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There is agreement in the learning disability (LD) literature that reading problems in children can be attributed to difficulties in coding linguistic information. One explanation for this is that students with LD have impaired verbal memory ability. However, the specific mechanisms underlying these memory impairments are not well understood, especially in adolescents. The purpose of the current study was to compare the memory performance of adolescent students with specific reading disabilities (RD) to normal adolescent readers on a newly developed verbal learning test. The Bergen-Tucson Verbal Learning Test (BTVLT), English version, modeled after the California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT), is a multiple trial test designed to measure memory acquisition, retention, retrieval, and forgetting rates, as well as the ability to organize and retrieve the information from memory according to the phonological (surface) and semantic (lexical) features of words. Twenty subjects with RD and 20 control subjects with a mean age of 15.2 years, matched for age, gender, and ethnicity, participated in the study. Results indicated that the RD group learned significantly fewer list items and did so at a slower rate than the controls. Although the RD group was equally able to retain information once learned, they did demonstrate inefficient elaborative rehearsal strategies. The RD group also recalled fewer words in both the semantic and phonetic cued recall conditions, but the effect size was significantly greater in the phonetic cued recall condition. Taken together, the data suggest that students with RD have less efficient rehearsal and encoding mechanisms but normal retention. Retrieval also appears normal except under conditions that require information to be recalled based on phonetic codes.

There has been a tremendous increase in the study of school bullying over the past 20 years, where research findings have shown that bullying occurs in school settings regardless of particular country or culture. The vast majority of this research has addressed the behavior of the aggressor (i.e., the bully), whereas relatively few studies have focused on children who are the targets of peer aggression (i.e., the victim). Research findings specific to victims of bullying have shown certain characteristics that indicate increased risk of victimization, such as social isolation, insecurity, and physical weakness.Based on circumstances or manifestations associated with having a disability in a school setting, students with disabilities may have some of the characteristics identified as risk factors for victimization. The purpose of the present study was to determine whether Hispanic students who have disabilities report higher rates of victimization by bullies in comparison to their non-disabled peers, and whether having a particular disability, if any, resulted in more frequent victimization. Forty-three (43) students participated in the study and completed the Reynolds Bully Victimization Scale (BVS) and the Olweus' Bully/Victim Questionnaire (OBVQ). The data from these measures were evaluated using Analysis of Variance, Multivariate Analysis of Variance, and Fisher's Exact Test.The results showed that students identified as having a disability obtained significantly higher BVS scores for victimization, and their BVS T-scores reached clinical significance levels significantly more often than those of non-disabled students. However, results from the OBVQ did not yield significant difference between students with and without disabilities. With respect to having different disabilities (specific learning disability, speech language impairment, & mild mental retardation), the results showed no significant differences in victimization rates for the BVS or the OBVQ. Similarly, no significant differences emerged for victimization across grade/school level. Further research is needed in this area, since the present study appears to be the first research in the United States that has attempted to compare bully victimization rates across students having various different disabilities.

The purpose was to examine the ball catching strategies of 15 children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) compared to 15 of their peers without DCD, and 15 younger children matched on ball skills. A ball catching activity (catching 10 consecutive balls in five different positions) and the developmental sequences proposed by Haywood and Getchell (2005) were used to evaluate movement patterns. Children with DCD caught significantly fewer balls than their peers at the chest and above the head. Children with DCD demonstrated delayed arm action catching on the right and delayed body actions when balls were projected away from body compared to their peers. In addition, development of some body actions of children with DCD was different compared to younger children. Results suggested that children with DCD have not developed accurate and consistent movement patterns.

Despite the large number of reports dealing with the effects of brain damage on human intelligence and perception, surprisingly little has been written about learning per se subsequent to brain damage. Moreover, the effects of brain damage in adults and those in children have for the most part been treated in the literature as independent areas of study. Although the reports for both groups began to appear at approximately the same time, they did so within different contexts. This may account in part for the dichotomy. Work with adults was done in neurological clinics and hospital laboratories, whereas the study of children was carried on mainly in educational and various non-medical settings. The persistence of this unfortunate dichotomy is exemplified by two recent review monographs, one describing research with adults (Meyer, 1960), the other with children (Birch, 1964). [...]

People with disabilities have been marginalized and excluded from the mainstream of life, including leisure contexts (Datillo, 2002, Lord & Hutchinson, 1979, Schleien et al ., 1997). As a result, this causes major barriers to social inclusion (Bedini, 2000 ; Devine & Datillo, 2001; Devine, 2004). While inclusion may be appealing on theoretical and policy levels, it remains a confusing, complicated, and fragmented term (Shakir, 2005). The purpose of this study was to conduct a case study of an adventure therapy organization that delivers outdoor programs for people with disabilities . I specifically focused on an adaptive kayaking program offered to people with disabilities and interviewed or conducted focus groups with clients, staff, and volunteers (n=30) . I examined how they view the meanings and experiences of inclusion as well as the inclusion strategies employed by the organization. I also examined what contributes to the constraints to inclusion and ideas for improvement. The interviews were augmented by document analysis and participant observations. The meanings of inclusion that were voiced included : the integration of people with and without disabilities, treating people uniquely, participating in activities that able bodied people do, being with others like me, and inclusion is mutually understood. The clients' experiences with inclusion encompassed: enjoying friendships with others, experiencing barriers, benefiting from participating in the outdoors, and challenging oneself. The constraints that were evident were feeling belittled when receiving help, dealing with the limitations of disability, not including clients in decision making , over protectiveness from family, and liability in the outdoors. The strategies identified as fostering inclusion included: using the outdoors, the use of adaptations, encouraging clients to take responsibility, and convenient facilities. Promoting the adventure therapy program better, create additional choices for clients, and increasing opportunities for them to take responsibilities were identified as desired improvements. Exploring the various understandings of inclusion through the voices of people with disabilities within a recreation program is rare and contributes to the literature by identifying what the term means to them and how it can be implemented to increase the benefits derived. The implications of the findings and recommendations for future research are provided.

