At the core of this study was an investigation of the current system of identification of learning disabled children as a result of concerns raised regarding the equivocal nature of federal guidelines for identification and their differential application by professionals. Toward this goal, the purposes of this study were 1) to evaluate the Reitan-Indiana Aphasia Screening Test as a means to differentiate LD children from low-achieving and normal children; 2) to assess the quantitative and qualitative neuropsychological performance differences between these three groups; and 3) to evaluate the quantitative and qualitative neuropsychological performance differences between male and female LD and low-achieving children. Subjects were 244 male (n=118) and female (n=126) LD (n=82), low-achieving (n=72), and normal (n=90) children randomly selected from five Midwestern school corporations. Classification of subjects into groups was based on previous identification as an LD child or scores on the Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills (below the 50th percentile and not school identified as LD were classified as low-achieving). Two-way analyses of variance indicated that neuropsychological performanceNeuropsychological Differences as measured by the Reran-Indiana Aphasia Screening Test significantly differed between groups but not gender on total error score. Further, two-way multivariate analyses of variance indicated significant performance differences across groups with LD children making more errors than either group on tasks indicative of spelling dyspraxia, constructional dyspraxia, dyslexia, central dysarthria, dyscalculia, and body dysgnosia. Additionally, LD children demonstrated more dysfunction in deficits reflective of only mild to moderate neuropsychological impairment as compared to deficits more strongly indicative of brain damage. No differences in performance based on type of error or severity of dysfunction was found between genders. Implications of these findings are discussed relative to the identification process. / Department of Educational Psychology

The purpose of this study was to develop a screening battery that could be used as a pre-referral method of identifying students in need of formal assessment for special education services. Further, the battery was designed to provide guidance regarding what classification should be specifically explored in assessment. The screening battery under study included measures of phonological proficiency, self-concept, social perception, and moral reasoning. These variables were measured by the G-F-W Sound-Symbol Tests (Spelling of Sounds Subtest) (Goldman, Fristoe, & Woodcock, 1974), the Self-Perception Profile for Children (Harter, 1985), My Classmates and Me (a sociometric instrument), and the Moral Reasoning Scale for Children (Daniel, 1992). Research has demonstrated that the constructs measured by these instruments are related in differential degrees to classification status of students.Battery scores of 104 subjects (mean age=10.3 years) were cluster analyzed using Ward's method. Once distinct profiles were identified, they were compared to behavioral and educational histories of subjects to determine if the patterns were related to pre-determined classifications. Step-wise discriminant function analyses were conducted using measures of cognitive ability, reading achievement, emotional adjustment and attention as discriminatingvariables in an effort to externally validate the cluster solution.Cluster analysis of the four battery components yielded four clusters with distinctive profiles. Pair-wise comparisons of the four clusters indicated each was significantly different from the others based on performance on the screening battery (p<.001). These groups were identified as: Low Achievement, Pervasive Dysfunction, Normal, and Low Cognitive Ability. Although these cluster groups were not found to be strictly parallel to previously identified classifications, they were differentiated to varying degrees on several dimensions identified through discriminant analyses.The "Normal Group" was adequately differentiated from the other three groups on external validation indices. This suggested that the screening battery, which was used to establish groups, could predict the need for special education services of the subjects in the non-normal groups. / Department of Educational Psychology

This study explored the relationship between anxiety and children's performance on the Reitan-Indiana Aphasia Screening Test. Anxiety was measured using the Personality Inventory for Children. Participants' anxiety scores were correlated with the individual component error scores and the total error scores from the Reitan Aphasia Screening Test. Second, the individual component scores were examined to assess their independent and shared contributions in the prediction of the Anxiety Scale of the Personality Inventory for Children.Participants for this study were 176, 9 to 16 year old boys and girls referred to an outpatient neuropsychological assessment clinic. Anxiety was found to be significantly related to the total score of the Reitan-Indiana Aphasia Screening test, as well as, each of the individual components. The regression analysis showed that five of the individual components of the Reitan-Indiana Aphasia Screening Test were able to significantly predict scores on the Anxiety Scale of the Personality Inventory for Children with a multiple R of .76. These data were discussed in terms of the importance of the interrelationship between anxiety and the Reitan-Indiana Aphasia Screening Test when making clinical judgements concerning the individual patient. / Department of Educational Psychology

