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PubMed2006

Learning disabilities in children with neurofibromatosis type 1: subtypes, cognitive profile, and attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder.

Cognitive deficits are the most common complication in children with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), and academic achievement is broadly affected. There is a lack of consensus in the literature regarding the frequency of general and specific learning disabilities, which seems to be related to the lack of a consensus on diagnostic criteria. The present study examined the frequency of specific learning disabilities (SLDs) in NF1, using an intellect-achievement discrepancy for diagnosis, as well as general learning difficulty associated with a lowering of general intellectual ability. The cohort consisted of 81 children with NF1 (43 males, 38 females; mean age 11y 6mo [SD 2y 4mo]; range 8y-16y 9mo) and 49 comparison children (20 males, 29 females; mean age 12y [SD 2y 6mo]; range 8y 2mo-16y 8mo). Problems with academic achievement were present in 52% of children with NF1; however, only 20% of the children with NF1 were diagnosed with an SLD (32% had more general learning problems). Only males with NF1 were at significant risk for SLD, and Verbal IQ<Performance IQ discrepancies were predictive of the presence of an SLD. There was a significant comorbidity of literacy-based learning disabilities and attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder. We were able to define three subtypes of children with NF1 having distinct cognitive profiles, each with important implications for assessment and remediation.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Learning disabilities as a childhood manifestation of severe psychopathology.

The severity and nature of psychopathology in a group of learning disabled children was investigated. Compared to children in a normal control group, those in the learning disabled group manifested a significant degree of emotional maladjustment. They also exhibited disturbances in areas of ego functioning generally thought to be impaired in those with borderline personality organization. No linear relationship was found between severity of pathology and degree of underachievement.

Affective Symptoms↗
PubMed1989

Stability of WISC-R scores for a sample of learning disabled children.

The study was designed to assess the stability of WISC-R profiles of 36 learning disabled children given the WISC-R two times. The mean time between tests was 2.5 yr. The pattern reported for learning disabled children on Bannatyne's categories was evident for the group at both times, however, this pattern was not found for the majority of subjects. Analysis indicated a decrease over time in Verbal IQs, Full Scale IQs, and Bannatyne's Conceptual category, confirming previous findings. Possible reasons for the changes in scores are discussed.

Child↗
PubMed1997

Factors predisposing to suspected offending by adults with self-reported learning disabilities.

BACKGROUND: This study investigated factors contributing to suspected offending behaviour by adults with a history of learning disabilities taken into custody at a city police station. METHODS: Adults charged with offences, and/or leaving custody, during a defined period, were identified as having a possible learning disability using a four-item questionnaire (Lyall et al. 1995 a). A comparison group, of similar age, sex and IQ, was identified from a database of young people with learning difficulties. Information was obtained on interview about each individual's medical, psychiatric, social and family histories and psychological assessments were undertaken. RESULTS: In contrast to the comparison group, those in the 'offending' group were more likely to have a history of the following: losing contact with their father, forensic contact in one or more family members, past homelessness, illicit drug use, experiencing an excess of recent life events, self-reported behavioural problems at school, truancy, childhood police contact and contact with probation services. All had histories of repeated offending. There was also an increased rate of drug/alcohol dependence. Only two subjects in the study group had a full-scale IQ below 70. CONCLUSIONS: These differences would suggest that the presence of childhood behavioural problems, offending behaviour by other family members, family separation and other social disruption and the development of drug and alcohol related problems are potentially the most important factors in trying to understand why one group engaged in criminal behaviour. The offending group had many characteristics in common with general offending populations.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Perception of emotions in anxious and learning disabled children.

This study examined differences in the ability to perceive others' emotions in anxious and learning disabled children, as these differences may contribute to these children's unique socio-emotional difficulties and therapeutic needs. Forty-six children ages 8 to 12 with either anxiety disorders (ANX), language-based learning disabilities (LD), both conditions, or neither condition (clinical controls) were compared on the DANVA, a standardized measure of auditory and visual perception of emotion. Group results were then compared to normative data. Using multivariate analyses, significant group differences were found on the auditory portion of the DANVA but not on the visual portion. LD and comorbid children scored lower on several auditory stimuli, especially when presented at low emotional intensity, while ANX and comorbid children showed high accuracy for auditory sadness. Comorbid children also had lower auditory DANVA scores than the normative sample. No interactive effects between ANX and LD were found. ANX and LD each appear to have distinct effects on the auditory perception of others' emotions. Children with both conditions show both effects and differ from normal children in this domain. Replication using larger samples is required.

