Research on the portrayal of child characters with dyslexia in picture books is limited, therefore in this thesis, I analyzed six children’s picture books published in English speaking countries including the United States, Canada, and Australia for their portrayal of dyslexia, the plot, the characterization of the child, and the child’s relationship with others. I read through the books multiple times and conducted a content analysis to identify patterns in the portrayal of images of dyslexia and the child characters over the period of 1995-2018. Through the analysis of images of dyslexia, it became apparent that dyslexia had a major impact on the story of the six books and was often described as a challenge. Furthermore, the character’s teachers were often the first to recognize the symptoms of dyslexia,and the characters commonly received treatment through their schools. When analyzing the plot, the themes of acceptance and pretending as well as the shift from happy endings to realistic endings became apparent. When the portrayal of the child characters were analyzed, their strengths were in areas outside of reading and writing, and their weaknesses were due to dyslexia. In addition, the characters’ negative self-concept and their lack of ethnic diversity became evident. Lastly, the analysis of the character’s relationships with others showed the supportive role of their parents and teachers, along with the shifting portrayal of bullying classmates to supportive friends. The analysis of this thesis revealed similar findings to previous research conducted on children’s books portraying children with dyslexia,as well as comparable findings to the research on the real experiences of children who have dyslexia.

Book description KULDOVÁ, Jana. Formative evaluation of the pupil on the 1. the degree of primary school: Diploma thesis. Prague: Charles University, Faculty of education, Department of primary education, 2014. 118 sheets, 12 sheets of annexes. Senior thesis PhDr. Helena Hejlová, PhD. Abstrakt The aim of the thesis is to determine how can school the formative evaluation to create conditions for the promotion of pupils ' personal and social development in General, and especially on vulnerable groups of children in schools in the children's home with the school. The theoretical section discusses the formative school ratings, its features and specifics of the socialization and personality development of the students. The second area, which is the theoretical part, the possibilities and limits of the school are teaching younger school-age children in institutional care. The practical part of a proposal for a concept of the formative evaluation of the school, which has an impact on the social development of children with ordered institutional and protective upbringing. This concept is based on an analysis of the conditions and requirements laid down in the national evaluation of school curricular documents and school education programmes in schools and case studies school at the children's home with the school....

O Transtorno de Déficit de Atenção e Hiperatividade (TDAH) é caracterizado por sintomas de desatenção e/ou hiperatividade e impulsividade, causando prejuízos significativos na vida dos indivíduos desde a infância até a vida adulta. Pacientes com TDAH podem apresentar diferentes comorbidades, que causam prejuízos substanciais, repercutindo de forma negativa ao longo da vida. Um exemplo são os Transtornos Específicos da Aprendizagem (TEA), caracterizados pela presença de dificuldades específicas na leitura, na escrita e na matemática que podem interferir no desenvolvimento educacional, resultando em elevadas taxas de evasão escolar e por conseguinte, altas taxas de desemprego. O insucesso acadêmico é comum ao TDAH e ao TEA, havendo indícios de ser mais grave quando estes são comórbidos. Apesar da associação frequente entre TDAH e TEA, poucos estudos têm abordado tal comorbidade durante a idade adulta. Assim, o objetivo do presente estudo é investigar em que extensão o prejuízo acadêmico de adultos com TDAH pode ser explicado pela comorbidade com o TEA. A avaliação para TEA foi realizada por uma psicopedagoga em 53 adultos que apresentavam TDAH, previamente avaliados no Programa de Déficit de Atenção e Hiperatividade do Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, com um protocolo especificamente delineado conforme critérios diagnósticos especificados pelo DSM-5. Portadores e não portadores de TEA foram comparados quanto às características sociodemográficas, gravidade do TDAH e outras comorbidades frequentes. A presença de TEA foi associada a baixas taxas de conclusão da graduação universitária (P = 0,016). Os dados indicam que a sobreposição do TEA ao TDAH pode ser responsável por uma parcela substancial do prejuízo acadêmico presente no TDAH, levando à necessidade de mais estudos a fim de confirmar ou não esta importante observação. / Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is characterized by symptoms of inattention and/or hyperactivity and impulsivity, causing significant impairments in individuals' lives from childhood to adulthood. Patients with ADHD may present different comorbidities, which