{"title":"Response to Intervention as a Structuring Benchmark for Organizing Services for Students at Risk and With Learning Difficulties in Reading: A Multiple Case Study in Three Elementary Schools","authors":"Élisabeth Boily, Chantal Ouellet, Pascale Thériault","doi":"10.18666/ldmj-2023-v28-i1-12130","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.18666/ldmj-2023-v28-i1-12130","url":null,"abstract":"Although Response to Intervention (RTI) is viewed as a promising model for preventing learning difficulties in reading, several authors have highlighted the challenges associated with its implementation in educational settings (Barrio et al., 2015; Fuchs & Vaughn, 2012; Mitchell et al., 2012). After a decade of implementing this model in the United States, researchers insist on the need for more studies on the practical issues related to the implementation of this model (Barrio et al., 2015; Simonsen et al., 2010). The purpose of this article is to present the results of a multi-case study on the roles of teachers and remedial teachers in the context of the implementation of the RTI in reading in three elementary schools. It focuses more specifically on the organization of services based on the different evaluation and intervention procedures associated with the RTI. The results indicate the presence or emergence of a data culture in the three sites studied. It was possible to observe that RTI evaluation and intervention procedures are viewed as structuring benchmarks for organizing and planning services throughout the school year for first and second Grade students at-risk and those already struggling with reading difficulties.","PeriodicalId":42442,"journal":{"name":"Learning Disabilities-A Multidisciplinary Journal","volume":"97 3 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2023-08-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"77184023","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Amber DeBono, Julia English, Michele Heimbauer, Elizabeth Mendelsohn, Jonathan D. Cohen
{"title":"Supportive Environments Providing Social and Emotional Learning Explain Success in People with Learning Disabilities","authors":"Amber DeBono, Julia English, Michele Heimbauer, Elizabeth Mendelsohn, Jonathan D. Cohen","doi":"10.18666/ldmj-2023-v28-i1-11671","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.18666/ldmj-2023-v28-i1-11671","url":null,"abstract":"Although students with learning disabilities (SwLD) are at greater risk (compared to typical learners) for dropping out of high school, not attending college, and unemployment, some SwLD lead successful lives (Aro et al., 2019; Mazzotti et al., 2021; Wagner et al., 2005). Little, however, is known as to what factors support this subset of SwLD in defying the odds and achieving success by graduating from college and leading satisfying lives. Alumni from Winston Preparatory School (Winston), a school exclusively for SwLD that has a strong track record for high school graduation and college attendance, were recruited for this study. Results from a previous study on Winston alumni indicated all attended college and most: graduated college, were employed, and had someone who socially supported them. The present study described in this paper built on these findings. Results indicated that when students felt supported by teachers and people at home, they were more likely to report high levels of three social and emotional learning skills which predicted several measures of student success. These results may offer possible explanations for why certain SwLD succeed but more research, possibly longitudinal, is needed to gain a more thorough understanding of the factors involved.","PeriodicalId":42442,"journal":{"name":"Learning Disabilities-A Multidisciplinary Journal","volume":"42 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2023-08-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"88323119","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
K. A. Lowrey, Leonard C. W. Troughton, Ryan Nation, Samantha Papp, L. Williams
{"title":"An Evidence Review of Key Transition Components for Students with Learning Disabilities","authors":"K. A. Lowrey, Leonard C. W. Troughton, Ryan Nation, Samantha Papp, L. Williams","doi":"10.18666/ldmj-2023-v28-i1-11270","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.18666/ldmj-2023-v28-i1-11270","url":null,"abstract":"The purpose of this analysis was to systematically review research specific to the transition of students with Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD) and report identified key components of that process along with identifiable gaps to offer information useful for practitioners, families, and others that may be supporting students with SLD during transition. Researchers reviewed thirty years of research since the 1990 addition of transition to IDEA. Fifty-four articles met established inclusion/exclusion criteria specific to students with SLD in the United States. Articles included qualitative and quantitative studies, literature reviews, policy papers, and conceptual frameworks describing effective transition practices and services. Five themes from the literature were identified. Utilizing a historical frame, researchers analyzed the five key themes identified in the context of previously identified key components for transition planning. Recommendations and implications are suggested for future research.","PeriodicalId":42442,"journal":{"name":"Learning Disabilities-A Multidisciplinary Journal","volume":"60 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2023-08-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"91252305","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Culturally