The capacity to process and to remember information is a basic condition for language ability and for coming reading ability. Reading ability is strongly connected to phonological awareness, receptive vocabulary knowledge and working memory capacity. In what way hearing impairment in children affects development of cognitive skills and later on reading ability is an area that has attracted minor attention for research. The aim with this study was to investigate changes in cognitive skills and reading ability in children with mild or moderate hearing impairment after one year of progress and furthermore if any connections between any increases of the abilities were to be found. Comparisons were made with results from age adequate normal hearing children. Moreover prosodic ability on word-level was tested this year. Eleven Swedish children aged 7:6-10:10 years participated in this study. To illustrate progress of the abilities mentioned the SIPS computer test battery and furthermore some manually given tests for reading and prosodic abilities were used. The results show a developmental trend for the children with hearing impairment on tests of working memory and reading comprehension. The least degree of development was found in the area of phonological skills. The children with hearing impairment showed in general the same capacity as normal hearing children on tests for the different abilities. In the area of working memory the children with hearing impairment had significant lower results on half of the tests than age adequate normal hearing children. Several strong connections were present for children with hearing impairment this year than last year, in-between cognitive skills and reading ability. Correlation appeared between age for insertion of hearing aid and test for decoding ability. Results on tests for prosodic ability reached ceiling effect. / Förmåga att bearbeta och minnas information ligger till grund för språkförmåga och är en förutsättning för kommande läsutveckling. Läsförmåga är starkt sammankopplad med fonologisk medvetenhet, receptivt ordförråd och arbetsminneskapacitet. På vilket sätt hörselnedsättning hos barn påverkar utveckling av kognitiva färdigheter och sedermera läsförmåga är dock ett område som inte tilldragit sig något större forskningsintresse. Syftet med studien var att undersöka förändring av kognitiva färdigheter och läsförmåga hos barn med mild och måttlig hörselnedsättning under ett års tid, samt eventuella samband mellan förmågorna. Årets prestation jämfördes mot tidigare insamlat resultat från åldersmatchade normalhörande barn. Därutöver testades prosodisk förmåga på ordnivå. I studien deltog elva svenska barn i åldrarna 7:6-10:10 år. För att belysa utveckling av nämnda förmågor användes dels det datorbaserade testbatteriet SIPS samt manuella tester. Resultaten visar en utvecklingstrend för gruppen barn med hörselnedsättning inom samtliga deltester som mätte arbetsminne och läsförståelse. Lägst grad av utveckling, där prestation låg i nivå med förra årets mätning, var inom fonologiska färdigheter. Vid jämförelse mellan grupperna presterade barnen med hörselnedsättning i allmänhet i nivå med åldersmatchade normalhörande barn inom de testade delområdena. Inom delområdet arbetsminne hade barnen med hörselnedsättning signifikant sämre resultat i hälften av deltesterna än de åldersmatchade normalhörande barnen. Barnen med hörselnedsättning hade år 2009 fler starka samband mellan deltester som mätte kognitiva färdigheter och läsförmåga, i jämförelse mot förra året. Samband fanns också mellan ålder för insättande av hörapparat och ett deltest som mätte avkodningsförmåga. Takeffekter fanns på tester av prosodisk förmåga på ordnivå för barnen med hörselnedsättning.

Cochleaimplantat (CI) är ett tekniskt hörselhjälpmedel som används av personer med grav hörselnedsättning eller dövhet. Ett CI ger barn med medfödd dövhet möjlighet att höra och utveckla talad kommunikation. CI ersätter inte normal hörsel och det finns stora individuella variationer i språk och talfärdighet hos personer med CI. Syftet med föreliggande studie var att studera kognitiva och språkliga förmågor hos barn med CI med fokus på läsförmåga. I studien deltog 57 barn i åldrarna 7;3-10;4 år. Sju av barnen hade CI. För att besvara frågeställningarna användes utvalda delar av SIPS (Sound Information Processing System), Fonemtest, TOWRE, Ortografiska val, Ortografisk inlärning, Woodcock och Blockmönster ur WISC III. Testresultatet analyserades på grupp- och individnivå och jämfördes med resultat från en kontrollgrupp med normalhörande barn. Barnen med CI presterade som grupp i nivå med normalhörande barn på majoriteten av testen. På de fonologiska testen presterade barnen med CI lägre än normalhörande men hade generellt en avkodningsförmåga i nivå med normalhörande barn. Barn med CI i årskurs 3 hade även en läsförståelse i nivå med normalhörande medan barnen med CI i årskurs 1-2 presterade signifikant lägre än normalhörande barn. Resultaten i studien indikerar att varken sen implantation, taluppfattningsnivå eller kommunikationssätt behöver leda till sämre läsförmåga. / A cochlear implant (CI) is a technical hearing device used by individuals with severe to profound hearing impairment. CI can provide children with congenital hearing impairment the abilities to hear and develop speech and language outcome. CI does not replace normal hearing and there are great individual variations in language and verbal skills in persons with CI. The aim of this study was to examine the cognitive and linguistic abilities in children with CI with focus on reading ability. In the present study 57 children between the ages of 7;3-10;4 participated.  Seven of the children had CI. SIPS (Sound Information Processing System), Phonological Output, TOWRE, Orthographic Choices, Orthographic Learning , Woodcock and Block Design Test from WISC III were selected to answer the question at issue. The results were analyzed both at a group and at an individual level and were compared with results from a group with normal hearing children. Children with CI performed as a group at the level of normal hearing children on the majority of the tests. The children with CI had lower performance levels than the normal hearing children in tasks of phonological skills but they generally had a decoding ability within the normal range for hearing children. Children with CI in grade 3 also demonstrated a reading comprehension within the normal range for hearing children whereas children with CI in grade 1-2 had lower performance level than normal hearing children. The results of the present study indicate that late implantation; neither speech perception nor means of communication have to result in poorer reading ability.

