yes / We thank Professors Evans and Allen for their interest in our article.1 2 The charity websites we reviewed refer to colour as though it offers a scientific, evidence based treatment; none referred to feedback from the membership. For example, one charity website makes the claim that “Research in the UK and in Australia shows that people who need coloured filters, who are said to have visual stress, need to have exactly the right colour.” This is incorrect. The research overwhelmingly shows little advantage, or at best conflicting results.3 4 5

<p>Integration av elever inför nationalprov i matematik i niondeklass är centrala teman för mitt examensarbete. Fokus lägger jag på eleverna som betraktas som svaga i ämnet och därmed undervisas med hjälp av en speciell lärobok eller i små grupper, förutom att de går i en vanlig klass. Eftersom elever med utländsk bakgrund brukar överrepresentera gruppen som betraktas som svagast i ämnet, tar jag dessutom upp problematiken över skolans svårigheter/möjligheter att skapa en undervisningsform och undervisningsmiljö i sin uppgift att åstadkomma en skola för alla.</p><p>Syftet med undersökningen är att skaffa mig en verklig vision om vilken syn/filosofi som skolan/lärare har i arbetet att integrera alla elever i undervisningen och ge en skola för alla dvs. en likvärdig utbildning för alla. Till största delen har jag använt mig av den social konstruktivistiska tänkande teoretiska perspektiv, för att genom att undersöka talet hos skolpersonal om meningar ”Språksvårigheter”, ”Språksvårigheter i matematik” och ”Matematiksvårigheter” komma fram till svaren. De slutsatser jag har kunnat dra av undersökningen är, att skolor har en dålig uppfattning om skolsvårigheterna när de bara relaterar svårigheter (i det här fallet ”Språksvårigheter”, ”Språksvårigheter i matematik” och ”Matematiksvårigheter”) till den absoluta synen av skolsvårigheter (dvs. eleverna egenskaper). Detta dålig uppfattning/ofullständiga synsätt på skolsvårigheter gör att elever i svårigheter med matematik (speciellt eleverna med utländsk bakgrund) inte integreras i undervisningen.</p><p>Eleverna som särplaceras i mindre grupper pga. handikapp- problem eller socialproblem, ingår ej i min studie.</p> / <p>Integration of students before national tests in mathematics in class 9 is the central issue for my work. I focus on the students who are considered to be weak in the subject and therefore are being given education with help of a special book or in small groups beside their normal attendance in a normal class. As students with foreign background usually dominate this group of students, I also bring up the problems for the school to create an education form and education environment in its task to obtain a school for all.</p><p>The aim with the investigation is to obtain a real vision of what view/philosophy that school and teachers have in the work to integrate all students in the education and give them an equal education. Most of the part I have utilized the social constructive theory in order to investigate the opinions of school personnel regarding general “Language difficulties”, “Language difficulties in mathematics” and “Mathematics difficulties”. My conclusions are that the school has a bad comprehension about the school difficulties as they only relate difficulties (in this case “Language difficulties”, “Language difficulties in mathematics” and “Mathematics difficulties”) to the absolute view of school difficulties (i.e. the characteristics of students). This bad comprehension/uncompleted vision of school difficulties result in that the students with difficulties in mathematics (especially the students with foreign background) are not being integrated into the education.</p><p>Students who are moved into small groups due to disablement problems or due to social problems are not being part of my study.</p>