cause substantial damage, negatively impacting throughout life. One example is Specific Learning Disorders (SLD), characterized by the presence of specific difficulties in reading, writing and mathematics that may interfere with educational development, resulting in high rates of school dropout and, therefore, high unemployment rates. Academic failure is common to ADHD and SLD, with indications of being more severe when these are comorbid. Despite the frequent association between ADHD and SLD, few studies have addressed such comorbidity during adulthood. Thus, the goal of the present study is to investigate up to what extent the academic loss on adults with ADHD can be explained by the comorbidity with SLD. The evaluation for SLD was performed by a psychopedagogue in 53 adults who presented ADHD, previously evaluated in the Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre's Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Program, with a specific delineated protocol and according to diagnostic criteria specified by DSM-5 and were compared for sociodemographic characteristics, severity of ADHD and other frequent comorbidities. The presence of ADHD was associated with low graduation rates (P = 0.016). The data indicate that SLD overlapping with ADHD may be responsible for a substantial portion of the academic impairment present in ADHD, leading to the need for further studies to confirm this important observation.

Introduction Occupational therapists are concerned with enabling people to perform the daily life tasks they need, want, or are expected to perform for fullest possible integration into community living and participation in society. Children with mild disabilities have problems performing personal and instrumental activities of daily living (ADL) tasks at home or school, and that can limit their full integration and participation in their homes and school lives. There is a need, therefore, to identify their specific problems with ADL task performance so as to be able to develop effective interventions. Not only, there is a need for evidence related to effectiveness of occupational therapy interventions for children with mild disabilities, but also a need for valid occupational-therapy-specific evaluation tools for use with children. Purpose The purpose of this thesis was to contribute evidence to support the valid use of the Assessment of Motor and Process Skills (AMPS) with children, including children living in Middle Europe. More specifically, I aimed to evaluate validity evidence from different sources related to the use of the AMPS in occupation-based and occupation-focused evaluation and intervention. Method This thesis consisted of four studies, implemented in two phases. Phase one focused on evaluation of a) validity evidence of the AMPS scales in relation to internal structure and stability of item difficulty calibration values for a Middle European sample compared to samples from other world regions (Study I); b) the stability of the mean AMPS measures between typically-developing children from Middle Europe and from other world regions (Study II); and c) the sensitivity of the AMPS measures to discriminate between typically-developing children and children with and at risk for mild disabilities (Study III). Participants for phase one were from both Middle Europe and from other world regions and they were selected from the AMPS database, Ft. Collins, Colorado, USA. Data were analyzed using many-facet Rasch analyses, ANOVAs, regression analyses, related post-hoc tests, and effect size calculations. Phase two of the research project focused on evaluating validity evidence for the use of the AMPS as a standardized, occupation-based, and occupation-focused evaluation tool in the context of a feasibility study with children with mild disabilities implemented in a Swiss setting (Study IV). Data were analyzed based on feasibility objectives and the principles of deductive content analysis. The evaluation of validity evidence of the AMPS in relation to consequences of testing and test fairness was a focus of all studies (Studies I to IV). Results In Study I, data for 1346 participants from Middle Europe and 144,143 participants from other world regions were analyzed. The participants were between the ages of 3 and 103 years, and they were well or had a variety of diagnoses. The results revealed that overall the item difficulty calibration values of the AMPS remained stable and that only one out of 36 ADL items of the AMPS demonstrated DIF, but this DIF did not lead to DTF (i.e., all measures fell within 95% confidence bands). In Study II, data for 11,189 typically-developing children from Middle Europe and other world regions who were between the ages of 2 and 15 were analyzed. The results of ANOVAs revealed significant effects for mean ADL motor and for ADL process ability measures by region and a significant age by region interaction effect for mean ADL process ability. Out of 168 estimated contrasts between Middle Europe and the other world regions for mean ADL motor and ADL process ability, only seven were statistically significant (4.17%), and only two were more than ±1 SE from the international means. In