A computer animated learning environment, INFECTRON, was developed to teach learning disabled (LD) and non learning disabled (NLD) students a biology lesson, INFECTRON uses two different modalities, auditory (narration) and visual (animation), exposing students to dual information processing codes (verbal, spatial), allowing them the flexibility to use a learning style they prefer. INFECTRON teaches students how the body protects itself from invading germs. Students were presented the animation and oral narration concurrently, successively and compared to a control group. Subjects were 30 LD and 30 NLD in grades 7 and 8 attending a large comprehensive high school in Montreal. Measures included a pretest, posttest, reasoning tasks, and a retention test. Results indicated that students (LD and NLD) in the computer conditions (concurrent and successive) outperformed students (LD and NLD) in the control condition on the pre, post and reasoning tasks. No significant differences were found between students (LD and NLD) in the concurrent group and students (LD and NLD) in the successive group on the post test and reasoning tasks. No group differences were found between the LD and NLD students in the computer conditions. It was confirmed that INFECTRON benefits both LD students and NLD students, allowing LD students to perform at par with NLD students on these biology measures.

As increasing numbers of learning disabled (LD) students attend postsecondary institutions (McGuire, Norlander, & Shaw, 1990; Saracoglu, Minden, & Wilchesky, 1989), researchers and clinicians contend that these college students display a disproportionate amount of psychological distress as compared to their non-LD peers (Faigel, 1985; Kronick, 1976; Patton & Polloway, 1982). The LD college student's propensity to experience emotional distress has been attributed to the stressful nature of the college environment, the demands of coursework, and unresolved psychological and psychosocial conflicts from childhood and adolescence. This paper explored the contention that LD college students are at risk for developing emotional problems which may affect their chances of experiencing success both in academia and in their personal lives.This study included a sample of 40 learning disabled college freshmen and 46 non-learning disabled college freshmen from four state universities in Indiana. Due to the nature of the research questions, only multivariate statistics were included. Multivariate analysis of variance results from the MMPI-2 validity and clinical, supplementary, and content scales indicated that there were no general differences in adjustment between the LD and non-LD samples. However, cluster analyses which were based on MMPI-2 clinical and validity scale T-scores, supported the notion that there were varying levels of emotional adjustment among the college learningdisabled students.One cluster of learning disabled students, (LD cluster 2), exhibited a propensity to experience psychological difficulties, and they appeared to be undergoing distress at the time of testing. Students from this at-risk LD cluster also reported many more personal, familial, and academic problems in their past. In comparison to students from the well-functioning LD cluster, those in the at-risk group indicated being diagnosed with their learning disability much later in their schooling; consequently, they also reported receiving fewer opportunities to receive help for their difficulties.The author suggests that, although these findings are preliminary, it appears that some learning disabled college students may be at-risk for experiencing personal distress and, perhaps, academic failure. It is recommended that the MMPI2, along with other psychologically-based instruments be used with this population as a possible way of identifying college students who may be in need of receiving psychological support. / Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services

No description available.

Not available / text

Adults with disabilities have traditionally performed meaningless tasks repeatedly, such as stringing beads or putting pegs in pegboards. Current best practices require professionals to train individuals with disabilities to become more independent in all aspects of daily living. They should participate in activities that are performed on a regular basis by nondisabled individuals of the same age.Since individuals with severe disabilities may lack many of the required prerequisite skills for performing daily living skills, adaptations and alternative performance strategies can be implemented to compensate for skill deficits. One alternative performance strategy is using picture recipes rather than traditional written recipes for individuals who lack reading skills.In the current study, each subject prepared two food items using a picture recipe and two food items without pictures. Subjects were randomly assigned to prepare four separate food items in different orders. The food items and the treatments were counterbalanced across subjects. This demonstrated that changes in behavior occurred with changes in treatment and not as a function of the preparation of a particular food item.The subjects were eight adults with severe disabilities who live in a large intermediate care facility for the mentally retarded. A pretest was administered to assure that subjects had the vision, mobility, dexterity, and matching skills required for the study. Neither reading skills nor number recognition was required for participation.The primary intent of the current study was to examine the relationship between cooking with pictures and cooking without pictures. The results show that adults with severe disabilities can be more independent in cooking when using picture recipes than when not using pictures.Of secondary interest was the generalization of skills from one cooking task to another. The experiment did not show that acquisition scores were consistently higher for the second food item prepared with pictures than for the first. Additionally, generalization was not shown from one food item prepared without pictures to another food item prepared without pictures. / Department of Special Education