This work will focus on teachers' prevention for students with language difficulties so they don’t end up in mathematical difficulties. The purpose of this work is to see what methods, working methods, tools, skills and knowledge of teachers there is in a school in central Sweden. The study is based on qualitative interviews with five active teachers in grades 1-3 who teach in Swedish and mathematics, one of which is the first teacher of mathematics. A special educator who has much knowledge in language difficulties was also interviewed. What emerged in my research is that by working with many joint briefings, joint problem solving discussions to consolidate concepts and symbols it benefits all pupils not just those with late language development. The usefulness of the study was to provide knowledge on how teachers can help students with language difficulties at an early stage, so they do not get into difficulties in mathematics. The aim has been to find out what different methods, procedures and working materials there are to facilitate for the students in mathematics, despite their late language development. / Detta arbete kommer att handla om lärarnas förebyggande arbete för elever med språksvårigheter så de inte ska hamna i matematiksvårigheter. Syftet med detta arbete är att se vilka metoder, arbetsätt, arbetsmaterial, kompetens och kunskaper det finns hos lärarna på en skola i mellersta Sverige. Studien bygger på kvalitativa intervjuer med fem verksamma lärare i åk 1-3 som undervisar i svenska och matematik, varav en är förstelärare i matematik. En specialpedagog har också intervjuats som har mycket kunskap om språksvårigheter. Det som framkommit i min undersökning är att genom att arbeta med många gemensamma genomgångar, gemensam problemlösning, diskussioner för att befästa begrepp och symboler gynnar det alla elever inte bara de med språksvårigheter. Nyttan med studien har varit att bidra med kunskap om hur lärare kan hjälpa elever tidigt som har språksvårigheter, så de inte hamnar i matematiksvårigheter. Ambitionen har varit att komma fram till vilka olika metoder, arbetssätt och arbetsmaterial det finns för att underlätta hos eleverna i matematiken trots sina språksvårigheter.

This narrative inquiry examines the stories told by eight young New Zealanders who have experienced specific difficulties with learning. At the time of being interviewed, they were aged from 9-14 years and participating in regular school classes. For the purposes of the study, being a student was identified as a key occupational role and failing to achieve tasks associated with this role was viewed as failure to achieve role competency. The issue of learning difficulties has been extensively researched but rarely from the perspective of young people. A primary goal of the study was to obtain young people's perceptions of the experience of learning difficulties. This is consistent with international moves to obtain the views of young people through research. Narrative interviewing procedures were used and participants were invited to talk about the things they enjoyed doing and felt they are good at doing, as well as the things they had trouble doing. They proved to be capable informants and provided a rich range of narrative data. Interviews were audio taped, transcribed and interview transcripts were synthesised into a story format. Each participant had the opportunity to check their story and give their final consent to its use as data in this thesis. As part of the analytical process, core narratives were constructed to capture the essence of each participant's story, their unique narrative voice, relationship with others and fundamental message. These narratives are presented in full, introducing participants as characters in their own story and revealing the nature of the stories told. In addition, thematic narratives drawn from the stories have been collated into three key categories, which relate to self and learning efforts, relationship with the social world and being occupational. The narrative analysis found that learning difficulties occurred as a negative interruption in the progressive course of participants' story, with the potential to compromise their sense of identity and well-being. However, the study also found that when participants chose to characterise themselves in relation to occupations or roles in which they felt most successful, they were able to express a more positive and holistic identity than that of being "learning disabled". Furthermore, in the context of an occupational narrative that included their talents and abilities, learning difficulties were not necessarily the determining factor in how life was for them or where their lives might go. The implication of the study's findings relate to the importance for young people of not only experiencing competency in significant occupations and roles, but also being seen to be competent. This underpins a positive sense of identity and well-being, which is likely to link to their future. They need to understand for themselves and for those around them to understand, that it is possible to be intelligent yet have trouble with basic numeracy and literacy skills. Empathetic adults have a vital role to play in providing the information, opportunities and supportive context in which young people develop an understanding of their occupational competencies and become competent human beings. There is a place for further narrative research with young New Zealanders; there are many stories from other perspectives yet to be told. Ongoing research conducted through an occupational lens is needed to understand the way in which young people with learning difficulties develop, or fail to develop, an understanding of themselves as competent occupational beings and how this supports or constrains their transition through adolescence into adulthood.

This field study is concerned with the development and implementation of a formative evaluation of an innovative aspect of program development in the Language/Reading Centre at the Canberra College of Advanced Education. In 1983 a parent training dimension was added as part of a developing concern to assist school pupils who are experiencing difficulties in language and reading. The Language/Reading Centre programs are designed to provide this assistance within an 'integrated systems' approach. The group of people who participated in one of these parent training programs within the Language/Reading Centre in semester 2, 1983, were the focus for this evaluation. The program is called the Parent Training Evening Group Seminar Program in the evaluation. This study was set up in response to a request from the Director of the Language/Reading Centre for an external evaluation of this parent training component. The eva1uation developed within the framework of naturalistic inquiry and the design has been based on the work of Robert Stake. The evaluator undertook a responsive evaluation plan with an adaption of the briefing panel component, to gather and organise the perceptions and judgments of the people concerned with the program. The information collected in this process was focused on a number of Issues for consideration. This case study format was intended to gain some measure of program effectiveness as formative information for the client to use in the ongoing development of the program.