Study III, regression analyses of data for 10,998 children, 4 to 15 years, who were typically-developing or with mild disabilities, revealed significant age by group interaction effects. Post hoc t tests revealed significant group differences in ADL ability at all ages beyond the age of 4. ADL process ability effect sizes were moderate to large at all ages and ADL motor ability effect sizes were mostly moderate to large age 6 and above. In Study IV, the use of the AMPS within the context of a feasibility study based on data of 17 Swiss children with mild disabilities was evaluated. The analyses revealed several strengths and problems that were related to the time, equipment, and materials for administering the AMPS, the adherence to standardized administration procedures, the scope of the AMPS as a test of ADL performance, and the reliable rating by the blinded rater. Conclusion This thesis provided evidence to support the validity of the AMPS measures and scales when used to evaluate quality of ADL task performance of persons from Middle Europe. Additionally, this thesis provided evidence that the international age-normative means of the AMPS are likely applicable to children from Middle Europe. Moreover, the findings supported the sensitivity of the AMPS measures to discriminate between typically-developing children and children with and at risk for mild disabilities. When it comes to implementation of the AMPS in the context of a feasibility study, the findings indicated both strengths and problems in using the AMPS as an outcome measure that need to be considered when planning further studies.

O Transtorno de Déficit de Atenção e Hiperatividade (TDAH) é caracterizado por sintomas de desatenção e/ou hiperatividade e impulsividade, causando prejuízos significativos na vida dos indivíduos desde a infância até a vida adulta. Pacientes com TDAH podem apresentar diferentes comorbidades, que causam prejuízos substanciais, repercutindo de forma negativa ao longo da vida. Um exemplo são os Transtornos Específicos da Aprendizagem (TEA), caracterizados pela presença de dificuldades específicas na leitura, na escrita e na matemática que podem interferir no desenvolvimento educacional, resultando em elevadas taxas de evasão escolar e por conseguinte, altas taxas de desemprego. O insucesso acadêmico é comum ao TDAH e ao TEA, havendo indícios de ser mais grave quando estes são comórbidos. Apesar da associação frequente entre TDAH e TEA, poucos estudos têm abordado tal comorbidade durante a idade adulta. Assim, o objetivo do presente estudo é investigar em que extensão o prejuízo acadêmico de adultos com TDAH pode ser explicado pela comorbidade com o TEA. A avaliação para TEA foi realizada por uma psicopedagoga em 53 adultos que apresentavam TDAH, previamente avaliados no Programa de Déficit de Atenção e Hiperatividade do Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, com um protocolo especificamente delineado conforme critérios diagnósticos especificados pelo DSM-5. Portadores e não portadores de TEA foram comparados quanto às características sociodemográficas, gravidade do TDAH e outras comorbidades frequentes. A presença de TEA foi associada a baixas taxas de conclusão da graduação universitária (P = 0,016). Os dados indicam que a sobreposição do TEA ao TDAH pode ser responsável por uma parcela substancial do prejuízo acadêmico presente no TDAH, levando à necessidade de mais estudos a fim de confirmar ou não esta importante observação. / Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is characterized by symptoms of inattention and/or hyperactivity and impulsivity, causing significant impairments in individuals' lives from childhood to adulthood. Patients with ADHD may present different comorbidities, which cause substantial damage, negatively impacting throughout life. One example is Specific Learning Disorders (SLD), characterized by the presence of specific difficulties in reading, writing and mathematics that may interfere with educational development, resulting in high rates of school dropout and, therefore, high unemployment rates. Academic failure is common to ADHD and SLD, with indications of being more severe when these are comorbid. Despite the frequent association between ADHD and SLD, few studies have addressed such comorbidity during adulthood. Thus, the goal of the present study is to investigate up to what extent the academic loss on adults with ADHD can be explained by the comorbidity with SLD. The evaluation for SLD was performed by a psychopedagogue in 53 adults who presented ADHD, previously evaluated in the Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre's Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Program, with a specific delineated protocol and according to diagnostic criteria specified by DSM-5 and were compared for sociodemographic characteristics, severity of ADHD and other frequent comorbidities. The presence of ADHD was associated with low graduation rates (P = 0.016). The data indicate that SLD overlapping with ADHD may be responsible for a substantial portion of the academic impairment present in ADHD, leading to the need for further studies to confirm this important observation.