Sustaining Mathematics for Dual Language Learners in a Multitiered System of Supports","authors":"M. Driver","doi":"10.18666/ldmj-2021-v27-i1-9988","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.18666/ldmj-2021-v27-i1-9988","url":null,"abstract":"Multi-tiered System of Supports (MTSS) is a framework in which educators intensify intervention and instructional supports in response to student data. Response to Intervention (RTI), is one of the most prevalent forms of MTSS utilized in schools and is commonly used to identify students with disabilities, including culturally and linguistically diverse learners who are often disproportionately represented in special education. Culturally and linguistically relevant RTI holds promise for promoting equitable outcomes for diverse students, including Dual Language Learners (DLL). A case study design was used to explore the actions and beliefs of an elementary mathematics teacher as she sought to meet the needs of a diverse group of learners. Findings illustrate examples of individual and collective teacher efficacy, understanding student progress, valuing student voice and discourse, believing in her CLD students’ ability to succeed, and working towards a larger shared vision at the school. Implications for culturally and linguistically relevant tiered mathematics instruction are discussed.","PeriodicalId":42442,"journal":{"name":"Learning Disabilities-A Multidisciplinary Journal","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2022-01-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"80661132","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
M. Burns, McKinzie D. Duesenberg‐Marshall, Elizabeth M. McCollom, Nikita McCree, Heba Abdelnaby
{"title":"Preteaching Words to Facilitate an Instructional Level in Reading with a Student with a Specific Learning Disability in Reading","authors":"M. Burns, McKinzie D. Duesenberg‐Marshall, Elizabeth M. McCollom, Nikita McCree, Heba Abdelnaby","doi":"10.18666/ldmj-2021-v27-i1-11317","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.18666/ldmj-2021-v27-i1-11317","url":null,"abstract":"An appropriate level of challenge for reading, called the instructional level, consists of 93% to 97% known words within the text. The current study examined if an instructional level could be facilitated by preteaching words to a male second grade student identified with a learning disability in reading. Key and high-frequency words were pretaught before reading passages, which made up the experimental condition in a single-subject reversal design. A baseline condition was also used in which the child read from similar passages without preteaching words. Results suggested that preteaching the words led to a percentage of known words that fell within the instructional level, and increased fluent reading of the experimental passages. Implications for practice and suggestions for future research are included.","PeriodicalId":42442,"journal":{"name":"Learning Disabilities-A Multidisciplinary Journal","volume":"12 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2022-01-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"83567181","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Reverse Engineering the Initial Steps of the Writing Process for Students with Learning Disabilities","authors":"Kathy B. Ewoldt, J. Morgan","doi":"10.18666/ldmj-2021-v27-i1-11224","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.18666/ldmj-2021-v27-i1-11224","url":null,"abstract":"Writing is a recursive endeavor that includes multiple and often simultaneous steps (Graham & Harris, 2013; Harris et al., 2002; Rijlaarsdam et al., 2012) and is influenced by the task, environment, and learner characteristics (Flower & Hayes, 1981). These complexities within the writing process complicate the development and implementation of interventions because a breakdown in any of these areas can cause writing difficulties. This study examined an intervention designed to improve writing knowledge and skills by teaching students a strategy for creating a well-organized paragraph through a backward- then forward-sequencing of instruction. The strategy used a systematic coding method across the initial steps of the writing process (i.e., prewriting, drafting) using a graphic organizer and exemplar paragraphs. Ten elementary students in three resource classrooms at an urban school with a high English learner population in the southwestern United States participated in the four-week intervention program. Using non-parametric methods, the comparison of pre- and post-intervention measures indicate both statistically and practically significant improvements in sentence knowledge and expository paragraph writing skills; implications are discussed.","PeriodicalId":42442,"journal":{"name":"Learning Disabilities-A Multidisciplinary Journal","volume":"40 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2022-01-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"86656519","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Modified Student Success Skills for Students with Learning Disabilities: A Pilot Study","authors":"Brett Zyromski, Moira Konrad, Sarah Geiger","doi":"10.18666/ldmj-2021-v27-i1-10302","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.18666/ldmj-2021-v27-i1-10302","url":null,"abstract":"A modified version of the Student Success Skills (SSS) curriculum, designed to help address the need for intervention in executive functioning skills, metacognition skills, and social skills, was