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Allergic children suffering from learning disabilities, hyperactivity, fatigue, incoordination and irritability who were treated by conventional allergic methods showed a marked improvement in ability to learn, reduction of hyperactivity and incoordination, and ability to perform intelligence tests. The objective neurological studies showed no consistent changes as a result of one year of allergy therapy.
Clinical and psychoeducational data were analyzed for 119 children ages 8 to 16 years who were evaluated in a child diagnostic clinic. A learning disability (LD) was present in 70% of the children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), with a learning disability in written expression two times more common (65%) than a learning disability in reading, math, or spelling. Children with LD and ADHD had more severe learning problems than children who had LD but no ADHD, and the former also had more severe attention problems than children who had ADHD but no LD. Further, children with ADHD but no LD had some degree of learning problem, and children with LD but no ADHD had some degree of attention problem. Results suggest that learning and attention problems are on a continuum, are interrelated, and usually coexist.
There is broad acknowledgement within services for people with learning disabilities that the general health of this client group is poor. There is an impressive body of published research to demonstrate why these problems exist within the population receiving care in the community. Initiatives outlined in the White Paper Valuing People: A New Strategy for Learning Disability for the 21st Century (DoH 2001) to develop individual health action plans and provide health facilitators give an excellent opportunity to remedy this situation and make a difference to the health and quality of life for people with learning disabilities.
UNLABELLED: Auditory and auditory-visual (AV) speech perception skills were examined in adults with and without language-learning disabilities (LLD). The AV stimuli consisted of congruent consonant-vowel syllables (auditory and visual syllables matched in terms of syllable being produced) and incongruent McGurk syllables (auditory syllable differed from visual syllable). Although the identification of the auditory and congruent AV syllables was comparable for the two groups, the reaction times to identify all syllables were longer in the LLD compared to the control group. This finding is consistent with previous research demonstrating slower processing in learning disabled individuals. Adults with LLD also provided significantly fewer integration-type or McGurk responses compared with their normal peers when presented with speech tokens representing a mismatch between the auditory and visual signal. These results suggest the poor integration for auditory-visual speech previously documented in children with poor language skills also occurs in adults with LLD. LEARNING OUTCOMES: The reader will be able to (1) describe the McGurk effect; (2) describe group differences (language learning disabled and control adults) in auditory and auditory-visual speech perception of consonant-vowel syllables.
The present study examined the performance of 78 students with learning disabilities and 71 normally achieving students in regular Form 1 (Grade 6) classes on three validity indexes of the Perception of Ability Scale for Students, a measure of academic self-concept. The three indexes assess consistency of responding, negative or positive response biases, and misrepresentation of self-perceptions in terms of unrealistic perceptions of perfection in school. Analysis showed that learning disabled students obtained significantly lower Full Scale scores than the normal students, but no significant differences appeared on the three validity indexes. Users of the test can be confident that learning disabled students respond to items in as valid a manner as other students. Having specific learning problems in school should not interfere with response patterns on this scale.
This study investigated the extent to which a sample of 407 special education teachers addressed various topical issues with students who have learning disabilities, mental retardation, or behavior disorders. A survey instrument was employed to gather information pertaining to 45 topical issues that involve controversial or sensitive subjects typically not addressed in the traditional academic curriculum in school. Results indicated that the majority of topical issues are addressed only to a very limited extent with students with disabilities. A 3 x 2 factorial analysis of variance, followed by post hoc comparisons using Scheffé's test, indicated that topical issues are addressed to the greatest extent with students with behavior disorders and to the least extent with students with learning disabilities. Results also indicated differences in the extent to which elementary- and secondary-level students with disabilities receive information from special education teachers about topical issues, with a greater emphasis on coverage of topical issues occurring at the secondary level. Possible explanations for the findings are discussed, followed by implications for special education teachers and recommendations for future research involving topical issues education for students with learning disabilities.
To measure the ocular fixation and sequential scanning dysfunction assumed responsible for the visual reading symptoms which characterize dyslexia or learning disabilities, an optokinetically based tracking method was devised. This method quantitatively demonstrated significantly reduced fixation, tracking, and perceptual or visual-span scores as well as "movement illusions" for 70 cerebellar-vestibular dysfunctioning persons with learning disabilities vs 70 controls. Such data tended to validate the hypothesis that cerebellar-vestibular-determined fixation and tracking mechanisms predispose dyslexic or learning disabled individuals to visual reading disorders. Moreover, a newly revised method is presented which may prove useful in rapidly screening and diagnosing cerebellar-vestibular-determined reading and learning disorders from those of other origins. Additional independent studies using significantly larger samples and asymptomatic or "normal" controls are required for further validation and development of the method.