O Transtorno de Déficit de Atenção e Hiperatividade (TDAH) é caracterizado por sintomas de desatenção e/ou hiperatividade e impulsividade, causando prejuízos significativos na vida dos indivíduos desde a infância até a vida adulta. Pacientes com TDAH podem apresentar diferentes comorbidades, que causam prejuízos substanciais, repercutindo de forma negativa ao longo da vida. Um exemplo são os Transtornos Específicos da Aprendizagem (TEA), caracterizados pela presença de dificuldades específicas na leitura, na escrita e na matemática que podem interferir no desenvolvimento educacional, resultando em elevadas taxas de evasão escolar e por conseguinte, altas taxas de desemprego. O insucesso acadêmico é comum ao TDAH e ao TEA, havendo indícios de ser mais grave quando estes são comórbidos. Apesar da associação frequente entre TDAH e TEA, poucos estudos têm abordado tal comorbidade durante a idade adulta. Assim, o objetivo do presente estudo é investigar em que extensão o prejuízo acadêmico de adultos com TDAH pode ser explicado pela comorbidade com o TEA. A avaliação para TEA foi realizada por uma psicopedagoga em 53 adultos que apresentavam TDAH, previamente avaliados no Programa de Déficit de Atenção e Hiperatividade do Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, com um protocolo especificamente delineado conforme critérios diagnósticos especificados pelo DSM-5. Portadores e não portadores de TEA foram comparados quanto às características sociodemográficas, gravidade do TDAH e outras comorbidades frequentes. A presença de TEA foi associada a baixas taxas de conclusão da graduação universitária (P = 0,016). Os dados indicam que a sobreposição do TEA ao TDAH pode ser responsável por uma parcela substancial do prejuízo acadêmico presente no TDAH, levando à necessidade de mais estudos a fim de confirmar ou não esta importante observação. / Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is characterized by symptoms of inattention and/or hyperactivity and impulsivity, causing significant impairments in individuals' lives from childhood to adulthood. Patients with ADHD may present different comorbidities, which cause substantial damage, negatively impacting throughout life. One example is Specific Learning Disorders (SLD), characterized by the presence of specific difficulties in reading, writing and mathematics that may interfere with educational development, resulting in high rates of school dropout and, therefore, high unemployment rates. Academic failure is common to ADHD and SLD, with indications of being more severe when these are comorbid. Despite the frequent association between ADHD and SLD, few studies have addressed such comorbidity during adulthood. Thus, the goal of the present study is to investigate up to what extent the academic loss on adults with ADHD can be explained by the comorbidity with SLD. The evaluation for SLD was performed by a psychopedagogue in 53 adults who presented ADHD, previously evaluated in the Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre's Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Program, with a specific delineated protocol and according to diagnostic criteria specified by DSM-5 and were compared for sociodemographic characteristics, severity of ADHD and other frequent comorbidities. The presence of ADHD was associated with low graduation rates (P = 0.016). The data indicate that SLD overlapping with ADHD may be responsible for a substantial portion of the academic impairment present in ADHD, leading to the need for further studies to confirm this important observation.

This research explores the need for a unique, self-help manual to provide music students with diagnoses of dyslexia under the umbrella of specific learning disorder (SLD) and/or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) a positive way of coping with their musical tendencies. Dyslexia and ADHD are the most prevalent, comorbid neurodevelopmental disorders with symptoms affecting academic, social, and/or personal life. Musical symptoms could include difficulties in any of the following areas: notation reading; time, pulse, and rhythm; posture; fingering coordination; memorization; sight-reading; organization of thoughts, time, and materials; spatial and directional awareness; focused attention; retention of new concepts; positive attitude; and the ability to process written and/or oral information quickly and accurately. This dissertation includes scientific information related to the conditions; an analysis of musical tendencies; pedagogical approaches; personal anecdotal stories that serve to illustrate scientific concepts; and a self-help manual. The manual, "Music, Dyslexia, and ADHD: A Self-Help Manual for Students with Exceptionalities," is a colorful, accessible resource that begins to fill the self-help gap in the musical instruction literature for students with dyslexia and/or ADHD. It offers useful information, multisensory/multimodal techniques, and coping strategies to empower students with these learning differences to achieve more rewarding, independent success throughout their musical studies.

