SEARCH · Search PubMed
Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.
Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.
This article addresses the need for ongoing research into clinical nursing practice in learning disabilities nursing. In particular, it explores the issues of informed consent and paternalism and promotes the development of ethics committees in learning disabilities nursing.
This study compared Piagetian cognitive development in normal achieving children and two groups of children with learning disabilities designated as either auditory-linguistic or visual-spatial on the basis of Verbal-Performance IQ differences on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R; 1974). The two groups with learning disabilities were matched with normal achieving controls on intelligence, socioeconomic status, sex, race, and age. Piagetian tasks measuring conservation, seriation, and classification were administered to each child to determine level of operative thought. The auditory-linguistic group scored significantly below normal controls in operativity, and significantly fewer were at a concrete operational level on a conservation of length task than were normal achieving children. The visual-spatial group did not differ significantly from normal controls. These results suggest that auditory-linguistic disabilities may be more detrimental than visual-spatial disabilities to development of operativity.
Biofeedback training was used to increase a learning disabled child's ability to control his breathing patterns. The procedure was most effective when the child was permitted to explore freely the correlations between his respiratory movements and feedback from the apparatus. Probe trials showed that increased external and self-directed control over the direction and volume of breathing was achieved. Results were discussed in terms of the relationship between biofeedback technology and learning and behavior problems.
Between January 1, 1971 and December 31, 1980, 43 of 415 adolescents diagnosed as "learning disabled" when evaluated in an intensive 4-day diagnostic program were found to have a WISC-R verbal, performance, or full scale IQ score of 120 or higher. The 34 boys and 9 girls were 14.5 +/- 2 years old, were in grade 9.5 +/- 1, and had had overt symptoms of academic difficulty for 4 +/- 1.5 years at the time of diagnosis. None of the adolescents was achieving at an academic level consistent with the potential indicated by the WISC-R score. All of the adolescents were able to dissemble and disguise their disabilities. Only nine had previously been recognized as being disabled. All exhibited academic failure (which became apparent or increasingly severe on entering junior high school) and suffered from lack of self-esteem, depression, and withdrawal. Older adolescents had "given up" on school and were attempting to find alternative careers. Learning disabilities constitute an invisible handicap which affects 2 to 3% of all adolescents. Those who have very high intelligence may be able to hide the handicap until academic challenges become sufficiently difficult or complex to unmask them.
PURPOSE: To determine whether children with a nonverbal learning disability (NVLD) have a higher incidence of auditory processing disorder (APD), especially in the tolerance-fading memory type of APD, and what associations could be found between performance on neuropsychological, intellectual, memory, and academic measures and APD. METHOD: Eighteen children with NVLD ranging in age from 6 to 18 years received a central auditory processing test battery to determine incidence and subtype of APD. Psychological measures for assessment of NVLD included the Wechsler Scales, Wide Range Assessment of Memory and Learning, and Wechsler Individual Achievement Test. Neuropsychological measures included the Category Test, Trails A and B, the Tactual Performance Test, Grooved Pegs, and the Speech Sounds Perception Test. Neuropsychological test scores of the NVLD+APD and NVLD groups were compared using analysis of covariance procedures, with Verbal IQ and Performance IQ as covariates. RESULTS: Sixty-one percent of the children were diagnosed with APD, primarily in the tolerance-fading memory subtype. The group of children with APD and NVLD had significantly lower scores on Verbal IQ, Digit Span, Sentence Memory, Block Design, and Speech Sounds Perception than children without APD. An ancillary finding was that the incidence of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder was significantly higher in children with NVLD (with and without APD) than in the general population. CONCLUSION: The results indicate that children with NVLD are at risk for APD and that there are several indicators on neuropsychological assessment suggestive of APD. Collaborative, interdisciplinary evaluation of children with learning disorders is needed in order to provide effective therapeutic interventions.
A postal study was completed by 138 members of the Tuberous Sclerosis Association for individuals with severe learning disabilities from tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) (78 males, median 20 years of age; 60 females median 19 years 6 months of age) to investigate the abilities and care needs of these adolescents and young adults. Results were compared with a Salford community survey of young people with severe learning disability (SLD) from a variety of causes (42 males, median 17 years; 29 females, median 17 years 8 months of age). Those with SLD associated with TSC had a higher level of verbal disability and were more dependent for managing toileting and bathing. The young people with TSC were less able to interact socially, showing autistic behaviour. Sexually, they were less aware and less active. Only 20 were thought by their parents to have received sex education.