Children with Reading and Writing Difficulties and Their Language and Cognitive Abilities A Comparison with Children with a Cochlear Implant Abstract The aim of this study was to examine the cognitive abilities that are important for reading in children with reading disabilities, children with a cochlear implantation and typically developed children. 64 children aged 10-12 years participated in the study. To answer the question at issue we used the following tests: Block Design from WISC III, PPVT III, TOWRE, SL 40 and a few chosen tests out of the SIPS battery. On tests of the lexical access children with reading disabilities performed at the same level as hearing children, while the children with a cochlear implant performed significantly lower. Test of the phonological and complex working memory showed that children with reading disabilities performed significantly higher than children with a cochlear implant, but at the same time lower than typically developed children on the test of phonological working memory. Tests of reading ability showed that children with a cochlear implant performed at the same level as typically developed children, while children with reading disabilities showed lower results. The results indicate that the children with a cochlear implant can develop an adequate reading ability in spite of their phonological difficulties. Phonological skills do not seem to be the only factor influencing reading ability of the examined groups.

The simple view of reading is a theory in which reading is divided into decoding and linguistic comprehension. The theory has been used to explain and to subgroup reading disabilities. Research has also investigated if additional factors are of relevance to reading. In the present study, decoding was divided into the factors orthographic decoding and phonological decoding, while comprehension was divided into word comprehension and grammatical comprehension. The purpose was to analyze these factors and their contribution to reading ability in children in fourth grade: one group with reading difficulties (n=36) and one group with typical reading ability (n=36). Results were analyzed using multiple regression and the two groups were compared. The contribution of non-verbal ability and general processing speed was also studied. The results showed differences between the groups. Decoding made the largest contribution to reading ability for the children with reading difficulties, while linguistic comprehension contributed the most for the children with typical reading ability. Differences were also found in how much the underlying factors contributed to decoding and linguistic comprehension, respectively. Non-verbal ability and general processing speed made small contributions, for both groups, to reading ability, decoding and linguistic comprehension, respectively. However, the two factors increased the explained variance in reading ability for the children with reading difficulties. In this group the two factors in The simple view of reading explained somewhat less of the variance in reading ability than for the children with typical reading ability. The study shows that decoding and comprehension are useful predictors of reading ability, and also indicates that The simple view of reading is less appropriate for children with reading difficulties. / The simple view of reading är en teori om läsning där läsförmåga delas in i vkodning och språkförståelse. Teorin har bland annat använts för att kartlägga lässvårigheter. Forskning har undersökt om ytterligare faktorer har betydelse för läsning. I föreliggande studie delades avkodning in i faktorerna ortografisk avkodning och fonologisk avkodning, medan språkförståelse delades in i ordförståelse och satsförståelse. Syftet var att undersöka faktorernas bidrag till läsförmåga hos barn i skolår fyra: en grupp med lässvårigheter (n=36) och en grupp med typisk läsförmåga (n=36). Testresultaten analyserades med multipel regressionsanalys och de båda grupperna jämfördes. Bidragen från icke-verbal förmåga och generell processhastighet studerades också. Resultaten visade att profilerna skilde sig åt mellan grupperna. För barnen med lässvårigheter gav avkodning störst bidrag till läsförmåga, medan språkförståelse var den mest bidragande faktorn för barnen med typisk läsförmåga. Skillnader fanns även i hur underliggande faktorer bidrog till avkodning respektive språkförståelse. Icke-verbal förmåga och generell processhastighet visade sig ge små bidrag till läsförmåga, avkodning respektive språkförståelse, för båda grupperna. När dessa två faktorer lades till framkom dock en relativt stor ökning av den förklarade variansen i läsförmåga hos barnen med lässvårigheter. Hos denna grupp var den förklarade variansen i läsförmåga av de två faktorerna i The simple view of reading något mindre än hos barnen med typisk läsförmåga. Sammantaget visar studien att avkodning och förståelse är användbara prediktorer till läsförmåga, samtidigt som resultaten antyder att The simple view of reading är mindre tillämpbar för barn med lässvårigheter.

