Recent national longitudinal studies of special education students indicate that schools should concentrate on developing students' skills matched to the requirements of their potential occupations. Evidence suggests that the experience of career development among adolescents with learning disabilities is especially frustrating without early exploration and planning. This study investigates the value of using available psychometric data in assisting the school psychologist and other professionals to make initial exploratory estimates of vocational aptitude without referring the student for specialized vocational assessment. General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB) and Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised (WAIS-R) scores were used in multiple regression analyses to examine the predictive relationships existing between the two instruments. The population studied included 172 adolescents wi th learning disabilities enrolled in a public school division. The analyses in this study reveal a high degree of validity between the GATB and WAIS-R. However, the prediction equation appears unsuitable for using the WAIS-R subtests for predicting GATB aptitudes. Aptitude F explains the highest degree of variance. Other squared multiple regressions range as low as .13 for Aptitude Q to as high as .52 for Aptitude S. Results suggest that even though the GATB and WAIS-R share common variance, there is enough independent information provided by each test to warrant employing both in order to insure that the students' vocational aptitudes are fully diagnosed. Implications for school psychologists and other professionals doing exploratory assessments of vocational aptitude from available WAIS-R subtests are discussed, as are assessment issues regarding adolescents with learning disabilities. / Ph. D.

The present study investigated the social status of learning disabled (LD) students among their non-LD peers and explored how their social acceptance related to personal attributes, behavioral characteristics, and social information processing. Subjects were 22 white, third through fifth grade LD students and 347 of their non-LD classmates. Results showed that on a play rating scale, but not on a peer nomination measure, the LD group was rated lower than non-LD students. In addition, more LD than non-LD students were found to be rejected; however, LD students were equally represented in the popular, neglected, and controversial sociometric status categories. LD students were also found to be less well known than controls. Acquaintance ratings correlated highly with friendship ratings and moderately with peer nominations, suggesting that being less well known was significantly related to being rated as an undesirable playmate. Although LD students were perceived by peers as less physically attractive, less academically skilled, and less socially skilled, as a group, these findings appear to be clouded by the effects attributable to the low status LD children. Within the LD group, high social status children did not differ significantly from controls on dependent variables. Multiple regression analyses showed that peer ratings of physical attractiveness were most predictive of peer nominations (multiple R square=.50), whereas athletic ability was found to predict 85% of the variance in friendship ratings. Social information processing deficits were not predictive of social acceptance. Results suggest that special skills or attributes appear to provide a boost needed for general social acceptance of LD students. / Master of Science

Thesis (M.Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 1990. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available in print.

published_or_final_version / Mental Health / Master / Master of Social Sciences

The present study was an attempt to differentiate between emotionally handicapped, learning disabled, and regular education children based on their responses to the Neuropsychological Symptom Inventory-Child Version, the Personality Inventory for Youths, and their parents' responses to the Personality Inventory for Children.Factor analysis of the NSI-Child Version revealed four unique factors, of which two were able to differentiate the regular and special education groups. No observable differences were noted between the two special education groups on the basis of their raw factor scores. Similarly, no differences were observed between the two special education groups on the basis of their responses to the PIY. Salient differences were observed on the PIC with the emotionally handicapped children reported to have pervasive emotional and behavioral problems in comparison to the mild cognitive/academic and behavioral difficulties of the learning disabled children.Results are discussed as they relate to previous research and future directions for study. / Department of Educational Psychology

Thesis (M.Ed.(Educational Psychology))-University of Pretoria, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references.

No description available.

The juvenile justice system is society's response to juvenile misconduct. In spite of numerous federal, state, and local programs, the problem of juvenile delinquency persists. An increasing number of juveniles are being taken into custody and placed in institutional settings. Although juvenile delinquents share a number of common general characteristics (e.g., sex, minority, lower socioeconomic status, a history of school failure), they are not a homogeneous group. Effective educational interventions with delinquent juveniles can meet their unique academic, vocational, and social skills deficits. Handicapped juveniles are disproportionately represented among juvenile correctional facility populations. The identification of handicapped juveniles among delinquent populations is compounded as they share many of the same general characteristics. Federal statutes require individualized educational programs for all handicapped juveniles. This research investigated academic, behavioral, and social competencies of non-handicapped and handicapped adjudicated youth. Specifically, this investigation assessed measures of academic performance, classroom behavior, self-esteem, and social behavior. ANOVA indicated statistically significant differences between non-handicapped, learning disabled, and emotionally/behaviorally disordered adjudicated juveniles in reading achievement, mathematics achievement, and teacher generated measures of classroom behavior.

No description available.

No description available.