategies and critical analysis of text. The aim of the program is to ensure that all students have the literacy skills for successful university study. Data from our schools show that this is feasible.
Abstract: Munro, John Learning to read written prose requires access to a complex symbolic system that permits the reader to represent the text in a range of ways. The present study examines the multiple areas of knowledge that contribute to acquiring this system by children at the earliest phase of learning to read.
Abstract: Vincent, John Many students are assessed as having communications difficulties purely because they have problems working with words. This paper asks whether using the computer to communicate through multimodal text production can create opportunities for some students to succeed in making texts where they have struggled with word texts for five years or more in school. This paper draws on research which suggests that many students with apparent learning difficulties, especially when working with words, may be able to draw upon scaffolding by alternative modes of expression such as images, music and animation. Every student in four upper primary classes at two Melbourne schools was introduced to making texts with multimedia programs on a computer over several weeks. Many of the students who were finding verbal communication difficult (especially spelling and writing) created semiotically complex, multi-layered texts, in which each semiotic mode not only acted us a message carrier, but integrated with other modes to create meaning. In addition, each multimodal text involved the use of substantial, and often fluent, verbal text in contrast to the work they had produced previously.
Abstract: Oakley, Grace This article describes one of a series of formative experiments (see Reinking and Watkins, 2000), carried out to investigate how classroom teachers could use Interactive Multimedia (IMM) software to assist nine and ten-year-old (Year 4 and 5) children they had identified as 'at risk' in reading. In this particular formative experiment, IMM-based interventions using commercially available (Australian) reading software were devised with the objective of improving four students' reading comprehension and reading fluency, which is closely interlinked with comprehension (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, 2000). The aim of this exploratory study was to discover strategies that 'fitted' the needs of the participating children, and to uncover facilitative factors and obstacles (inhibitive factors) in designing, implementing and evaluating the strategies, before adjusting them accordingly in an attempt to 'fine tune' them. It was expected that the identification of these factors would be of interest and use to other teachers who are just beginning to use IMM as a resource to help 'at risk' readers, even though it is acknowledged that the generalisability of the findings from this essentially exploratory study may be limited. After a three-month intervention period the four participating students, who usually did not fully engage in literacy activities or achieve the literacy outcomes expected by the teacher, improved their comprehension scores considerably, as measured by the Neale Analysis of Reading Ability (Neale, 1988). However, the classroom teacher reported that not all of the students' literacy performances had improved in the regular classroom context although all of them showed signs of increased self-esteem motivation to read, according to teacher observations.
Abstract: Larkin, Rebecca F Children with dyslexia are well-known for having difficulties with learning to read and write. However, a less well known developmental disorder is also associated with a high risk of literacy difficulties. This disorder is called Specific Language Impairment (SLI), and it affects around 7% of the population (Leonard, 1997). SLI receives substantially less media attention than dyslexia, which is surprising considering both its prevalence rate and educational implications. In the academic world research has focused on the biological, cognitive and behavioural facets of SLI, yet we are still some way from fully understanding the nature of the disorder. For example, whilst it is now firmly established that dyslexia is characterised by a phonological deficit, researchers are still debating the core cognitive deficits that underpin SLI. Similarly, in terms of literacy development we now have a good understanding of how children with dyslexia learn to spell, yet it is unclear whether children with SLI develop written language skills in the same way. In short, there is much still to discover, and further progression is vital in view of the direct link between research, clinical diagnosis and educational interventions within this field. Both SLI and dyslexia can be considered to be language based disorders, and the relationship between the two is the subject of current academic debate. This article will draw a direct comparison between SLI and dyslexia, with a focus on children's spelling development. A pilot study directly comparing the two populations will be outlined, and the discussion will aim to explicitly link research findings to educational applications.
Abstract: van Kraayenoord, Christina E This article comprises a brief, selective summary of some of the findings from the research in the field of learning difficulties of past and present Australian scholars. In addition, topics for future research with respect to learning difficulties are identified.
Abstract: Richardson, Amy An investigation was performed to determine whether 374 dyslexic children's attainments (BAS Word reading, Neale Analysis of Reading Ability and Vernon Graded Word Spelling), as well as mathematics attainments (France Profile of Mathematical Ability) would improve after spending time at East Court School, a specialist school for children with dyslexia. Intelligence data (Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children III, (WISC III), Wechsler 1992) were also examined to see if, after receiving specialist teaching, a cognitive 'drop off' (known as the Matthew Effect, Stanovich 1986) had occurred. Following work by Thomson (2003), investigations were carried out to determine whether lower scores on certain subtests indicating dyslexia on the WISC III would remain weak over time. Significant improvement was found in all aspects of dyslexic children's academic attainments, including mathematics. There was no evidence found of a cognitive drop off, following specialist teaching. Evidence was found for significantly weaker scores on certain WISC-III subtests over time, providing support specifically for the 'SCAD' profile (that is weak scores on the Symbol Search, Coding, Arithmetic and Digit Span subtests).
Abstract: Lightfoot, Christopher Language testing is commonplace in most classrooms. The results from the language testing influence and inform teachers' classroom curriculum. The participants in this study were children from a low socio-economic-status Catholic primary school in the western suburbs of Melbourne. A factor analysis of a range of early primary school assessments was conducted. The results indicated that some language tests really assess children's decoding and reading skills, while other language tests assess comprehension skills involving general language processing. Implications regarding children from low socio-economic-status suburbs entry into supportive reading programs are presented.
Abstract: Graham, Lorraine; Bellert, Anne What can teachers do to address the comprehension disabilities experienced by students with learning disabilities' This paper looks at effective reading comprehension instruction that can support students to improve and develop their skills in comprehending narrative and expository texts. A description and brief review of research pertaining to the 3H strategy, a 'high utility' reading comprehension strategy, is included.
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