<p><em>The simple view of reading</em> is a theory in which reading is divided into decoding and linguistic comprehension. The theory has been used to explain and to subgroup reading disabilities. Research has also investigated if additional factors are of relevance to reading. In the present study, decoding was divided into the factors orthographic decoding and phonological decoding, while comprehension was divided into word comprehension and grammatical comprehension. The purpose was to analyze these factors and their contribution to reading ability in children in fourth grade: one group with reading difficulties (n=36) and one group with typical reading ability (n=36). Results were analyzed using multiple regression and the two groups were compared. The contribution of non-verbal ability and general processing speed was also studied. The results showed differences between the groups. Decoding made the largest contribution to reading ability for the children with reading difficulties, while linguistic comprehension contributed the most for the children with typical reading ability. Differences were also found in how much the underlying factors contributed to decoding and linguistic comprehension, respectively. Non-verbal ability and general processing speed made small contributions, for both groups, to reading ability, decoding and linguistic comprehension, respectively. However, the two factors increased the explained variance in reading ability for the children with reading difficulties. In this group the two factors in <em>The simple view of reading</em> explained somewhat less of the variance in reading ability than for the children with typical reading ability. The study shows that decoding and comprehension are useful predictors of reading ability, and also indicates that <em>The simple view of reading</em> is less appropriate for children with reading difficulties.</p> / <p><em>The simple view of reading</em> är en teori om läsning där läsförmåga delas in i vkodning och språkförståelse. Teorin har bland annat använts för att kartlägga lässvårigheter. Forskning har undersökt om ytterligare faktorer har betydelse för läsning. I föreliggande studie delades avkodning in i faktorerna ortografisk avkodning och fonologisk avkodning, medan språkförståelse delades in i ordförståelse och satsförståelse. Syftet var att undersöka faktorernas bidrag till läsförmåga hos barn i skolår fyra: en grupp med lässvårigheter (n=36) och en grupp med typisk läsförmåga (n=36). Testresultaten analyserades med multipel regressionsanalys och de båda grupperna jämfördes. Bidragen från icke-verbal förmåga och generell processhastighet studerades också. Resultaten visade att profilerna skilde sig åt mellan grupperna. För barnen med lässvårigheter gav avkodning störst bidrag till läsförmåga, medan språkförståelse var den mest bidragande faktorn för barnen med typisk läsförmåga. Skillnader fanns även i hur underliggande faktorer bidrog till avkodning respektive språkförståelse. Icke-verbal förmåga och generell processhastighet visade sig ge små bidrag till läsförmåga, avkodning respektive språkförståelse, för båda grupperna. När dessa två faktorer lades till framkom dock en relativt stor ökning av den förklarade variansen i läsförmåga hos barnen med lässvårigheter. Hos denna grupp var den förklarade variansen i läsförmåga av de två faktorerna i <em>The simple view of reading</em> något mindre än hos barnen med typisk läsförmåga. Sammantaget visar studien att avkodning och förståelse är användbara prediktorer till läsförmåga, samtidigt som resultaten antyder att <em>The simple view of reading</em> är mindre tillämpbar för barn med lässvårigheter.</p>

Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Reading Disability (RD) are among the most common childhood disorders (American Psychiatric Association, 2000) and co-occur significantly more frequently than expected by chance (Dykman & Ackerman, 1991; Semrud-Clikeman et al., 1992). Similar processing deficits are seen in children with ADHD and children with RD, one of which is rapid automatized naming (RAN) (Denckla & Cutting, 1999). These continuous performance tasks require quick naming of visually represented stimuli. Uncertainty about what RAN actually measures, however, makes drawing conclusions about relations to ADHD and RD difficult (Tannock, 1998). By better understanding the cognitive processes involved in RAN, and how those processes relate to ADHD and RD symptoms, the relations among RAN, ADHD, and RD might be better understood. The current study sought to identify variables that would help explain ADHD and RD children’s difficulty with RAN. Five fundamental, neurocognitive skills were hypothesized to be related to RAN performance, ADHD, and reading disability. The effect of children’s phonological awareness, processing speed, working memory, fine-motor speed, and reaction time on their RAN performances was measured. The extent to which these same variables were related to inattention symptoms severity and word-reading ability was also assessed. Finally, the extent to which RAN mediated the effects of neurocognitive skills on inattention symptoms and word-reading ability was measured. By simultaneously measuring the hypothesized relations among variables, the processing deficits responsible for ADHD and RD children’s problems on RAN may be revealed. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze assessment data (i.e., neurocognitive, RAN, and word-reading performance scores; parent-report of inattention symptoms) of 183 children who received neuropsychological evaluations. Results indicated the following significant direct effects: phonological awareness and working memory on word-reading ability, processing speed and working memory on RAN, and RAN on word-reading ability. A possible significant mediation effect of processing speed on word-reading ability through RAN was also shown. Significant effects of study variables on inattention symptoms were not shown, which limited conclusions about RAN’s relation to ADHD. Results are of practical importance in RD assessment because the relation between RAN and word-reading ability was shown to involve processes beyond phonology. / text