A thorough investigation of postsecondary programs for learning disabled (LD) students is not available in the professional literature. In previous studies the perspectives of college faculty and staff have been explored regarding services for LD students, but few have investigated the perspectives of the students themselves. Therefore, more information is needed about what postsecondary students consider helpful as they cope with college life. The purpose of this study was to investigate learning disabled students' perceptions of factors that enhance their "adjustment" on the postsecondary level. The study was designed to determine what types of academic and personal support services LD students consider helpful in making their adjustment to college life; what services they use most often; what impact the type of learning disability has on service preference; and what impact the type of institution (two- or four-year) has on service preference. / Ed. D.

Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2005. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Acknowledgement of the right to equal work opportunities for people with disabilities is widely supported in South Africa. Several policy documents and laws have been published since July 1993 and provide clear guidelines regarding equal opportunities for people with disabilities. A state subsidy scheme for protective workshops was introduced for the first time on 1 April 1997 (Operational Manual for Protective Workshops, 2001: 1). The purpose of this subsidy scheme was to provide work opportunities for people who cannot enter the sheltered or open labour market due to the effect of their disabilities on their daily functioning. In March 2001, the Department of Social Development and Poverty Alleviation in the Western Cape introduced a draft document, Operational Manual for Protective Workshops. The aim of the manual focused on the development of the worker role and economic empowerment of people with disabilities who work in protective workshops. Due to ignorance, fear and stereotyping, persons with intellectual impairment are being unfairly discriminated against in society and at the workplace. With reasonable accommodation, persons with intellectual impairment are able to demonstrate their work ability and contribute equally in the workplace. Persons with intellectual impairment contribute to the economy and society by means of their service in protective workshops. The aim of the study was to investigate whether the structured activity programme implemented in a protective workshop in the Western Cape brought a change to the level of cognitive functioning of workers with intellectual impairment as assessed by the Allen Cognitive Level Screen (ACLS), with the purpose of making recommendations regarding the sustainability and extension of the structured activity programme. Pre- and post-tests of the workers' cognitive functioning were done to determine whether the implemented structured activity programme had an effect on the cognitive functioning level of the workers. The ACLS was used as measurement instrument and a hypothesis was stated: HO - There is no change in the level of cognitive functioning of the workers after participation in a structured activity programme. H1 - There is a change in the level of cognitive functioning of the workers after participation in a structured activity programme. The Functional Information Processing Model (FIPM) was used as a frame of reference in the development of the structured activity programme for the occupational group. The structured activity programme was implemented and after one year and six months a post-test was done on the workers in the occupational group. The null hypothesis was accepted as p=O.28.A 95% confidence interval was indicated. The post-test indicated that there was no significant change in the cognitive levels of the workers in the occupational group after implementation of a structured activity programme. This could have resulted from the study sample being too small. Although the change was not statistically significant. it indicated that learning did occur on an Allen Cognitive Level (ACL) 3. It is recommended that the study to be replicated at other protective workshops that may provide a bigger sample to confirm the amount of learning that takes place. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Erkenning van persone met gestremdhede se gelyke reg tot indiensneming word sterk in Suid-Afrika ondersteun. Verskeie beleidsdokumente en werkstukke is sedert Julie 1993 gepubliseer wat duidelike riglyne aangaande hierdie standpunt stel. 'n Staatsubsidieskema vir beskermde werkwinkels is vanaf 1 April 1997 vir die eerste keer beskikbaar gestel (Operational Manual for Protective Workshops, 2001: 1). Die doel van hierdie skema is om werksgeleenthede te verskaf aan persone wat as gevolg van hul graad van gestremdheid nie die beskutte arbeids- of ope arbeidsmark kan betree nie. In Maart 2001 het die Departement van Sosiale Dienste, Wes-Kaap, 'n voorlopige dokument, Operational Manual for Protective Workshops, bekendgestel, wat fokus op die ontwikkeling van werksvaardighede en die ekonomiese bemagtiging van persone met gestremdhede in beskermde werkwinkels. Weens onkunde, vrees en stereotipering word daar onregverdig gediskrimineer teen persone met intellektuele gestremdheid in die samelewing, asook in die werksplek. lndien persone met intellektuele gestremdheid billik geakkommodeer word, sal hulle hul werkvermoëns demonstreer en sal hulle 'n gelyke bydrae kan lewer in die werksplek. Persone met intellektuele gestremdheid lewer 'n bydrae tot die ekonomie en die samelewing deur hul diens in beskermde werkwinkels. Die doel van die studie was om ondersoek in te stelof die gestruktureerde aktiwiteitsprogram, soos aangebied in 'n beskermde werkswinkel in die Wes-Kaap, 'n verandering in die kognitiewe funksioneringsvlakke van werkers met intellektuele gestremdheid, soos bepaal deur die Allen Cognitive Level Screen (ACLS), teweeggebring het ten einde aanbevelings te maak oor die uitbreiding en volhoubaarheid van die program. Voor- en na-toetse van die werkers se kognitiewe funksioneringsvlakke is gedoen om te bepaal of die gestruktureerde aktiwiteitsprogram enige verskil in hul kognitiewe funksionering gemaak het. Die Allen Cognitive Level Screen- (ACLS-)toets is as 'n meetinstrument gebruik en 'n hipotese is gestel: HO - Daar is geen verandering in die werkers se kognitiewe funksioneringsvlak na deelname aan 'n gestruktureerde aktiwiteitsprogram nie. H1 - Daar is 'n verandering in die werkers se kognitiewe funksioneringsvlak na deelname aan 'n gestruktureerde aktiwiteitsprogram. Die Functional Information Processing Model (FIPM) is gebruik as 'n verwysingsraamwerk vir die ontwikkeling van die gestruktureerde aktiwiteitsprogram. Die gestruktureerde aktiwiteitsprogram is geïmplementeer en 'n na-toets is na 'n jaar en ses maande op die werkers in die gestruktureerde aktiwiteitsprogram gedoen. Die nulhipotese is aanvaar aangesien p=O.28. 'n Sekerheidsinterval van 95% is aangetoon. Die na-toets het getoon dat daar geen statisties beduidende verskil was in die verandering van die kognitiewe vlakke van die werkers in die aktiwiteitsgroep na implementering van 'n gestruktureerde aktiwiteitsprogram nie. Die resultaat kan die gevolg wees van 'n te klein steekproef. Alhoewel die verandering in kognitiewe vlak nie statisties beduidend was nie, het daar tog 'n mate van leer op 'n Allen Cognitive Level (ACL) 3 by die werkers plaasgevind. Dit word voorgestel dat hierdie studie herhaal word by ander beskermde werkswinkels wat 'n groter steekproef kan lewer om die mate van leer wat plaasvind, te bevestig.