Children with a 22q11 deletion versus children with a speech-language impairment and learning disability: behavior during primary school age: Common behavioral features described in children with the Velo-Cardio-Facial syndrome (VCFS) (del 22q11) are problems with attention and concentration, extremes in behavior and social problems, especially in relationship with peers. At present, it is unclear whether these behavioral manifestations are directly related to the chromosomal anomaly or related to other manifestations of the syndrome such as developmental delay and speech-language delay. This study describes for the first time the behavior of young primary school aged children with a del22q11 compared to a control group of children matched for age, sex and mental level, with similar developmental problems (speech-language impairment plus learning disability: SLI + LD) but without a del22q11 or any other known genetic condition. Parents and teachers evaluated the children's behavior with standardized questionnaires (CBCL; TRF). Results indicate that most of the behaviors are similar across both groups. The only differences found are in the field of < > and < >. Children with a del22q11 have a stronger tendency to withdraw from others, whereas children with a SLI+LD seem to be more aggressive.
Recent research has examined the role of vocational-technical training in facilitating the transition from school to work of adolescents with learning disabilities. The present study provided 6-, 12-, and 24-month follow-up data on such students who had attended vocational-technical programs. Matched groups of students without disabilities from vocational-technical programs, as well as randomly selected students without disabilities from regular high schools, were also included for comparisons. Results of the study raised several questions about the value and purpose of vocational-technical training for adolescents with learning disabilities.
Although there is a growing body of information, materials, and instructional strategies for adults with learning disabilities receiving remedial reading instruction, the same is not available for other areas of Adult Basic Education, including remedial math, sixth-through eight-grade-level pre-GED basic skills, and secondary subject areas in the GED curriculum. This review presents possibilities for consideration in developing instructional and testing strategies for GED students with learning disabilities. These strategies should be applicable to traditional academic content areas, cost effective for programs with limited financial resources, and appropriate for the relatively short-term instructional time frame characteristic of the Adult Basic Education setting.
Children with learning disabilities and attention-deficit disorder are vulnerable to increased psychological difficulties in three areas: self-esteem, self-control, and frustration tolerance. Different family types influence differently the child's ability to manage the disorder and psychological reactions. Individual and family therapy must focus on both the child's developmental problems and the family's organization.
The current evidence base shows that people with learning disabilities experience difficulties in identifying and meeting their own specific health needs, and in accessing appropriate health services. There are particular difficulties relating to access to acute healthcare services. A number of initiatives are being developed to try to improve the situation. This article explores the current evidence base, highlights examples of best practice and makes recommendations for future practice and service development.
Thirteen elementary school age children with acute leukemia who had received cranial irradiation with dosages between 1,800 and 4,800 rads a mean of 6.3 years earlier were evaluated for the presence of learning disorders. The authors utilized both psychometric and educational tests. The results were analyzed according to a graduated regressed standard score procedure and yielded the following diagnoses: mental retardation, two (15%); learning disability in reading and mathematics, two (15%); learning disability in mathematics, five (39%); no psychoeducational diagnosis, four (31%). Of the nine children (69%) who qualified for a specific psychoeducational diagnosis, only three were receiving any special educational services. The failure of a previous assessment of this same group of children at our center and of other research reports to uncover a similarly high incidence of neurodevelopmental pathology may be due to the specific tests employed or to the later onset of measurable difficulties in these patients.
INTRODUCTION: Our current understanding of learning disabilities (LD) is essentially limited by their actual definition, the heterogeneity of the samples and the unsuitability of the control groups. AIMS: This study offers an overview of the methodological aspects and the areas of research in LD. DEVELOPMENT: From a bibliographical search conducted in the Psychological Abstracts database, PsycINFO, we identified and selected the studies the review was to focus on, and this was completed with previous reviews. Quantitative research methods are preferred in 99.7% of cases, whereas the remaining 0.3% opted for qualitative methods. There was in increase in the number of research reviews, as well as longitudinal studies and those aimed at determining the effectiveness of the interventions, with the resulting interest in new techniques for data analysis such as meta-analysis, path analysis and latent growth curves. The research topics that aroused most interest were LD-related problems (16.7%), difficulties in learning to read (15.82%), studies focusing on intervention (10.15%) and diagnostics in LD. CONCLUSIONS: The primary objectives of the research appear to be the characterisation of LD and the problems they cause throughout the patient's life cycle, together with their identification and early treatment. Research is also extended towards other, more practical matters, with a special emphasis on the school setting.
