The procedural deficit hypothesis (PDH) posits that a range of language, cognitive and motor impairments associated with specific language impairment (SLI) and developmental dyslexia (DD) may be explained by an underlying domain-general dysfunction of the procedural memory system. In contrast, declarative memory is hypothesized to remain intact and to play a compensatory role in the two disorders. The studies in the present thesis were designed to test this hypothesis. Study I examined non-language procedural memory, specifically implicit sequence learning, in children with SLI. It was shown that children with poor performance on tests of grammar were impaired at consolidation of procedural memory compared to children with normal grammar. These findings support the PDH and are line with previous studies suggesting a link between grammar processing and procedural memory. In Study II, the same implicit sequence learning paradigm was used to test procedural memory in children with DD. The DD group showed a learning profile that was similar to that of children with SLI in Study I, with a significant impairment emerging late in learning, after extended practice and including an overnight interval. Further analyses suggested that the DD impairment may not be related to overnight consolidation but to the effects of further practice beyond the initial practice session. In contrast to the predictions of the PDH, the sequence learning deficit was unrelated to phonological processing skills as assessed with a nonword repetition task. Study III examined declarative memory in DD. The performance of the DD group was found to be not only intact, but even enhanced, compared to that of the control children. The results encourage further studies on the potential of declarative memory to compensate for the reading problems in DD. In sum, the results lend partial support for the PDH and suggest further refinements to the theory. Collectively, the studies emphasize the importance of going beyond a narrow focus on language learning and memory functions in the characterization of the two disorders. Such a broader cognitive, motor and language approach may inform the development of future clinical and pedagogical assessment and intervention practices for SLI and DD.

The aim of this work is to examine how a number of class teachers reason about and find their work while teaching students who have reading and writing difficulties / dyslexia. The empirical study was intended to answer the question based on three questions. The work is based on a qualitative method as empirical material gathered in semi-structured interviews. Six classroom teachers, one male and five female teachers were interviewed. The interviewees were from six different schools in Stockholm Municipality and were between 27-61 years old. Most of the classroom teachers feel that there are approximately 4-5 students with reading and writing difficulties / dyslexia in each class. Half of the teachers feel that students with dyslexia may be different as they are quiet, unsecure and shy. While the other half experience these students as ordinary children. All those involved are of the opinion that they work, including in the classrooms by adjusting the lessons to each student's needs. Half of the classroom teachers perceive special pedagogy teachers well, while the other half experience it as problematic. Classroom teachers also think that they have the skills needed to respond to students with reading and writing difficulties / dyslexia and think that training courses are important to keep the knowledge alive. Several of the teachers emphasize that students with reading and writing difficulties / dyslexia get the help necessary while the other half think it can be better. The classroom teachers stress that in teaching, they use different methods which they cannot name. / Syftet med arbetet var att undersöka hur ett antal klasslärare resonerar kring och upplever sitt arbete med elever med läs- och skrivsvårigheter/dyslexi i sin undervisning. Den empiriska undersökningen avsåg att besvara syftet utifrån tre frågeställningar.  Arbetet baserades på en kvalitativ metod där empiriska materialet samlades på semistrukturerade intervjuer. Sex klasslärare, en manlig och fem kvinnliga lärare intervjuades. De intervjuade var från sex olika skolor i Stockholmskommun och var i åldrarna 27 till 61 år.  De flesta klasslärarna upplever att det förekommer ungefär 4-5 elever med läs- och skrivsvårigheter/dyslexi i varje klass.  Hälften av lärarna upplever att elever med läs- och skrivsvårigheter kan vara olika då de är tysta, osäkra och tillbakadragna, medan den andra hälften upplever dessa elever som vanliga barn. Alla de medverkade resonerar att de arbetar inkluderande i klassrummet genom att de anpassar lektionerna efter varje individs förutsättningar. Häften av klasslärarna upplever specialläraren som positiv medan den andra hälften upplever problematik. Klasslärarna tycker också att de har kompetensen som behövs för att bemöta elever med läs- och skrivsvårigheter/dyslexi och de resonerar kring fortbildningens betydelse för att hålla kunskapen levande. Flera av lärarna betonar att elever med läs- och skrivsvårigheter/dyslexi får den hjälpen som de behöver medan den andra hälften tycker att det kan bli bättre. I undervisningen betonar klasslärarna att de använder olika metoder som de inte kan namnge.

It is very important to gain knowledge and better understanding for people with dyslexia in other words people with reading and writing difficulties. I have therefore chosen to learn more about this subject. In my study, I have focused on adult people with dyslexia. This study is about four student teachers different experiences of dyslexia during their studies. The aim is to find out how the student teachers diagnosis has affected their education situations of these areas; the need for help, environmental significance, management of the different reading and writing tasks in their education and the advantages they believe there is in their future work as teachers. As a research method I have used qualitative research and qualitative interviews. The participants in this study are four female persons in the ages of 23 to 25 years old. The results showed that the need for assistive help devices varied because of the student teachers different experiences. The students spoke about the help they got from classmates and family members. The surroundings affected them both in a positive way and in a negative way. The participants various diagnosis affected them in different ways when it comes to dealing with various school assignments. The participants used different methods to overcome their difficulties in school. The advantages that the participants believed that they had were the ability to recognize pupils with different difficulties in the classroom.

Bakalauro darbe analizuojami tautinių mažumų mokinių probleminio skaitymo priežastys, kurios turi pagrindo rastis dėl netolygios kalbos raidos. Kokybiniu tyrimu norėta išsiaiškinti tautinių mažumų mokinių skaitymo problemas. / Undergraduate work analyzes the reasons of problematic reading of ethnic minoritys pupils. They can arise from the uneven ground of language development. Qualitative research/study sought to determine ethnic minority students' reading problems.