Thesis (MEdPsych) Stellenbosch University, 2012. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Completing formal education with a specific learning disability presents many challenges to the individuals concerned. For learners in special education, negative perceptions of learning disabilities and/or inaccurate and unrealistic perceptions, could result in poor outcomes in adult life, as well as feelings of frustration, helplessness and hopelessness during their transition from school to post-school environments. Such individuals need to form accurate perceptions of their own learning disabilities to ensure that they can and will advocate for themselves and will be willing and able to seek out the appropriate support needed to experience success in all spheres of life. The aim of this study was to conduct an in-depth exploration of the subjective perceptions of adolescents in special education regarding their own learning disabilities since accessing this knowledge is an important first step toward developing and providing positive and empowering interventions and support for learners in special education. The researcher aligned herself with the constructivist/interpretive paradigm and the research methodology used can be described as a basic qualitative research design. Seven participants from one special school were selected through purposive sampling. The researcher used individual semi-structured interviews and focus group interviews as well as personal documents in the form of learners' personal files to obtain data. The process of analysis employed can be described as thematic content analysis. The findings of this study suggest that adolescents are aware of the individual challenges posed by completing school with a learning disability, although this was experienced in a less debilitating sense as a result of the supportive special school context. They were aware of some of the coping strategies that needed to be implemented in order to cope with their current academic workload, but were not always aware that these would need to be extended to life after school. Generally, they were also not aware that they would need to advocate for themselves and seek out support in post-school settings. The perceptions formed of their learning disabilities were influenced by early experiences of their first awareness of their struggles with learning, their experiences of assessment and placement in a special school, the perceptions others had of their learning disabilities, as well as their experiences as learners in a special school. The most important recommendation based on the findings of this study is that learners in the special school environment need to be provided with more explicit counselling regarding the specific nature of their learning disabilities. They need to be made aware of support strategies and resources that they would be able to use in post-school environments, as well as the process of obtaining access to such resources. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Voltooiing van formele onderwys met 'n spesifieke leergestremdheid bied baie uitdagings aan die betrokke individue. Negatiewe persepsies van leergestremdhede en/of onakkurate en onrealisties persepsies kan vir leerders met spesiale onderwysbehoeftes swak uitkomste in die volwasse lewe tot gevolg hê, asook gevoelens van frustrasie, hulpeloosheid en hopeloosheid tydens hul oorgang van skool na naskoolse kontekste. Sulke individue moet 'n akkurate persepsie van hul eie leergestremdhede vorm om te verseker dat hulle gewillig self voorspraak sal maak (self-advocate) en in staat sal wees om toepaslike ondersteuning wat nodig is om sukses in alle sfere van die lewe te ervaar, uit te soek. Die doel van hierdie studie was om 'n in-diepte ondersoek van die subjektiewe persepsies van adolessente in spesiale onderwys met betrekking tot hul eie leergestremdhede te voer, aangesien toegang tot hierdie kennis 'n belangrike eerste stap in die rigting van die ontwikkeling en voorsiening van positiewe en bemagtigende ingrypings en ondersteuning vir leerders in spesiale onderwys is. Die navorser het haarself belyn met die konstruktivistiese/interpretatiewe paradigma en die navorsingsmetodologie wat gebruik is kan beskryf word as 'n basiese kwalitatiewe navorsingsontwerp. Sewe deelnemers van 'n spesiale skool is gekies deur middel van doelgerigte steekproeftrekking. Die navorser het individuele semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude en fokusgroep onderhoude gebruik, sowel as persoonlike dokumente (in die vorm van die leerders se persoonlike lêers) om data te verkry. Die proses van analise wat toegepas word kan beskryf word as tematiese inhoud-analise. Die bevindinge van hierdie studie dui daarop dat adolessente bewus is van die individuele uitdagings wat aan hul gestel word deur die voltooiing van skool met 'n leergestremdheid. Tog was dit in 'n minder aftakelende sin ervaar as gevolg van die ondersteunende spesiale skool konteks waarin hul hulself bevind. Oor die algemeen was hulle nie bewus daarvan dat hulle self voorspraak (self-advocacy) sal moet maak vir ondersteuning in naskoolse kontekste nie. Die persepsies wat van hul leergestremdhede gevorm word is beïnvloed deur vroeë ervarings van hul eerste bewustheid van hul stryd om te leer, hul ervarings van die asseseringsproses en plasing in 'n spesiale skool, die persepsies wat ander van hul leergestremdhede het, sowel as hul ervarings as leerders in 'n spesiale skool. Die belangrikste aanbeveling gebaseer op die bevindinge van hierdie studie is dat die leerders in die omgewing van die spesiale skool voorsien moet word van meer eksplisiete voorligting ten opsigte van die spesifieke aard van hul leergestremdhede. Hulle moet bewus gemaak word van strategieë en hulpbronne wat hul moontlik kan gebruik in die naskoolse omgewings, asook die proses van die verkryging van toegang tot sodanige hulpbronne.

Students with learning disabilities have been attending postsecondary education in increasing numbers since the early 1990’s. Improvements in secondary education services, legal rights to reasonable accommodations, and college services for these students have been credited with this increase (Browning, 1997; Flexer, Simmons, Luft, & Baer, 2005; Hallahan & Kauffman, 2006; PL 93-12, Wilkinson & Rund, 2000). Legal mandates have stressed that secondary service providers must create services that prepare these students for adult life and postsecondary education options (Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act, 2004). This study examined the perspective of secondary teachers/administrators and postsecondary service providers in Indiana to determine their awareness and perception of key skills related to postsecondary success for students with learning disabilities in institutions of higher education. Factors examined were related to academic, social, self-determination/advocacy, and emotional readiness. / Department of Special Education

No description available.