Gestures made on tasks in response to verbal command or to imitation and on tasks involving axial and distal movements were compared for groups of learning-disabled and normal children and adults. The 15 learning-disabled children and 15 adults scored lower than the 15 normal children and 15 adults on all tasks. All groups scored higher on imitation than on verbal command and scored similarly on the axial and distal tasks. The findings from this study suggest that it would be worthwhile to test the hypothesis that dyspraxic behaviors may persist into adulthood.
AIMS: This study aims to describe the experiences of Learning Disability Nurses (RNLDs) when they are with clients who may be in pain but who cannot communicate their feelings verbally. BACKGROUND: Research indicates that general nurses often find it difficult to perceive their patients' pain accurately, but no studies refer to the experiences of RNLDs. For people with severe learning disabilities this could lead not only to unnecessary suffering, but also to long-term tissue damage and may even prove fatal. METHOD: A phenomenological approach was adopted, as unrecognized pain is a subject about which little is known and the lived experiences of nurses and the meanings that they attach to them were being explored. Data were collected by unstructured interviews with a snowball sample of eight RNLDs. The participants were asked to describe a situation in which they thought a client was in pain. Analysis was based on Hycner's guidelines for the phenomenological analysis of interviews. FINDINGS: Five central themes emerged: the importance of a caring relationship with the client, recognizing changes in verbal and nonverbal behaviour, searching for a meaning in the client's behaviour, negotiating with other health professionals and sharing in the client's feelings. CONCLUSIONS: Nurses valued highly their relationship with a client, which can, in itself, be therapeutic. Clients apparently used a wide range of both conventional and nonconventional forms of nonverbal communication, including aggressive and self-harming behaviours, as the primary way of expressing pain. Functional speech cannot be taken as an indicator that the clients can self-care with regard to pain. RNLDs play an important role in negotiating between their clients and other health professionals, but must be careful not to make assumptions about the causes of pain and pass these assumptions on to the General Practitioner as a professional opinion. The use of diagnostic tests should be supported. RNLDs appeared to be sympathetic, rather than empathetic, towards their client's painful experiences.
Fifth- and sixth-grade learning disabled (LD) and normal boys and girls (N = 120) were presented 36 categorizable pictures in either a random or blocked (by categories) format. Recall was either free, cued, or constrained cued. LD children recalled fewer pictures than normal children except under the cued recall condition, a finding which suggests a failure on the part of LD children to employ retrieval strategies spontaneously. Clustering scores for LD and normal children did not differ. Therefore, the deficient recall of LD children did not appear to be associated with failure to use clustering as an encoding strategy. Both the encoding and retrieval conditions contributed significantly to the overall variance in amount recalled.
BACKGROUND: Psychological approaches to working with people with learning disabilities who self-injury have developed over the past 30 years. METHOD: The major literature is reviewed and an ecological framework is described which emphasises the importance of environmental, interpersonal and intrapersonal dynamics to understanding the multi-factorial nature of self-injury. Case examples are given. RESULTS: Self-injury is seen as essentially communicative and functionally adaptive; it is the person's best attempt to deal with abusive, neglecting or traumatic environments or events. CONCLUSIONS: The persistence of self-injurious behaviour once established, requires an interdisciplinary approach which addresses comprehensively the variety of factors which have contributed to the development and maintenance of self-injury.
This study compared the ability of language learning disabled children and sex/age matched normals to judge the correctness of linguistic stress. Subjects were presented with prerecorded pairs of question-answer trials. In one series they were asked to judge the appropriateness of linguistic stress for each pair. In a second series, they judged semantic appropriateness of the pairs in order to provide a linguistic point of reference for their understanding of the questions. An analysis of variance indicated that the linguistic stress task was more difficult than the semantic interpretation task (p less than .001) and that normal children performed significantly better than LD children on both tasks (p less than .05). Discussion of the data includes interpretation from both perceptual deficit and symbolic deficit perspectives.