The research was directed at setting up guidelines for an interdisciplinary team which deals with children suffering from nonverbal learning disorder in middle childhood. The primary motive for the study was to, in general, further greater awareness of nonverbal learning disorder with parents and the relevant professions, but in particular, the interdisciplinary team which therapeutically handles children with nonverbal learning disorder. For the purpose of this study Thomas and Rothman's Intervention Research Model was applied. Information from relevant literature and semi-structured interviews with expertise in the area of learning disabilities was combined in order to set up guidelines for nonverbal learning disorder in middle childhood.The researcher concludes that thorough background knowledge of child development should be a precondition before nonverbal learning disorder could be identified and diagnosed. Because areas of development function interdependantly of each other, the developmental defecits of the nonverbal learning disorder child can only be treated effectively in a therapeutic way through an interdisciplinary team approach. / Social Work / M. Diac. (Play therapy)

Les difficultés reliées à la lecture constituent 80% des motifs de référence en orthopédagogie. Parfois, ces difficultés sont les précurseurs du trouble d’apprentissage le plus commun soit le trouble spécifique d’apprentissage en lecture (TSAL). Cette recherche porte sur le travail des orthopédagogues en lien avec les trois grandes étapes reliées au TSAL : (1) son dépistage, (2) son évaluation orthopédagogique et sa référence en neuropsychologie et finalement (3) sa prise en charge ainsi que sa rééducation en lien avec les recommandations neuropsychologiques. La collecte de données a été réalisée grâce à des entrevues avec trois orthopédagogues travaillant au primaire et autour d’un cas d’élève atteint de TSAL. Chacune des trois orthopédagogues a présenté un cas d’élève et a décrit sa pratique. Lors des rencontres, chaque participante a également remis au chercheur le dossier de l’élève contenant le rapport neuropsychologique confirmant le diagnostic. Les résultats de cette recherche indiquent que les signes précurseurs observés par les trois orthopédagogues ainsi que leurs interventions rééducatives sont très semblables. Toutefois, les outils d’évaluation utilisés diffèrent de l’une à l’autre tant en ce qui a trait au choix qu’à la manière de les utiliser. Les trois orthopédagogues optent pour la référence en neuropsychologie dans le but ultime de dresser un portrait global de leur élève quant à leurs habiletés cognitives et déficitaires pouvant être attribuables à un TSAL. Le rapport du neuropsychologue sert alors à confirmer l’impression diagnostique des orthopédagogues. Les résultats de notre étude montrent que les orthopédagogues entament de façon précoce les interventions rééducatives et offrent simultanément les mesures adaptatives relatives aux difficultés observées chez l’élève. Avec l’arrivée du diagnostic de TSAL, et les recommandations proposées dans le rapport neuropsychologique, les orthopédagogues valident et peuvent à l’occasion bonifier leurs interventions ou mesures. De plus, elles les officialisent en les ajoutant, si ce n’est pas déjà fait, au plan d’intervention de l’élève. Les interventions rééducatives et les mesures adaptées mises en place par les trois orthopédagogues sont également comparées à celles proposées par les neuropsychologues et analysées à la lumière de celles reconnues comme étant efficaces et profitables selon la littérature. Nos résultats mettent en évidence la grande similitude qui existe entre les interventions appliquées par les orthopédagogues, celles proposées par les neuropsychologues ainsi que celles répertoriées dans la littérature. / Difficulties related to reading constitute 80% of reference in special education. Sometimes these difficulties are the precursors of the most common learning disability know as specific reading disorder. This research focuses on the three main milestones related to reading disabilities: (1) the screening, (2) the special education evaluation and the neuropsychological reference and finally (3) its management and its rehabilitation as prescribed per the neuropsychological recommendations. Data collection was conducted through interviews with three special needs teachers (orthopédagogue) working respectively in primary schools and with a student with specific reading disorder. Each of the three special needs teachers presented a case study and described her practice. During the meetings, each participant also gave the student record containing the neuropsychological