<p>Studiens syfte var att undersöka hur lärare ser på sambandet mellan läsförmåga och matematiksvårigheter. Aktuella rapporter visar att elevers läsförmåga har försämrats samtidigt som matematiksvårigheterna har ökat. Viss forskning pekar på ett samband mellan dessa två ämnesområden. En halvstrukturerad intervjumetod med fenomenologisk ansats användes och totalt intervjuades fyra erfarna lärare. De intervjuade hade alla mångårig erfarenhet av elevers läs- skriv- och matematikinlärning i ett brett register från förskoleklass till högskolenivå. Resultatet visade att det finns många faktorer som samverkar när eleven får svårigheter. Det är viktigt att rikligt med tid och övning ges när elever ska befästa grundläggande kunskap. En automatiserad ordavkodning är en avgörande faktor för god läsförmåga, likväl som automatiserad taluppfattning krävs för en gynnsam utveckling i matematik. Elever som är lässvaga får ofta problem vid de benämnda talen. Det är viktigt att allt lärande tar avstamp utifrån elevens förutsättningar. En kartläggning av eleven bör genomföras så att anpassning kan ske i förhållande till elevens proximala nivå. Vidare påvisade resultatet att självbild och självförtroende påverkar elevens lärande i hög grad.</p>

Integration av elever inför nationalprov i matematik i niondeklass är centrala teman för mitt examensarbete. Fokus lägger jag på eleverna som betraktas som svaga i ämnet och därmed undervisas med hjälp av en speciell lärobok eller i små grupper, förutom att de går i en vanlig klass. Eftersom elever med utländsk bakgrund brukar överrepresentera gruppen som betraktas som svagast i ämnet, tar jag dessutom upp problematiken över skolans svårigheter/möjligheter att skapa en undervisningsform och undervisningsmiljö i sin uppgift att åstadkomma en skola för alla. Syftet med undersökningen är att skaffa mig en verklig vision om vilken syn/filosofi som skolan/lärare har i arbetet att integrera alla elever i undervisningen och ge en skola för alla dvs. en likvärdig utbildning för alla. Till största delen har jag använt mig av den social konstruktivistiska tänkande teoretiska perspektiv, för att genom att undersöka talet hos skolpersonal om meningar ”Språksvårigheter”, ”Språksvårigheter i matematik” och ”Matematiksvårigheter” komma fram till svaren. De slutsatser jag har kunnat dra av undersökningen är, att skolor har en dålig uppfattning om skolsvårigheterna när de bara relaterar svårigheter (i det här fallet ”Språksvårigheter”, ”Språksvårigheter i matematik” och ”Matematiksvårigheter”) till den absoluta synen av skolsvårigheter (dvs. eleverna egenskaper). Detta dålig uppfattning/ofullständiga synsätt på skolsvårigheter gör att elever i svårigheter med matematik (speciellt eleverna med utländsk bakgrund) inte integreras i undervisningen. Eleverna som särplaceras i mindre grupper pga. handikapp- problem eller socialproblem, ingår ej i min studie. / Integration of students before national tests in mathematics in class 9 is the central issue for my work. I focus on the students who are considered to be weak in the subject and therefore are being given education with help of a special book or in small groups beside their normal attendance in a normal class. As students with foreign background usually dominate this group of students, I also bring up the problems for the school to create an education form and education environment in its task to obtain a school for all. The aim with the investigation is to obtain a real vision of what view/philosophy that school and teachers have in the work to integrate all students in the education and give them an equal education. Most of the part I have utilized the social constructive theory in order to investigate the opinions of school personnel regarding general “Language difficulties”, “Language difficulties in mathematics” and “Mathematics difficulties”. My conclusions are that the school has a bad comprehension about the school difficulties as they only relate difficulties (in this case “Language difficulties”, “Language difficulties in mathematics” and “Mathematics difficulties”) to the absolute view of school difficulties (i.e. the characteristics of students). This bad comprehension/uncompleted vision of school difficulties result in that the students with difficulties in mathematics (especially the students with foreign background) are not being integrated into the education. Students who are moved into small groups due to disablement problems or due to social problems are not being part of my study.