M.Ed. (Psychology of Education) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

An anaerobic, cellulose decomposing bacterium was isolated in pure culture from the ingesta of a bovine rumen. The organia was a small, curved, Gram negative rod that occurred singly or in chains. The isolated bacterium was identified as a member of the genus Butyrivibrio because of its morphology and because of its production of certain volatile fatty acids in a rumen fluid-glucose medium fermentation. The characteristic fermentation waa the production of a large amount of butyric acid and some lactic acid or succinic acid, and the lack of production of propionic acid. It was found that when rumen fluid was omitted from the fermentation medium the production of butyric acid decreased markedly. The organism was found to have a relatively narrow pH tolerance for the initiation of growth, pH 6.3 to 7.2, with an optimum of pH 6.9 to 7.0. Growth stopped at about pH 6.4, and continued fermentation decreased the pH to 6.0. The organism was cultured continuously on a medium which vu chemically defined except that vitamin-free casein hydrolysate was included, when the hydrolysate was replaced by a mixture of pure L-isomers of amino acids similar in composition to the hydrolysate, good growth occurred. However, when each amino acid was supplied at a uniform weight concentration, much weaker growth was obtained. Evidence was obtained indicating that aadno acids were inhibitory, although the reason for the mild inhibition was not disclosed. The following amino acids were found to be critical nutrients, but in some cases their status, whether essential or stimulatory, was found to be dependent on the composition of the medium: - cysteine, histidine, isoleucine. methionine, lysine, tyrosine, asparagine and leucine. A medium containing only these amino acids supported only very weak growth. Aspartic acid was found to be mildly inhibitory to growth, and glutamic acid was found to reverse the inhibition. A mixture of the common purine and pyrimidine bases, and a mixture of volatile fatty acids, were each found to be inhibitory to growth. Biotin, folic acid, and pyridoxal were essential vitamins, but the other eight B-vitamins examined were found to be neither stimulatory nor essential. Carbon dioxide was found to be required in relatively high concentration in order for growth to start in a medium devoid of rumen fluid. Purines, pyrimidines, cobalamine, and Tween-80 in a mixture were found not to replace the carbon dioxide. Rumen fluid was found to contain material very stimulatory for growth of the Butyrivibrio. The stimulatory material was found to be possibly two compounds or types of compounds, one a peptide or peptide like substance, and the other an anionic substance which probably was polynucleotide-like. / Ed. D.

This qualitative investigation into differences between intellectually gifted sixth grade students and sixth grade students in regular education programs was conducted with two questions as the focus: 1. Are there differences other than IQ between these two groups of students on a selection of school-related variables? 2. Are there sixth grade students in the regular education program who exhibit the same profile on the selected variables as do the intellectually gifted sixth grade students? An analysis of forty variables held by each of the 129 students in three Gifted Center Classes and two regular education classes indicated differences exist between the two groups in some areas other than intelligence. Students in the Gifted Center obtained significantly higher scores on five of the six Biographical Inventory Form U subtests, which measured academic performance, creativity, artistic potential, leadership and educational orientation. The results of the subtest Vocational Maturity were not significant. Differences in performance were noted on the SRA Achievement Series with the gifted students achieving higher test scores than regular education students. Both groups, however, scored commensurate with measured abilities as indicated by the Educational Ability Score (EAS). Report card notations indicate that gifted students are more respectful of authority, more courteous, more respectful of property and exercise more self-control than students in regular education programs. On a Moreno sociogram, results were significant in only one category. Gifted students were more readily selected by peers as students preferred to study with than students in regular education programs. The discriminant analysis indicated that 100% of the intellectually gifted students were placed or identified properly. Six students or 10.5% of the population in the regular education program exhibited profiles similar to that of the intellectually gifted students. / Ed. D.

Studies indicate the educational needs of highly gifted students are best met through accelerated learning. It is difficult to recognize very young children that are suited for an accelerated curriculum because younger students frequently lack school records or portfolios used to identify gifted students. This study examined the accuracy of cognitive ability and achievement tests in predicting academic achievement by the end of second grade, correlating test results and final grade averages collected from sixteen children ages five to six who entered a public school program for high-ability learners in kindergarten. A multiple regression analysis indicated the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence produced the highest mean IQ score and a strong correlation with reading achievement. The Wechsler Individual Achievement Test contributed in small part to the prediction of academic achievement. The Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test and the Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test-Second Edition had negative correlations with final grade averages, indicating they are not predictors of academic achievement for these students.

