Peggy L. Anderson

Early case reports of dyslexia in the United States and Europe.

Current understanding of reading disabilities is rooted in the early observations of physicians dating as far back in history as the 17th century. This article reviews medical case study research from the United Kingdom, Germany, and the United States that identified characteristics, etiological factors, and treatment methods of reading disorders. The physicians involved provided rich descriptions of the personal struggles of individuals who lost the ability to read because of brain insult as well as of those who failed to achieve literacy because of reading disability. Although many of the theories that were advanced by these early researchers have not been supported by current investigations, others have been substantiated and withstand the test of time. This article also addresses the validity of case study research from an historic and current-day perspective.

A Case-Based Curriculum Approach to Special Education Teacher Preparation.

At MSCD, an urban undergraduate institution with approximately 18,000 students, case methods had originally been adopted for the introductory special education course for students seeking general education licenses in early childhood, elementary, and secondary areas. Once this methodology had been implemented, the instructors not only began to like this strategy, they started to develop new and creative ways to use teaching cases in this class. During program meetings, faculty members frequently talked about the different kinds of ways that cases were being implemented and the successful results that had been experienced. In 1996, the State of Colorado passed legislation expanding special education licensure to the undergraduate level. Continued personnel shortages and pressure from special education directors had influenced the legislature to effect this change. Given the opportunity to start a licensure

Using Literature to Teach Social Skills to Adolescents with LD

Social skill deficits in students with learning disabilities have been frequently cited as a significant problem for this group of learners. Although most practitioners are aware of these difficulties, they may not be providing a systematic program of instruction to alleviate these deficits. The social skill literature strategy (SSLS) described in this article is an instructional approach that involves integrating social skill intervention into the literature curriculum. It is an intervention program that focuses on increasing social perception within the context of literature study. Although SSLS is a strategy that can be used to teach any type of literature, the following article describes how social skill intervention can be accomplished through the study of Shakespeare. This particular approach to social skill intervention promotes inclusive practices for secondary students with learning disabilities.

WISC-R stability and re-evaluation of learning-disabled students.

This study investigated the temporal stability of WISC-R IQ scores for learning-disabled subjects (N = 113). All study subjects were administered the WISC-R for an initial evaluation (M age = 8 years, 3 months) and a follow-up re-evaluation (M age = 11 years, 7 months). Pearson product-moment correlations yielded coefficients that were considerably lower than those previously reported: r = .55, p less than .001 for the Verbal IQs; r = .63, p less than .001 for the Performance IQs; and r = .58, p less than .001 for the Full Scale IQs. Results of t-test analyses indicated that only the Verbal IQ scores were significantly different when the initial evaluation (M = 89.4) was compared to the re-evaluation (M = 85.3), p less than .001. The results suggest that the WISC-R may be less stable for the learning-disabled population than for other groups and that the average 3-year test-retest time lapse was an influential factor in the reduced reliability of this instrument.

Referral reasons for learning disabled students

Referral information for 269 LD students in grades one through five was examined. Referral reasons were classified according to three major types: (a) academic, (b) behavior, and (c) academic and behavior. These major referral types also were analyzed according to particular concern (e.g., reading deficits, attentional problems, etc.). The results indicated that the majority of students were referred for either academic (42%) or both academic and behavioral (41%) reasons; referrals initiated solely for behavior problems accounted for only 17% of the total. The grade level analysis revealed that academic concerns were less likely to be noted in the first and fifth grades, and that the number of referrals diminished as grade level advanced (51% of the sample was diagnosed by second grade). Referral statements within each major referral type tended to be general, as opposed to specifying particular concerns to be explored in the evaluation. Preservice and in-service training recommendations are given.

Literature Circles for Students With Learning Disabilities

The term literature circle refers to a classroom instructional strategy that connects all aspects of literacy for students with varied interests and levels of reading achievement. Although general education teachers commonly use literature circles, special education teachers have used this strategy much less frequently. Literature circles lend themselves particularly well to inclusionary settings as they involve small heterogeneous reading groups that explore content within a collaborative structure that allows students the opportunity to listen, reflect, and share thoughts about literature. Listening, speaking, reading, and writing are reciprocally reinforced through literature circle group work. This article provides a step-by-step description of literature circle implementation that supports the needs of students with learning disabilities.

Learning Disabilities, Employment Discrimination, and the ADA

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 2990 was intended to prohibit discriminationagainst individuals wifh disabilities. Although the scope of this legislation is broad, there are aspects of Title I and Title I1 of the ADA that may be of particular interest f o persons with learning disabilities who are preparing for employment. This article discusses those aspects and presents case studies to demonstrate how the ADA could potentially be applied to typical situations. Suggestions are given for individuals with learning disabilities, their parents, and teachers with regard to employment preparation in seconda y and postseconda y settings.

Project AIME: Developing a multicultural training program

This article describes a demonstration project that focused on revising university special education training to reflect a more pluralistic approach to teacher preparation. Project AIME (Achievement in Multicultural Education) emphasized the undertaking of three major steps: evaluation of the existing training program, development of the framework for program revision. and integration of multicultural objectives and content. In order to evaluate the current training program, a needs assessment was conducted with input from the newly established Advisory Council for Rural and Ethnic concerns. The infusion and unit approaches were selected as the most appropriate methods for achieving program revision. Integration of multicultural objectives and content was accomplished by the two project coordinators who assisted faculty members with coursework modification.

Use of the woodcock language proficiency battery with culturally variant learning-disabled students

The Woodcock Language Proficiency Battery (WLPB) was administered to 18 learning-disabled adolescents from a culturally variant population in rural southern Louisiana and to a matching group of normal achievers. ANOVA results revealed that group status (learning-disabled vs. normally achieving) had a significant effect on cluster scores (Oral Language, Reading, and Written Language), p < .001. Significant effects for cluster scores were not discovered; however, the significant interaction (p < .05) between subjects and cluster scores was determined to be the result of group differences on all cluster scores. Kolmogorov-Smirnov Z-test results indicated that all WLPB cluster scores for the learning-disabled group were significantly lower (p < .001) than the tests means for each of these clusters; but, for the achieving group, only the Oral Language Cluster mean was significantly lower than the WLPB mean, p < .001. Additional t-test investigation revealed that the learning-disabled group means were significantly lower than the achieving group means on all subtests except for Picture Vocabulary. A modified contrastive linguistic analysis did not uncover the existence of test bias for semantics when error responses were evaluated. The results of this study suggest that the WLPB may be a useful tool for culturally diverse students when interpretation is based on a community norm perspective.