Studiens syfte var att undersöka hur lärare ser på sambandet mellan läsförmåga och matematiksvårigheter. Aktuella rapporter visar att elevers läsförmåga har försämrats samtidigt som matematiksvårigheterna har ökat. Viss forskning pekar på ett samband mellan dessa två ämnesområden. En halvstrukturerad intervjumetod med fenomenologisk ansats användes och totalt intervjuades fyra erfarna lärare. De intervjuade hade alla mångårig erfarenhet av elevers läs- skriv- och matematikinlärning i ett brett register från förskoleklass till högskolenivå. Resultatet visade att det finns många faktorer som samverkar när eleven får svårigheter. Det är viktigt att rikligt med tid och övning ges när elever ska befästa grundläggande kunskap. En automatiserad ordavkodning är en avgörande faktor för god läsförmåga, likväl som automatiserad taluppfattning krävs för en gynnsam utveckling i matematik. Elever som är lässvaga får ofta problem vid de benämnda talen. Det är viktigt att allt lärande tar avstamp utifrån elevens förutsättningar. En kartläggning av eleven bör genomföras så att anpassning kan ske i förhållande till elevens proximala nivå. Vidare påvisade resultatet att självbild och självförtroende påverkar elevens lärande i hög grad.

In my story there are daily conflicts that occur around the boy Peter. I focus on the role of the educator and the preschool, on the grey area children, on the interaction with parents and on "fighter relation". I have during my work tried to see this dilemma from differentperspectives. I question my role as a teacher and recently become a preschool teacher. Peter has no diagnosis, but I have decided to proceed from emotional disorders and language difficulties.

This narrative inquiry examines the stories told by eight young New Zealanders who have experienced specific difficulties with learning. At the time of being interviewed, they were aged from 9-14 years and participating in regular school classes. For the purposes of the study, being a student was identified as a key occupational role and failing to achieve tasks associated with this role was viewed as failure to achieve role competency. The issue of learning difficulties has been extensively researched but rarely from the perspective of young people. A primary goal of the study was to obtain young people's perceptions of the experience of learning difficulties. This is consistent with international moves to obtain the views of young people through research. Narrative interviewing procedures were used and participants were invited to talk about the things they enjoyed doing and felt they are good at doing, as well as the things they had trouble doing. They proved to be capable informants and provided a rich range of narrative data. Interviews were audio taped, transcribed and interview transcripts were synthesised into a story format. Each participant had the opportunity to check their story and give their final consent to its use as data in this thesis. As part of the analytical process, core narratives were constructed to capture the essence of each participant's story, their unique narrative voice, relationship with others and fundamental message. These narratives are presented in full, introducing participants as characters in their own story and revealing the nature of the stories told. In addition, thematic narratives drawn from the stories have been collated into three key categories, which relate to self and learning efforts, relationship with the social world and being occupational. The narrative analysis found that learning difficulties occurred as a negative interruption in the progressive course of participants' story, with the potential to compromise their sense of identity and well-being. However, the study also found that when participants chose to characterise themselves in relation to occupations or roles in which they felt most successful, they were able to express a more positive and holistic identity than that of being "learning disabled". Furthermore, in the context of an occupational narrative that included their talents and abilities, learning difficulties were not necessarily the determining factor in how life was for them or where their lives might go. The implication of the study's findings relate to the importance for young people of not only experiencing competency in significant occupations and roles, but also being seen to be competent. This underpins a positive sense of identity and well-being, which is likely to link to their future. They need to understand for themselves and for those around them to understand, that it is possible to be intelligent yet have trouble with basic numeracy and literacy skills. Empathetic adults have a vital role to play in providing the information, opportunities and supportive context in which young people develop an understanding of their occupational competencies and become competent human beings. There is a place for further narrative research with young New Zealanders; there are many stories from other perspectives yet to be told. Ongoing research conducted through an occupational lens is needed to understand the way in which young people with learning difficulties develop, or fail to develop, an understanding of themselves as competent occupational beings and how this supports or constrains their transition through adolescence into adulthood.