The modern computerised era in which we live means that all areas of society are subjected to information technology. Children are increasingly exposed to and have access to computers, which necessarily have an influence on their education and development. Seeing that children are the most receptive group when it comes to exposure to new technology, this may have enriching effects on computer literacy, which is often considered part of general literacy. With regards to literacy, reading is one of the skills which pose a high challenge. It is also a key skill that opens the world of information, as most information is received through reading. Any reading stimulation via electronic or printed media that encourages learners to read is considered to improve reading ability, reading speed, reading comprehension and phonetic awareness. The aim of this study was to determine whether there was a correlation between early computer exposure and experience (both computer access and use) and reading ability of grade 1 learners. In this study a one shot cross-sectional survey design was used. Schools with grade 1 learners in the Umvoti district of Kwa Zulu Natal were selected to participate in the study - stratified sampling was used. The grade 1 classes were selected on the basis of random sampling. The selected classes (N=4; 85 learners) participated 'intact' in the study. The data was analysed using descriptive as well as inferential statistics (e.g. MANCOVA). / Thesis (M.Ed.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the impact of Same-Language Subtitles (SLS) on the subject-specific comprehension and the academic literacy levels of EAL students on the Vaal Triangle Campus of North-West University (NWU). Essentially, the study aimed to determine whether exposing students studying through English as an Additional Language (EAL) to subtitled lectures (live or recorded lectures) would help improve their comprehension of the academic content as well as their receptive academic literacy skills, compared to students who were not exposed to subtitled lectures. This study stems from the identification of an academic performance-related issue on the Vaal Triangle Campus of NWU. Indeed, campus statistics show that the throughput rate of EAL students remains low, and that these students‟ academic literacy levels are inadequate. In other words, EAL students on this campus are underachieving and seem to have difficulties in mastering academic English. Based on various studies that showed SLS to be a valuable tool in terms of learning and academic literacy, this study proposed to introduce SLS (both live via respeaking and offline) in the university classroom as a learning aid, thus optimising the time students spend in lectures. Very little information was available in South Africa on the impact of SLS on the subject-specific comprehension of EAL students in a tertiary academic context. Furthermore, it had been anticipated that a certain number of technical constraints were likely to be encountered during the empirical investigation. These two factors made it difficult to predict what other factors could influence the outcome of the study. As a result, the study was based on the principle of Action Research, a research method characterised by the fact that the research is carried out in as many cycles as may be necessary in order to achieve the optimal conditions for a specific intervention. Three cycles were necessary to reach the optimal design of the present study so that a confident conclusion could be made regarding the impact of SLS on comprehension and academic literacy. For each cycle, the intervention was carried out over an academic semester. In the first cycle, a test group composed of EAL first-year Economics students was exposed to live SLS via respeaking during class, while a control group (also composed of EAL first-year Economics students) attended the same class at a different time, without SLS. In the second cycle, the live SLS via respeaking were replaced with offline SLS. The intervention was taken out of the regular classes and was carried out in the context of practical revision classes scheduled specifically for the purpose of the intervention. The test group viewed subtitled videos of lectures, while the control group viewed videos without subtitles. After each viewing, all participants were required to complete a short comprehension test. This cycle was also conducted in first-year Economics. The basic design of the third cycle was similar to that of the second cycle, but for the fact that the intervention took place in the context of a Psychology module, which, unlike the Economics module, was taught without the lecturer making use of slides. After these three research cycles were completed, it could be concluded that offline SLS indeed have a positive impact on the subject-specific comprehension and the receptive academic literacy skills of EAL students in a tertiary academic context. This conclusion was supported by the following findings: 1. The first research cycle pointed towards a slight, but statistically insignificant benefit in terms of both comprehension and academic literacy. However, at this stage of the empirical investigation, the technical constraints made it difficult to draw a precise conclusion in that respect. 