Case studies and a small number of group studies in the neuropsychological literature on adults and children with brain dysfunction suggest that certain cognitive skills are important determinants of social skills. However, standardised measures of social skills designed expressly to measure this construct have not been used previously in the neuropsychological field. The goal of this study was to determine neuropsychological correlates of social skills in children referred for neuropsychological assessment, and compare the findings to the cognitive skills identified in social information processing models from developmental and clinical psychology. In younger children (6 to 9 years), only a measure of conceptual ability was related to social skills. However, from a clinical standpoint, differences in conceptual skills between socially impaired and socially skilled children were minimal. In older children (10 to 13 years), sustained attention and verbal reasoning were strong, unique predictors of social skills. However, only differences in sustained attention between socially skilled and unskilled children were clinically significant. Results were discussed with regards to 1) social information processing models, 2) the effect of age on the cognitive correlates of social skills; and 3) the relationship between insight and social skills. / Graduate

Thesis advisor: Lauri Johnson / Understanding how leaders in school districts develop, implement, and sustain effective inclusive practices in schools that continuously enable students with disabilities (SWDs) to be consistently immersed in appropriate learning environments is a complex task. Research indicates that successful inclusive policies, structures, and beliefs are developed contextually and are not always transferable. More research needs to be done on inclusive practices that are implemented by district and school leaders and their effects on students with disabilities. As part of a group qualitative case study about inclusive leadership practices in a diverse urban school district in Massachusetts (Northside Public Schools), the purpose of this individual study was to examine leadership practices that undergird inclusion for students with disabilities in the general education classroom. Interview data from sixteen district and school leaders, six teachers in a focus group interview, and public documents provided data for analysis through a Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework. Findings indicate that strong welcoming school environments and the leader’s vision for inclusion are important, but will not necessarily lead to improved achievement outcomes for SWDs. Leaders should build from inclusive values and determine appropriate steps to intentionally remove barriers to the curriculum for SWDs in the general education classroom. / Thesis (EdD) — Boston College, 2020. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Leadership and Higher Education.

The purpose of this paper is to review traditional and emerging models in the field of learning disabilities, to examine emerging methodological approaches and techniques, and then to propose a holistic model for the treatment and education of children with learning disabilities.

The study was not concerned with those students who have seevere problems of phasia, agnosia, apraxia, or alexis. It was not concerned with the “non-reader” or the child diagnosed as dyslexic. The focus of the study was on those students who exhibited the following behaviors: (1) those who can read although no necessarily at “grade level” or at a level considered to be “normal”; (2) those who cannot copy correctly; (3) those who do not finish their written work; (4) those who make correct verbal responses but incorrect written responses; (5) those who have established a delaying routine of sharpening pencils, losing materials, or making trip to the wastebasket; (6) those who work while the teacher is beside them and stop working when the teacher goes away form them.

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree MASTER OF EDUCATION in the Department of Educational Psychology and Special Needs Education of the Faculty of Education at the University of Zululand, 2008. / The aim of this study was to pursue an investigation into the impact reading disabilities have on the academic achievement of a primary school learner. From the literature study it became evident that learners with reading problems are faced with a lot of problems in primary schools. These problems are manifest in the form of prejudice stigmatization, humiliation and pressure as they often find the teaching and learning materials beyond their scope of comprehension. There is a need for educator support so that they can fine-tune their instruction to suit the level of the learners with reading problems and for educators to garner the support of parents who may be uninterested about what obtains at school. Learners with reading problems can be helped by educators whose learning activities are well planned and prepared and their presentation has to captivate the learner’s attention, interest and involvement. If learners with reading problems do not receive adequate support, they may exhibit the following:  Behavioural problems e.g. being disobedient to the educator.  Have a low frustration threshold.  Develop a negative self-esteem.  Set unrealistic goals for themselves.  Ultimately drop out of school.  Play truant  Shirk their school work.  Absent themselves from school. Nevertheless, educators need to create a stimulating atmosphere, to exploit reinforcement strategies and set good examples, such as:  Tangible motivators, for example, stars, edibles (nuts and fruits), cinema tickets, colouring books.  Activity orientated motivators such as helping the educator, free play, watching television, painting or drawing.  Social motivators, such as a smile, nod of head etc. In conclusion a summary was presented on the findings of the literature and empirical study and recommendations are made based on the nature of assistance required by the educators in order to help the learner with reading problems. The recommendations touched on remedial approaches and teaching activities that educators need to utilize to help the reading disabled learner. Further research should be conducted on barriers to learning that could emanate from inappropriate pedagogy, insufficient support for educators, inappropriate and unfair assessment procedures

Preference assessments provide individuals with an opportunity to make choices and thus, increase their autonomy. Furthermore, preference assessments are used to identify stimuli that can be used as reinforcers in behavior change programs. Two studies were conducted to examine the validity of vocal preference assessments used with adults with developmental disabilities. In Study 1, the concurrent validity between vocal and stimulus paired-choice assessments, with and without activity access following a participant's selection, was evaluated. Spearman's rank correlation coefficients were computed to evaluate the correspondence between assessments. Results showed that similarity in consequence (i.e., activity access) impacted the correspondence between preference assessment results; whereas, similarity in antecedent (i.e., assessment format) did not impact the correspondence between preference assessment results. In Study 2, the predictive validity of reinforcer effectiveness of the preference assessments from Study 1 were evaluated. Specifically, the reinforcing efficacy and potency of high-preference activities were evaluated using a progressive-ratio schedule of reinforcement, within a multielement design. Results showed the preference assessments that included activity access were more likely to identify reinforcers that were effective under increasing response requirements, than were assessments that did not include activity access.

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