Anxiety Disorders↗
PubMed1983

Distinctions in variability of motor output between learning disabled and normal children.

This study measured the differences in motor output between groups of 8- and 10-yr.-old learning disabled and normal boys. Variability of motor output was investigated by having children learn an alternating tapping task to a criterion of a specified number of taps per minute and then having them transfer to more difficult tapping tasks with the same rhythmic beat but requiring more distance to move or more accuracy. Results suggest variability of motor output distinguishes normal and learning disabled boys.

Attention↗
PubMed2004

Efficacy and tolerability of levetiracetam in patients with therapy-resistant epilepsy and learning disabilities.

INTRODUCTION: The purpose was to evaluate the effects of levetiracetam (LEV) in routine therapy in learning disabled patients with therapy-resistant epilepsy. METHODS: In an open observational add-on study design, 46 patients (residents of the Bethel Epilepsy Centre) with severe therapy-resistant epilepsy and different degrees of learning disabilities, who were treated with LEV between its introduction in Autumn 2000 and February 2002, were evaluated retrospectively. Information on monthly seizure frequencies, seizure severity and psychiatric status was extracted from the current patient case records. A 3 months baseline and a 3 months LEV treatment period (after 3 months of titration) were compared. Responders were defined as having a 50% reduction in seizure frequency and being evaluated as good or very good in an ad hoc global clinical efficacy scale. When only one criterion was positive, a careful individual decision was made based on the impact on the patients' daily activities. RESULTS: The responder rate was 41.3% (34.8 for 50% seizure reduction). It was higher in focal and multifocal epilepsy as compared to symptomatic generalised epilepsy/Lennox Gastaut Syndrome (P<0.05). Antiepileptic response occurred in doses between 500 and 4000 mg/day. Changes in seizure severity were rare. Nine patients experienced positive psychotropic effects (mostly improved vigilance and mood); six of these patients had antiepileptic effects as well. Twelve patients had adverse effects, mostly mild; in three cases, however, more severe effects led to discontinuation. CONCLUSIONS: LEV is an effective and generally well-tolerated drug for this patient group, especially in focal and multifocal epilepsy.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Responding to people with a learning disability who offend.

AIM: This article reports on a small survey conducted in one NHS trust to establish the number of people with a learning disability known by staff to have committed, or be alleged to have committed, an offence. METHOD: A sample of 35 members of staff who were likely to be in contact with this client group were sent questionnaires. Thirty responses were received, giving a response rate of 86 per cent. RESULTS: A total of four nurses and two clinical psychologists were in contact with 31 individuals known or alleged to have committed an offence. These offences were mainly sexual and some were violent. Several individuals had committed a number of separate offences. Respondents felt that the needs of these individuals were not adequately met by current service provision. CONCLUSION: A planned inter-agency response is required to deal with people with learning disabilities who carry out criminal offences, rather than the current system which is vague in terms of allocating responsibility for action. The nurse's role in providing sexual health education for those with learning disabilities also needs to be considered in the light of the survey results.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed2005

Ecological neuropsychology: an alternative to the deficit model for conceptualizing and serving students with learning disabilities.

The present paper contends that children with learning disabilities are better served when assessment and intervention are conceptualized within an ecological neuropsychology perspective than within the traditional deficit model perspective, which is the predominant approach to intervention in medical and educational settings. The deficit method conceptualizes problems as within the child, and the major consequence of this approach is that little time is spent analyzing the learning environment or other systems that might impact the child's ability to be successful in an academic setting. Therefore, rehabilitation efforts have had limited success. In contrast, ecological neuropsychology is a strength-based approach that considers the child, as well as the systems within which he/she interacts, when assessing, diagnosing, and intervening with students who are experiencing learning difficulties.

Child↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The nurse's role in caring for people with learning disabilities.

Nurses caring for people with learning disabilities are facing role confusion and virtual extinction as a consequence of changes in care provision. This article draws from the results of a working party established to clarify their role and offers a model which can provide comprehensive and quality health care.

Clinical Competence↗
PubMed1998

Parents with learning disabilities: a review of the literature.