Remediation of skills deficient in students with dyslexia typically occurs via withdrawal interventions focusing on phonological awareness and letter-sound knowledge. While one-on-one interventions are widely used, little attention has been paid to the alternative teaching approach of integrating multiple linguistic component interventions within the classroom. Accordingly, this study aims to examine the effectiveness of using word study within the classroom on the spelling skills of students with dyslexia. The study was divided into two parts: 1) examining the efficacy of incorporating a small group multiple linguistic intervention within the classroom on the spelling skills of 9-year-old students with dyslexia, and if there were similar effects for reading abilities; and 2) analysing the effects of word study instruction at the whole group level on student spelling. Two case study students (both 9-years of age) with dyslexia underwent small group multiple linguistic intervention, and were monitored for 8 weeks (3 days/week; 20 minutes/session) using baseline, intervention and post-intervention probes. Whole group word study instruction was enacted in a Year 4/5 classroom for 8 weeks (1 day/week; 1 hour/session), and the spelling performance of the 9-year-old students (i.e., n = 7) were compared to same age students from a control classroom (i.e., n = 7) in pre-post assessments. Both small group intervention case study students demonstrated significant improvements in spelling, yet minimal improvement was seen for reading. Whole group comparisons indicated no significant improvement. The findings for this study have implications for: a) research on effective interventions for older children with dyslexia, and b) the practical use of spelling interventions that are designed to co-exist within classroom instruction.

Dyslexi innebär problem med att läsa och skriva. Problemet är vanligt och cirka fem till tio procent av alla skolbarn beräknas ha dyslexi. Dyslexi är ett funktionshinder som ofta leder till ohälsa hos skolbarn. Ohälsan är svårtolkad och skolsköterskan har en viktig roll i att förebygga, upptäcka samt minska konsekvenserna av funktionshindret. Syftet med studien var att identifiera tecken på ohälsa hos barn med dyslexi och vilka faktorer som påverkar ohälsan. Studien genomfördes som en litteraturstudie där 11 vetenskapliga artiklar granskades. Resultatet visade att barn med dyslexi hade betydligt fler emotionella, psykosociala och beteende problem. Barnens självkänsla var låg, de blev ofta mobbade och skolsituationen upplevdes som jobbig. För att må bra utvecklade barnen mer eller mindre bra strategier. Positivt för barnen var att ha kamrater, föräldrar och lärare som förstod dem, ha en egen positiv attityd samt att vara duktig på något som inte hade med läsning att göra. För att förebygga ohälsa bör barnen tidigt och med hjälp av specialpedagogiska metoder för dyslektiker lära sig att läsa och skolsköterska bör utveckla rutiner för att snabbt och tidigt upptäcka ohälsa. / Dyslexia implicates problems with reading and writing. The problem is common and approximately five to ten percent of all schoolchildren are estimated to have dyslexia. Dyslexia is a disability that often leads to ill-health among schoolchildren. Ill-health is difficult to interpret and the school nurse has an important role to prevent, detect and to reduce the impact of the disability. The purpose of this study was to identify signs for ill-health seen in children with dyslexia and what factors that affect the ill-health. This study was conducted as a literature review in which 11 scientific articles were reviewed. The results showed that children with dyslexia had significantly more emotional, psychosocial and behavioural problems. The children's self-esteem was low, they were often bullied and the school situation was perceived as annoying. In order to feel good have the children developed more or less successful strategies. Positive for the children was to have friends, parents and teachers who understand them, have a positive attitude and be good at something that not had to do with reading. In order to prevent ill-health should the children early get help of special teaching methods for dyslexics and the school nurse would develop procedures for a rapid and early detection of ill-health.

Access to abstract permanently restricted to Ball State community only / Access to thesis permanently restricted to Ball State community only / Department of Educational Psychology

Programs to support early literacy development are implemented regularly in the schools without research on their efficacy. This study examined the efficacy of a commonly used program for struggling readers. Twelve kindergarten children who were at-risk for reading difficulties took part in a 10 week intervention program called Talking Tables. Twelve kindergarten children, also at-risk for reading difficulties were the control group, and received no intervention. The children in the intervention group made significant gains in phonological awareness. The results suggest that the Talking Tables is effective as an early intervention in developing phonological awareness skills in kindergarten children that are at-risk for reading difficulties. / Graduate / 0535

Diss. (sammanfattning)--Göteborg : Göteborgs universitet, 2005. / Härtill 4 uppsatser.

The purpose of the present study was to explore the coping strategies and learning techniques students with reading difficulties/disabilities (e.g., dyslexia) view as effective and commonly use to cope with the demands of postsecondary education. The present study employed a basic qualitative interpretive research design to discover and understand the perspectives and experiences of the students interviewed for this study (Merriam, 1998). Semi-structured interviews were utilized to provide insight into the experiences of these individuals. Analysis of the data generated from these interviews maintained a focus within the theory of resilience. There were three major themes that emerged from the interviews: (1) struggling to learn: recognizing the impact of learning difficulties and/or disabilities; (2) embracing the positives and negatives of a diagnosis; (3) surviving the learning experience: using coping strategies and learning techniques. Despite the adversities the participants within the current study faced, they all reported instances in which they were able to positively adapt and adjust in order to experience success and resilience in their lives. This study concluded with a discussion of the practical implications of the findings, the limitations and strengths of the study, and areas for future research.