What works and how do we know? These are recurring questions for health and social care professionals, although mediated through differing philosophies and historical perspectives. The aims of the study reported here were to discover views of managers and commissioners of services for people with learning disabilities in Scotland regarding (a) current approaches to service evaluation (as an indication of what is to be measured) and (b) healthcare outcome measurement (as an indication of preferences regarding how this should be measured). A postal questionnaire was used to survey 94 stakeholders from the NHS, Local Authorities, and non-statutory organisations across Scotland. Respondents' views were sought on current approaches to service evaluation within learning disabilities; outcome measurement; appropriateness of specified methods of measuring health outcomes; desired future methods of outcome measurement within learning disabilities; and service user involvement in care. A 77% (73/94) response rate to the questionnaire was achieved. Different methods of service evaluation were used by different stakeholders. Staff appraisal was the most frequently identified method (used by 85% of respondents). Specific outcome measures were used by 32% of respondents although there were differences of opinion as to what constitutes specific outcome measures. Overall there was strong support for goal-setting and reviewing (83%) and individualised outcome measures (75%) as appropriate methods for use with people with learning disabilities. The hypothetical question asking what outcome measures should be introduced for this client group had by far the lowest response rate (51/73). The overwhelming majority of all respondents, 68 (92%), reported user involvement in their service. Staff ambivalence to outcome measurement was evident in the research and respondents highlighted the complexity and multidimensional nature of outcomes for this service user group. Managers recognised that outcome measurement was expected but were uncertain how to go about it.
The purpose of this study was to assess difference in academic performance among myopic, hyperopic, and emmetropic children who were learning disabled. More specifically, myopic children were expected to perform better on mathematical and spatial tasks than would hyperopic ones and that hyperopic and emmetropic children would perform better on verbal measures than would myopic ones. For 439 learning disabled students visual anomalies were determined via a Generated Retinal Reflex Image Screening System. Test data were obtained from school files. Partial support for the hypothesis was obtained. Myopic learning disabled children outperformed hyperopic and emmetropic children on the Key Math test. Myopic children scored better than hyperopic children on the WRAT Reading subtest and on the Durrell Analysis of Reading Difficulty Oral Reading Comprehension, Oral Rate, Flashword, and Spelling subtests, and on the Key Math Measurement and Total Scores. Severity of refractive error significantly affected the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children--Revised Full Scale, Performance Scale, Verbal Scale, and Digit Span scores but did not affect any academic test scores. Several other findings were also reported. Those with nonametropic problems scored higher than those without problems on the Key Math Time subtest. Implications supportive of the theories of Benbow and Benbow and Geschwind and Behan were stated.
We tested the following groups for visual pursuit abilities: 54 mentally retarded, 46 cerebral-palsied, and 131 learning-disabled children, 3 to 10 years of age. The resulting five behavioral scores, six directions, and total scores were analyzed for age trends. Comparisons were made between the handicapped groups and between the handicapped and normative samples. The scores were also correlated with other visual and postural abilities. All three handicapped groups scored lower than the normative group and also showed patterns different from the normative group and different from each other. The learning-disabled group most closely approximated the normative group's development patterns. Educational data were not able to be used, and we suggest that future research examine the correlations (both in handicapped and nonhandicapped children) of ocular pursuits and educational achievement, and also obtain more complete data on cerebral-palsied children. Therapists may find the visual pursuits test useful particularly when they want to evaluate a number of aspects of ocular pursuit functioning or when they desire more precision than what is usually available by simple observation.
This study concerned the prediction of group membership of 40 learning disabled and 40 normal children on the basis of preference for laterality of the children and of their parents. A stepwise discriminant analysis showed maternal and paternal lateral preferences could correctly identify approximately 85% of the cases. Orthogonal contrasts showed that, although children themselves did not differ in the degree of laterality, parents of learning disabled children were significantly more bilateral in their preference patterns than normals.
Encopresis is widely assumed to be "normal" among individuals who are learning disabled. Yet, reports on its prevalence, etiology and treatment are rare and mainly confined to secondary encopresis or to populations with milder learning disabilities. The behavioral treatment of a life-long nonretentive, nocturnal encopresis is described for a young adult with severe learning and physical disabilities living at home. Treatment involved waking prior to soiling, time-limited use of suppositories and rewards for appropriate evacuation. Soiling decreased to zero over 20 weeks. Time of waking was then gradually "shaped" back to normal.
