Communication Breakdowns in Normal and Language Learning-Disabled Children's Conversation and Narration

1988 ◽  
Vol 53 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara G. MacLachlan ◽  
Robin S. Chapman
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Unit Length ◽  
Learning Disabled ◽  
Group Differences ◽  
Chronological Age ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Speech Sample ◽  
Disabled Children ◽  
Communication Breakdowns ◽  
Children's Speech

The frequency and type of communication breakdowns occurring in the speech of 7 language learning-disabled children (LLD), aged 9:10–11:1 (years:months), were examined in two conditions, conversation and narration, and compared to a group of 7 normal peers matched for chronological age and 7 peers matched for mean length of communication unit in conversation. Types of communication breakdowns examined included stalls, repairs, and abandoned utterances. The LLD group incurred a significantly greater rate of communication breakdowns per communication unit in narration than conversation compared to control group differences. Mean length of communication unit was also significantly greater in narration than conversation for the LLD group compared to controls. For all groups, across both speech sample conditions, longer communication units contained more breakdowns than shorter ones. The groups did not differ in the types of breakdowns. Communication unit length and the nature of the narrative task may account for the increased dysfluencies in LLD children's speech.

Comparison of the WISC-R Patterns of Children of Average and Exceptional Ability

1983 ◽  
Vol 53 (2) ◽  
pp. 539-544 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. P. J. Schmidt ◽  
D. H. Saklofske
Keyword(s):  
Mentally Retarded ◽  
Learning Disabled ◽  
Group Differences ◽  
Disabled Children ◽  
Normal Children ◽  
Exceptional Groups ◽  
Diagnostic Usefulness ◽  
Verbal Performance

This study investigated the diagnostic usefulness of WISC-R Verbal-Performance IQ discrepancies, subtest scatter, and Bannatyne's subtest recategorizations with educationally normal and exceptional groups of children. The subjects for this study were four groups of 74 learning disabled, 24 mentally retarded, 94 gifted, and 85 educationally normal children. No significant differences in discrepancies in Verbal-Performance IQs occurred among the four groups although learning disabled children more often showed Performance > Verbal discrepancies. No differences were found between the samples in the amount of subtest scatter. Group differences were noted in the patterns of scores on Bannatyne's recategorizations.

Field Dependence in Visually and Nonvisually Involved Learning Disabled Children

1976 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-74 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard J. Cowen ◽  
Norman I. Harway
Keyword(s):  
Field Dependence ◽  
Learning Disabled ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Disabled Children ◽  
Field Independent ◽  
Embedded Figures ◽  
Dependence Measures ◽  
Perceptually Impaired ◽  
Rod And Frame

39 visually and nonvisually perceptually impaired 8- to 11-yr.-old boys with learning disabilities were compared with a control group of 35 “normal” learners on the Rod-and-frame and Children's Embedded-figures Tests. Previous findings of greater field dependence of learning disabled children are confounded because the experimental tasks involved visual perception. In our study the 27 “visuals” were more field-dependent than either the 12 “nonvisuals” or the controls. The latter groups did not differ significantly from one another, which may in part be a function of the small sample of nonvisual children identified. Alternative explanations, e.g., the visual nature of the field-dependence measures and the lack of reading difficulty of the nonvisual group, are considered. For the visually disabled Ss only Vocabulary scores correlate significantly with Rod-and-frame and Embedded-figures scores, suggesting that among such children those with higher verbal intelligence may be more field-independent.

Strategy Transformation in Learning Disabled and Nondisabled Students

1985 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 221-230 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Lee Swanson ◽  
John B. Cooney
Keyword(s):  
Learning Disabled ◽  
Group Differences ◽  
Disabled Children ◽  
Simple Arithmetic ◽  
Ability Group ◽  
Alternative Method ◽  
Strategy Transformation ◽  
Arithmetic Computation

In the present study we assessed whether learning disabled and non-disabled children differ in their ability to make strategy transformations. Seven types of strategy transformations were presented on simple arithmetic computation tasks. Nondisabled children were found to be superior in performance on all transformations. Significant ability-group differences emerged on (a) reduction to answer, (b) saving partial results, (c) unit building, and (d) alternative method transformations. Results of strategy-awareness measures suggested that the locus of experimental effects was related to accessing and applying strategy transformations. Three implications of the findings are discussed.

The Effects of Sampling Conditions on Sentence Production in Normal, Reading-Disabled, and Language-Learning-Disabled Children

1991 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 549-558 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie J. Masterson ◽  
Alan G. Kamhi
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Learning Disabled ◽  
Sentence Production ◽  
Primary School Children ◽  
Clause Structure ◽  
Disabled Children ◽  
Normal Reading ◽  
Contextual Support ◽  
Structure Complexity ◽  
Reading Disabled

This study explored the effects of contextual support, discourse genre, and the listener’s knowledge of information on syntactic and phonologic production and fluency. Subjects were language-learning-disabled, reading-disabled, and normal primary school children. Clause structure complexity, fluency, and grammatical and phonemic accuracy tended to be highest when children were discussing absent referents, providing explanations and stories, and giving unshared information. These effects were generally the same across all groups, although some effects were significant for only the language-learning-disabled children. Several explanations for these findings are considered.

Peer Acceptance of Learning Disabled Children in the Regular Classroom

1989 ◽  
Vol 56 (1) ◽  
pp. 50-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Lynn Fox
Keyword(s):  
Interest Group ◽  
Social Acceptance ◽  
Peer Acceptance ◽  
Learning Disabled ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Disabled Children ◽  
Students With Learning Disabilities ◽  
Academic Task ◽  
Academic Activities ◽  
Mutual Interest

Mainstreamed handicapped children often experience social rejection by their nonhandicapped peers. To evaluate possible approaches leading to a resolution of peer rejection, 86 low socially accepted learning disabled children in the fourth, fifth, and sixth grades were paired for 8 weeks with 86 high socially accepted, same-sexed, nonhandicapped classmates, in four groups: mutual interest group, cooperative academic task group, Hawthorne Effect/Control group, and classroom control group. Social acceptance ratings of students with learning disabilities by their nonhandicapped peers, paired in the mutual interest group, increased significantly as a function of the intervention. Those in the academic activities group and in the Hawthorne control group did not change. However, ratings of the classroom control group showed a lowered acceptance level over time.

Learned Helplessness in Learning Disabled Adolescents as a Function of Noncontingent Rewards

1983 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Jeannie Kleinhammer-Tramill ◽  
James L. Tramill ◽  
Susan N. Schrepel ◽  
Stephen F. Davis
Keyword(s):  
Learned Helplessness ◽  
Design Patterns ◽  
Block Design ◽  
Learning Disabled ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Disabled Children ◽  
Response Latencies ◽  
Response Contingent ◽  
Educational Environments ◽  
Contingent Rewards

The study was designed to examine the effect of noncontingent rewards on learned helplessness in learning disabled children. Noncontingent rewards are of particular importance for students receiving services in a variety of educational environments. Subjects were exposed to two series of tasks, the first involved replication of a series of block design patterns. Children were randomly assigned to three reward schedules: response-contingent reward, 100% noncontingent reward, and 50% random noncontingent reward. A fourth control group was not exposed to the first series of tasks. The second task series involved the solution of coding problems. On these tasks, all children received response-contingent rewards for performance. Response latency and errors on each coding task served as dependent measures. Analysis of variance yielded significantly greater response latencies for subjects assigned to the noncontingent reward conditions than for those who received contingent rewards and for controls. No differences in number of errors were found. The results suggest that learning disabled children may become “learned helpless” as a result of instructional interventions involving use of noncontingent rewards.

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