offered to a small group of students in eighth grade who were identified with learning disabilities to positively impact their learning strategies and knowledge. The purpose of this pilot study was to measure the effects of this modified version of SSS on students’ (a) skills and behaviors associated with improved school performance; (b) generalization of those skills to scenarios; and (c) school-related outcomes, including a teacher report. The study design applied a single subject multiple probe across students. The primary dependent variable measured in this study was the number of school-success-related skills and strategies students identified. Findings suggest a functional relation between the modified version of SSS and participants’ ability to name skills and behaviors associated with school success. The findings of the current study, as a collaboration with school counselors and special educators, provide a first step towards illustrating the impact of a modified SSS intervention with students with IEPs. Students reported enjoying and learning from the lessons.","PeriodicalId":42442,"journal":{"name":"Learning Disabilities-A Multidisciplinary Journal","volume":"29 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2022-01-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"72933046","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Manju Banerjee, Adam R. Lalor, Joseph W. Madaus, Loring Cole Brinckerhoff
{"title":"A Survey of Postsecondary Disability Service Website Information","authors":"Manju Banerjee, Adam R. Lalor, Joseph W. Madaus, Loring Cole Brinckerhoff","doi":"10.18666/ldmj-2021-v26-i2-10860","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.18666/ldmj-2021-v26-i2-10860","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":42442,"journal":{"name":"Learning Disabilities-A Multidisciplinary Journal","volume":"19 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2021-09-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"74233975","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The AHEAD Documentation Guidance at 10 Years: Continuing Concerns","authors":"Benjamin J. Lovett, Will Lindstrom","doi":"10.18666/ldmj-2021-v26-i2-10788","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.18666/ldmj-2021-v26-i2-10788","url":null,"abstract":"In 2012, the Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD) released guidance for disability documentation meant to help support students’ requests for accommodations. Even at that time, the guidance went against AHEAD’s own prior statements, and was contradicted by a developing body of empirical research. Since the release of the guidance, that body of research has grown substantially, continuing to question the accuracy of students’ self-reports and the value of casual conversations and observations made by disability services professionals. In addition, recent research has suggested that even external documentation from disability evaluators (such as psychologists) must be very carefully reviewed to ensure that there is sufficient evidence to support disability accommodations. We discuss selected findings from the empirical literature and propose improvements to documentation review processes.","PeriodicalId":42442,"journal":{"name":"Learning Disabilities-A Multidisciplinary Journal","volume":"21 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2021-09-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"73358387","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Emily Tarconish, Ashley Taconet, Nicholas W. Gelbar, Joseph W. Madaus, Lyman L. Dukes, Michael N. Faggella-Luby
{"title":"The Spectrum of Disability Documentation Requirements at 12 Institutions A Thematic Analysis","authors":"Emily Tarconish, Ashley Taconet, Nicholas W. Gelbar, Joseph W. Madaus, Lyman L. Dukes, Michael N. Faggella-Luby","doi":"10.18666/ldmj-2021-v26-i2-11121","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.18666/ldmj-2021-v26-i2-11121","url":null,"abstract":"The two laws primarily governing disability services in postsecondary education, the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act (ADAAA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, permit institutions of higher education to determine disability documentation requirements on an individual basis. Many institutions have utilized documentation guidelines delineating a range of domains to be addressed, and often, suggestions for specific tests to be included, as well as strict recency requirements. Following passage of the ADAAA in 2008, the Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD) published documentation guidance practices that reflected the updated ADAAA. The current qualitative study examined the perspectives of 12 directors of disability services (DDS) at postsecondary institutions in the United States regarding the disability documentation requirements at their respective schools and their perspectives on why the standards were adopted. Findings revealed a wide spectrum from flexibility to rigidity in requirements from those who employ traditional guidelines to those who apply selective degrees of the AHEAD guidance. Benefits and drawbacks of documentation and the AHEAD guidance are discussed, as well as suggestions for practitioners and institutions seeking to implement the AHEAD guidance.","PeriodicalId":42442,"journal":{"name":"Learning Disabilities-A Multidisciplinary Journal","volume":"13 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2021-09-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"85397473","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}