This study describes the experiences of belonging of three Grade 6 students with mild disabilities, Jacob, Leah, and Andy, educated in an inclusive classroom. In addition, I gained the perspective of the classroom teacher, Linda, who described her approaches to facilitating belonging in an inclusive environment. Data collection included field observations and interviews with the classroom teacher and with the three focal participants. After completing data collection, analysis of the classroom data and the data of the three individual students was conducted using standard methods of qualitative analysis. Themes that emerged from the classroom data included: developing a trust culture, developing trusting relationships, teaching pro-social behaviours, building competence, and fostering autonomy. The classroom teacher fostered a supportive community environment that encouraged the development of interpersonal relationships, and she actively supported the social-emotional needs and the academic needs of all her students. Each student participant presented a unique case; therefore, the themes for the three student participants varied. Common themes included: sense of belonging, interpersonal relationships, and peer victimization. Themes that varied were sense of academic and social competence and fostering autonomy. For each individual student, belonging was fostered slightly differently and yet to fill this need, relatedness with others and a sense of academic or social competence was necessary. This study emphasizes that a sense of belonging is complex and multidimensional. / Thesis (Master, Education) -- Queen's University, 2008-12-01 08:35:33.991

Purpose: To evaluate differences in perceived workplace social support for different disability groups, and to better understand the support experiences of persons with mental health disabilities. Methods: A sequential mixed methods design was used. Phase I involved the analysis of an existing dataset to compare perceived social support scores between participants with different disabilities. Phase II, rooted in the phenomenology tradition, involved interviews with workers with mental health disabilities. Triangulation of methods was done in the analysis phase by comparing participant interviews with their corresponding support scores. Results: Phase I - No significant differences were found between participants with orthopaedic and emotional disabilities regarding their total perceived social support score, or support scores according to type (e.g. informational) or source (e.g. supervisor) of support; however, trends suggested that participants with emotional disabilities had higher perceived support scores for friends/family support and lower perceived support scores for appraisal support. Regression models developed from the demographic variables did not predict the perceived amount of social support. Phase II – 9 theme clusters concerning the role of supervisors, external and internal factors, and disclosure emerged from the interviews with workers with mental health disabilities regarding their experiences of support in the workplace. Conclusions: This was the first mixed-methods study to examine the workplace support experiences of individuals with mental health disabilities using a workplace and disability context specific support scale and interviews rooted in phenomenology. No significant differences in perceived support scores between orthopaedic and emotional disabilities were found and this may be attributable to small sample size. In addition, although the qualitative findings provide interesting insight into support experiences, additional research with more participants from a variety of industries would add to the findings. / Thesis (Master, Rehabilitation Science) -- Queen's University, 2010-09-08 19:03:05.468

The purpose of this study was to analyze the coach-athlete interactions occurring in a successful sport program for athletes with disabilities and their able-bodied siblings. The successful nature of this program was established by its athletes’ competitive achievements and by the athletes’ reports of positive experiences within this sport environment. This study utilized state space grid and observational methodology and was the second application of this methodology in field-based sport psychology research (Erickson, Côté, Hollenstein, & Deakin, in press). The head coach of the program and twenty-four athletes were observed over multiple practice sessions. Both coach and athlete behaviour was coded continuously for the duration of each practice session. Measures of coach-athlete interaction structure, based on dynamic systems concepts, were derived from these coded behaviours. These measures were examined for the team as a whole and compared between groups within the team (competitive vs. recreational athletes and athletes with disabilities vs. able-bodied athletes). Results indicated that the coach-athlete interactions of the team were highly patterned. Within this consistent pattern, the coach spent most of her time silently observing the athletes. Other commonly exhibited behaviours included individualized technical instruction, organization, and positive feedback. With regards to behavioural sequencing, the coach’s time spent observing the athletes was often interspersed with periods of organization, instruction, and feedback. The coach appeared to adapt her coaching style according to the competitive levels of the athletes, but no differences emerged when comparing the coach-athlete interactions between athletes with disabilities and able-bodied athletes. Overall, this successful sport environment was characterized by positive coach-athlete interactions that were deliberately patterned and mutually respectful. / Thesis (Master, Kinesiology & Health Studies) -- Queen's University, 2011-06-29 11:00:23.466