No abstract

Researchers have recently begun to use the reading level design, in which readingdisabled children are compared with younger normal children at the same level of reading achievement, in an attempt to overcome some of the interpretational problems in the field. The potential of this design for testing hypotheses is explored by using examples from current research, and a more general design is introduced which extends the utility of the design from studying reading disability to investigating normal or superior reading acquisition. Limitations and practical problems associated with this approach are discussed.

No abstract

Children assessed as reading disabled are often thought to use decoding processes that differ from those of nondisabled children. This assumption was examined in a study that compared the word recognition skills of a group of clinic-diagnosed reading disabled children with those of good and poor readers. Subjects read words and nonwords containing either regular or homographic spelling patterns. Regular patterns have a single pronunciation (e.g., -UST) while homographic patterns have multiple pronunciations (e.g., -ONE). Analyses of the errors, latencies, and types of pronunciations indicated that while the performance of the poor and disabled readers differed from that of the good readers, the two below-average reader groups were very similar. The reading disabled children exhibited decoding processes similar to those exhibited by younger nondisabled readers. The results suggest that many children who meet the diagnostic criteria for reading disability may be indistinguishable from nondisabled children in terms of actual reading performance.

SUMMARY Self‐control of swallowing and positive reinforcement were used to eliminate drooling of a non‐vocal 16‐year‐old with severe spastic quadriplegia. Prompts for self‐controlled swallowing appeared to be more effective than positive reinforcement. The effects of treatment were maintained at three‐month follow‐up, but not at six months. Drooling was eliminated again by prompts for self‐controlled swallowing, and had not recurred one year after treatment had ended. RÉSUMÉ Self‐contrôle et renforcement dans le traitement du bavage chez un adolescent IMC Le self‐contrôle de la déglutition et le renforcement positif ont été utilisés pour traiter le bavage d'un adolescent de 16 ans ne parlant pas et présentant une quadriplégie spastique grave. Des rappels pour le self‐contrôle de la déglutition sont apparus plus efficaces que les renforcements positifs. Les effets du traitement persistaient à un contrôle à trois mois mais non à six mois. Le bavage fut éliminé aà nouveau par des rappels pour une déglutition auto‐contrêlée et n'avait pas réapparu un an après la fin du traitement. ZUSAMMENFASSUNG Selbstkontrolle und Verstärkung des Lernprozesses bei der Behandlung des Speichelflusses bei einem erwachsenen Patienten mil Cerebralparese Bei einem 16‐jährigen, nicht sprechenden Jungen mit schwerer spastischer Tetraplegie wurden zur Beseitigung des Speichelflusses die Selbstkontrolle des Schluckens und die positive Verstarkung eingesetzt. Die Anregungen zur Selbstkontrolle des Schluckens schienen wirkungsvoller zu sein als die positiven Verstärkungen. Die Behandlungserfolge waren nach drei Monaten noch, nach sechs Monaten jedoch nicht mehr nachweisbar. Der Speichelfluß konnte erneut durch Anregungen zur Selbstkontrolle des Schluckens beseitigt werden und war bei der Kontrolle ein Jahr nach Therapieende noch nicht wieder aufgetreten. RESUMEN Autocontrol y refuerzo en et tratamiento del babeo en adolescentes con pardlisis cerebral infantil Fueron usados el autocontrol de la deglución y el refuerzo positivo para eliminar el babeo en cuadripléjicos espásticos de 16 años de edad no vocalizantes. Los programas de autocontrol de la deglución fueron más efectivos que el refuerzo positivo. Los efectos del tratamiento se mantenian en un seguimiento de tres meses, pero no a los seis meses. El babeo fue eliminado de nuevo por programas de autocontrol de la deglucion y no habia reaparecido un aflo despues de que terminara el tratamiento.

No abstract

To explore the social adjustment and peer relationships of children with Tourette's disorder, 29 patients with mild to moderate Tourette's disorder were studied. Children underwent neuropsychological testing. The patients completed self-esteem scales and their parents and teachers completed behavior rating scales. Peer relationships were examined with the Pupil Evaluation Inventory, which is a sociometric questionnaire completed by the child's classmates and provides measures of aggression, withdrawal, and likability. As a group, Tourette's disorder patients were significantly more withdrawn, more aggressive, and less popular than their classmates. Thirty-five percent of the children with Tourette's disorder received the lowest rating in the class on one or more of the Pupil Evaluation Inventory factors. These social problems were not predicted by the frequency or duration of tics. A clinical diagnosis of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and teachers' ratings on the summary scale of the Child Behavior Checklist and the Pupil Evaluation Inventory did predict poor adjustment. It is concluded that social adjustment is a major difficulty for many children with Tourette's disorder, irrespective of tic severity.

No abstract