2. In the second research cycle, the SLS seem to have had a significant impact on the receptive academic literacy skills of the test group, compared to the control group. However, no such impact could be noted in terms of subject-specific comprehension. This was attributed to the presence of a confounding variable, namely slides used during the lectures. This once more made it impossible to draw a confident conclusion regarding the impact of SLS on comprehension. 3. The third research cycle made a more confident conclusion regarding the impact of SLS on subject-specific comprehension possible. Indeed, the results of the statistical analyses show that the test group performed significantly better in their semester test (covering the work done in all the recorded lectures) than the control group, which was not exposed to any videos at all. On the basis of these findings, it was concluded that SLS in their offline form have a positive impact on the subject-specific comprehension and the receptive academic literacy skills of EAL students in a tertiary academic context, specifically if the students are given sufficient time to get used to the mode. This study seems to indicate that the benefits of SLS for comprehension can be recorded provided that students are exposed to the intervention over a longer period of time. However, there may be further scope for refinement as far as this study is concerned. It is therefore important that the topic be investigated further. / MA, Language Practice, North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2012

The modern computerised era in which we live means that all areas of society are subjected to information technology. Children are increasingly exposed to and have access to computers, which necessarily have an influence on their education and development. Seeing that children are the most receptive group when it comes to exposure to new technology, this may have enriching effects on computer literacy, which is often considered part of general literacy. With regards to literacy, reading is one of the skills which pose a high challenge. It is also a key skill that opens the world of information, as most information is received through reading. Any reading stimulation via electronic or printed media that encourages learners to read is considered to improve reading ability, reading speed, reading comprehension and phonetic awareness. The aim of this study was to determine whether there was a correlation between early computer exposure and experience (both computer access and use) and reading ability of grade 1 learners. In this study a one shot cross-sectional survey design was used. Schools with grade 1 learners in the Umvoti district of Kwa Zulu Natal were selected to participate in the study - stratified sampling was used. The grade 1 classes were selected on the basis of random sampling. The selected classes (N=4; 85 learners) participated 'intact' in the study. The data was analysed using descriptive as well as inferential statistics (e.g. MANCOVA). / Thesis (M.Ed.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007.

Sammanfattning Dagens samhälle ställer stora krav på läsförmåga för att vara en del av samhället. Förutsättning för inlärning bottnar i en god läsundervisning. Läsprocessen innehåller flera faktorer såsom språkförståelse, avkodning och motivation. Tidigare forskning beskriver pedagogisk tjänstehund som en möjlig och tänkbar motivator för ökad läslust hos elever.    Studiens fokusområde har varit att undersöka speciallärare/specialpedagogers erfarenheter beträffande pedagogisk tjänstehund som ett externt kompensatoriskt verktyg i skolsam­manhang. Syftet med studien är att öka kunskapen om pedagogiska tjänstehundens betydelse för att öka elevens motivation i samband med läsinlärning. Relevanta centrala begrepp i studien är motivation och självkänsla. En kvalitativ metod med intervju som datainsamlings instrument har använts. Ett induktivt arbetssätt har varit aktuellt eftersom vi valt att utforska i empirin. Studiens resultat har tolkats utifrån tematisk analys och sex steg har presenterats, vilket resulterat i olika teman. De teman som identifierats och finns med i uppsatsen är; erfarenheter från specialpedagoger/lärare som gör att pedagogisk tjänstehund rekommenderas i undervisningen, den pedagogiska tjänstehundens roll i samband med elevens läsutveckling, ledningsansvar, speciallärare/pedagogers erfarenheter av resultat beträffande hundassisterad pedagogik och vikten av en välorganiserad verksamhetsplan.   Studien visar att hunden kan vara ett möjligt externt kompensatoriskt verktyg i interventioner, då man arbetar utifrån uppställda mål och kontinuerlig utvärdering, för att skapa läslust och ökat läsflyt. Beroende på aktivitet eller intervention kan man se skillnad på elevens progression. Tidiga insatser för att främja lust och bibehålla elevens självkänsla är viktiga förutsättningar för att undvika en beteendeproblematik och i värsta fall utanförskap för den enskilda eleven.