The present study sought to identify variables that predicted parental decision-making regarding their child's participation in a national gifted and talented identification program for middle school students and subsequent participation in recommended educational options. One hundred sixty-nine parents of students who qualified for either the 2001-2002 or 2002-2003 Duke Talent Identification Program participated in the study. The students were drawn from two large public school districts and six small private schools in a large metropolitan area in the southwestern United States. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were used to identify the variables predictive of parental decision-making regarding talent search participation. Each parent completed a questionnaire consisting of both multiple-choice and open-ended questions. Selected parents participated in structured follow-up interviews. The results of the study indicated that parental perception of the helpfulness of school personnel in explaining the purpose and process of the talent search was most predictive of participation in the talent search. The educational level of the father, parent's prior awareness of the purpose and process of talent search, and the number of enrichment activities in which the child had previously participated were also predictive of talent search participation. Qualitative data indicated that parents of both participants and nonparticipants had a limited understanding of the purpose, diagnostic power, and potential benefits of the talent search. Very few parents chose to seek extracurricular or curricular/instructional options following the talent search testing. Qualitative data indicated that parents did not choose these options due to cost, logistical concerns regarding the special programs, and reservations about the developmental appropriateness of such options for middle school students. Although talent searches are sponsored and administered by organizations outside the local school, this study suggests that parents mostly rely on their local school for notification of their child's nomination, information on the purpose and benefits of talent search, interpretation of test scores, and guidance in selecting appropriate curricular or extracurricular follow-up.

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 1975 has made a profound impact on millions of children with disabilities who now enjoy their right to a free appropriate public education (FAPE). It is the goal of national policy, endorsed by Congress, to ensure equality of opportunity, full participation, independent living, and economic self-sufficiency for individuals with disabilities. With the enactment of IDEA, it ensures that all children, who participate in special education programs, have equal access to education. However, since IDEA's inception, a disproportionate number of African Americans children have been placed, or rather, misplaced in special education programs. African American students are three times more likely than Whites to be placed into categories as needing services in special education programs, making them subject to less demanding schoolwork, to more restrictive classrooms, and to isolation from their peers. For the purpose of this study, the goals were (a) to determine if there is disproportional representation of Black students and male students in the three categories of Educable Mentally Handicapped, Emotionally Handicapped, and Specific Learning Disabled and (b) to address whether the factors school districts' socioeconomic status, minority rate, and racial composition of instructional and administrative staff predict the representation of Black students and male students who participate in special education programs. A quantitative method, including the three disproportionality calculation methods of Composition Index (CI), Risk Index (RI), and Odds Ratio (OR), was employed to respond to the six research questions and test six corresponding null hypotheses. Sixty-seven school districts in the State of Florida were identified for data collection and analysis. / The enrollment data for the calculations covered AY 2005- 2009. Critical Race Theory (CRT) served as the lens through which to analyze the findings and discus the implications therein. It is clear that the problem of disproportionate representation is complex and the resolution to the problem is not an easy one. This study found that there was a relationship between the representation of Black students and male students in special education programs and the predictor variables. Statistical analyses revealed that socioeconomic status of the school district, minority rate, and racial composition of instructional and administrative staff predicted the disproportional representation. Critical Race Theory, which served as a methodological framework was employed to help in examining and challenging the manner in which race and racism clearly impacts practices and procedures in the special education referral process. CRT utilized the social construction of race and the role it plays in the education policies that affect minorities. As with any intellectual movement, CRT builds its scholarship upon certain theoretical pillars. The basic tenets of CR T include ordinariness, interest convergence, social construction, differential racialization, and legal story telling. For the purpose of this research, only the tenets of ordinariness, interest convergence, social construction, and differential racialization were examined in the context of disproportionate representation of black students and male students in special education. / by Anthony G. Allen. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2010. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2010. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

The project contributes to the significance of special education by providing information on how to identify early signs of autism in order to implement appropriate strategies as early as possible and by examining the effectiveness of early intervention programs. A quantitative and qualitative approach was used to measure the responses of parents and special educators regarding the importance of early detection of autism for early socialization of children before entering the school setting.