Parenting by learning disabled persons is a highly emotive issue, eliciting arguments from both extremes. Many of the arguments against such parenting have their basis in eugenic theory, whereas those in favour, often cite human rights declarations, and philosophies such as 'normalization'. This review of the literature describes the chronological development of theory on the subject, spanning 1900 to the present day. It has become clear that, whereas parents with learning difficulties may be more predisposed to having problems, they can indeed perform as adequate parents, given appropriate training and support. This paper traces the development of current theory, through an in-depth discussion of the available literature.

Humans↗
PubMed1989

Adult support and the exploratory behavior of children with learning disabilities.

Low- and moderate-exploratory children with learning disabilities engaged in exploratory behavior independently and with an adult who communicated support in one of two nonintrusive ways. Consistent with a developmental motivation perspective, low- and moderate-exploratory children showed higher levels of exploration under both kinds of supportive conditions.

Child↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Emotional adjustment and school functioning of young adolescents with multiple versus single learning disabilities.

Early adolescents (Grades 6-8) with multiple learning disabilities (LD; reading and math) in inclusive settings were compared to adolescents with single LD (reading or math) and typically achieving (TA) peers regarding their psychosocial functioning in two areas of adolescent well-being: emotional adjustment and school functioning. The Behavior Assessment System for Children (Reynolds & Kamphaus, 1998) Self-Report of Personality for adolescents was used to determine well-being. One hundred twenty middle school students-15 boys and 15 girls in each group-were included in the current study. The results confirmed that adolescents with multiple LD (reading and math) reported poorer functioning (i.e., higher T scores) on school maladjustment, clinical maladjustment, emotional symptoms index, attitude to school, atypicality, and depression when compared to TA peers but not when compared to peers with a single LD (reading or math). All three groups differed from the TA group (but not from each other) on sense of inadequacy, with the multiple LD group reporting the highest T scores. Additional analyses indicated significant differences between girls and boys, regardless of disability status. Girls reported higher T scores on the emotional symptoms index, social stress, and depression, but boys reported greater school maladjustment and sensation seeking. Implications for practice and recommendations for future research are discussed.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Setting up a multidisciplinary journal club in learning disability.

This article presents an account of how a journal club with a multidisciplinary membership from learning disability practice was set up. It presents a review of the literature which discusses the purpose, function and setting up of journal clubs. It outlines how topics were selected, the appraisal tool used to review articles and how findings from the reviews were disseminated to practice areas. The article in identifies the lack of research in the areas of learning disability practice. It demonstrates the positive aspects of working in collaboration with other members of the multidisciplinary team and how this provides opportunities for professional development. It identifies that support from management is essential in enabling staff to take time to attend and participate in the journal club.

Education, Nursing, Continuing↗
PubMed1994

Note-taking skills of university students with and without learning disabilities.

The notes of 30 university students with learning disabilities (LD) and 30 nondisabled university students were compared on the number of cued and noncued information units recorded and the number and type of abbreviations used. Results showed that the university students with LD performed significantly lower on all variables. Implications for practitioners are provided and future research discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Homework for students with learning disabilities: the implications of research for policy and practice.

The literature on homework for students with learning disabilities is reviewed. First, a summary of Cooper's (1989a) synthesis of research on homework for students without disabilities is presented, including (a) a definition of homework, (b) a model of the homework process, (c) the results of a meta-analysis of homework studies, and (d) generic policy guidelines. Next, special education research on homework conducted after 1985 is described. The literature is divided into studies that manipulated homework conditions and homework-related surveys of teachers and parents. The results of the literature review suggest that homework policies and practices for students with learning disabilities should emphasize (a) simple, short assignments; (b) careful monitoring by and prominent rewards from teachers; and (c) parental involvement, especially to provide structure, conducive environments, and immediate rewards.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

A self-monitoring package for teaching subtraction with regrouping to students with learning disabilities.

In this investigation, we evaluated the effectiveness of a self-monitoring package with 3 learning disabled students whose responding to subtraction problems had been highly inconsistent and unsuccessful. Following a two-phase baseline of didactic instruction and special incentives, an error analysis was used to develop individualized self-monitoring checklists that the students then responded to as they completed their subtraction assignments. In the context of a multiple baseline design, the self-monitoring procedures produced immediate gains in correct responding, with more stable levels of successful performance occurring across sessions. In a subsequent maintenance phase, the checklists were removed and the previous incentives condition was reinstated, resulting in continued levels of successful responding. The results are compared to the literature on self-monitoring and learning disabilities and discussed in terms of the continuing need for effective and efficient instructional strategies.

Attention↗