report confirming the diagnosis to the researcher. The results of this research indicate that the signs observed by the three special needs teachers and their rehabilitative interventions are very similar. However, the assessment tools used differ from one another both in terms of choice and as how to use them. All three special teachers opt for reference in neuropsychology with the ultimate goal to develop a comprehensive picture of their students on their cognitive abilities and deficits that may be due to reading disorder. The report of the neuropsychologist is then used to confirm the diagnostic impression of the special needs teacher. The results of our study show that our participants begin early on with rehabilitative interventions and simultaneously provide adaptive measures to the difficulties observed in the student. With the advent of a specific reading disorder diagnostic and recommendations in the neuropsychological report, the special needs teachers validate and may occasionally improve their interventions or measures. In addition, they formalize them by adding the recommendations, if it is not done already, to the intervention plan for the student. Rehabilitative interventions and appropriate measures put in place by the three special needs teachers are also compared to those proposed by neuropsychologists and analyzed in light of those recognized as being efficient and profitable in the literature. Our results highlight the great similarity between the interventions applied by thespecial teachers, those proposed by neuropsychologists as well as those listed in the literature.

The first purpose of this thesis was to examine whether sensorimotor therapy utilizing the training program ”Retraining for Balance” might be an appropriate technique for sensorimotor proficiency. The second purpose was to gain increased understanding of the effects of sensorimotor therapy on the physical and psychological development of children and youth. A third purpose was to put sensorimotor therapy in a wider perspective through a somewhat novel extension of the theoretical framework. Two naturalistic studies were conducted. Paper I was quantitative and comprised 232 children (181 boys and 51 girls) divided into three groups (1) a younger group (7 years or younger, n=65), (2) a middle group (8 to 10 years old, n=91) and, (3) an older group (11 years old or older, n=76). The participants presented attentional and motor difficulties before starting therapy. The treatment period was in average close to 3 years. Results indicated significant improvements concerning sensorimotor skills in all age groups. Paper II was a qualitative study, which included the records of 8 children (7 boys and 1 girl) randomly selected from the cohort of 232 children. The analysis used the EPP-method and yielded 3 overarching themes, which together formed “the kinesthetic-vestibular developmental model”. The model illustrated how Introductions of sensorimotor exercises pushed the therapy process forward due to periods of Regression and Transformation. The results were generalized to the remaining 224 children in the cohort by comparing each participant’s records with “the kinesthetic-vestibular developmental model”. The tentative conclusion was that sensorimotor therapy according to the method “Retraining for Balance” might constitute a complement to treatment of ADHD, DCD and LD but controlled studies are necessary before more decisive conclusions can be drawn. / Baksidestext   This thesis had three purposes. (1) to examine whether sensorimotor therapy (SMT) using the training program ”Retraining for Balance” might be a proper technique for sensorimotor proficiency. (2) to gain increased understanding of the effects of SMT on physical and psychological development and, (3) to put SMT in a wider perspective by an extension of the theoretical framework. Two naturalistic studies were conducted. Paper I, which was quantitative, comprised 232 children who presented attentional and motor difficulties. The cohort was divided into three groups depending on age and results after therapy indicated improvements in all groups. Paper II, a qualitative study, selected records of 8 children from the cohort. Analysis yielded 3 overarching themes, which together formed “the kinesthetic-vestibular developmental model” illustrating how Introductions of exercises pushed the process forward due to Regressions and Transformations. The results were generalized to the remaining 224 children. The tentative conclusion of this thesis was that SMT might constitute a complement to treatment of ADHD, DCD and LD but controlled studies are necessary before decisive conclusions can be drawn.