OBJECTIVE: To investigate prevalence rate of learning disabilities (LD) in Chinese children, and to explore related risk factors, and to provide theoretical basis for preventing such disabilities. METHODS: One thousand and one hundred fifty one children were randomly selected in primary schools. According to criteria set by ICD-10, 118 children diagnosed as LD were classified into the study group. Four hundred and ninety one children were classified into the normal control group. Five hundred and forty two children were classified into the excellent control group. The study instruments included PRS (The pupil rating scale revised screening for learning disabilities), Conners' children behavior check-list taken by parents and YG-WR character check-list. RESULTS: The prevalence rate of LD in Chinese children was 10.3%. Significant differences were observed between LD and normally learning children, and between the LD group and the excellent group, in terms of scores of Conners' behavior check-list (P < 0.05). The study further showed that individual differences in character between the LD group and the control groups still existed even after controlling individual differences in age, IQ, and gender. Some possible causal explanations contributing to LD were improper teaching by parents, low educational level of the parents, and children's characteristics and social relationships. CONCLUSION: These data underscore the fact that LD is a serious national public health problem in China. LD is resulted from a number of factors. Good studying and living environments should be created for LD children.
BACKGROUND: The management of disturbed behaviour in facilities for those with learning disabilities involves a spectrum of approaches including the prescription of emergency medication, restraint and seclusion. The use of these techniques has recently come under close scrutiny. METHOD: All incidents requiring emergency medication or seclusion that occurred in a large hospital for those with learning disabilities were studied over a six-months period. The precipitating factors, course and outcome of those who had received emergency medication or seclusion were then examined. RESULTS: In all, 286 incidents involving 72 individuals occurred during the study period. The episodes requiring seclusion comprised 19% of all incidents. Two-thirds of the patients involved were male but six female patients accounted for 36% of all incidents. During the second part of the study, when the staff knew that the treatments used were being monitored, there was a significant reduction in use of restraint and emergency drugs given intramuscularly. Patients receiving seclusion were judged to have a better outcome one hour after the onset of the incident compared with those who received medication. CONCLUSIONS: Despite concerns about the use of seclusion, the results of this survey suggest that procedures that remove the patient from the environment contributing to the disturbance may have certain advantages in this population.
BACKGROUND: This paper describes a study of non-cognitive features of dementia in a population of 105 people over 50 years of age, with learning disability. METHOD: The study involved psychiatric assessment using the Psychiatric Assessment Schedule for Adults with a Developmental Disability (PAS-ADD), a semi-structured psychiatric interview developed specifically for people who have learning disability. Dementia was diagnosed using a combination of informant interviewing and observation of cognitive change over a three year period. RESULTS: Sample members with definite dementia had higher levels of sleep difficulty, hypersomnia, irritability, inefficient thought, loss of interest and anhedonia. Discriminant function analysis showed that non-cognitive features could help discriminate between definite and probable cases. CONCLUSIONS: Results support the previously reported observation for the general population that cognitive and non-cognitive features are only weakly related. The study suggests that psychiatric symptom information may be useful in screening for dementia in people with learning disability.
The Southern Health and Social Services Board is one of four in the province and encompasses three administrative areas. The survey included ascertained mild cases of learning disability, and both ascertained and unascertained individuals functioning at levels below IQ 50. The prevalence of mild learning disability is within the limits reported in the literature and is discussed in the context of the 'new morbidity'. However, the rates of severe learning disability (IQ < 50) in all three areas are high--between 7.9 and 10.2 per 1000 in the 15-19-years-old age group--and confirm the findings of an earlier survey. Half of all cases live at home in 'intact' families. In families with a sole carer, the mother is seven times more likely to fill the role than the father.
Recent research indicates that a subclinical VIIIth nerve defect can be a major contributing factor to, if not a cause of learning disabilities. A battery of tests developed for evaluation of VIIIth nerve function is presented. These tests include assessment of vestibular function and evaluation of auditory figure ground abilities. 70 primary school children diagnosed as learning-disabled by child study teams were tested using this battery. 94% had abnormal findings in the electronystagmographic test and 22% in the auditory figure ground test. This battery of tests can detect subclinical defects in learning-disabled children which can be alleviated by a combination of proper medical treatment and an appropriate educational plan.
Forty-nine adults with learning disabilities who had attended a large public university between 1980 and 1992 were interviewed about their current employment and social status. Most of the respondents had adjusted well to the demands and complexities of adulthood. More than 80% of the participants not still in college at the time of the interview were employed, mostly in white collar jobs. Although most of the participants indicated that their learning disabilities affected them at work or in other facets of their life, they typically did not disclose those disabilities when applying for jobs or once employed. The respondents were also socially active and happy with their social life. Keys and barriers to success are examined, and recommendations are made concerning the issue of discrimination in the workplace.