Sylvia Voelker

Academic, Social, and General Self-Concepts of Behavioral Subgroups of Learning Disabled Children.

This study assessed perceived competence in 60 children, aged 8 to 13 years, who were classified into 4 carefully matched groups: (a) non-learning-disabled (non-LD), non-behavior-disordered, (b) LD, non-behavior-disordered, (c) LD with externalizing symptoms, and (d) LD with externalizing and internalizing symptoms

Perception of Nonverbal Emotion Cues by Children with Nonverbal Learning Disabilities

The purpose of this study was to document deficits in the perception of nonverbal emotion cues that have been implicated as a cause of social maladjustment in children with nonverbal learning disabilities (NLD). Thirty-three children between the ages of 9 and 14 identified as having NLD, verbal learning disabilities (VLD), or as nonlearning disabled psychiatric controls were administered the Diagnostic Analysis of Nonverbal Accuracy and Personality Inventory for Children – Revised (PIC-R) to measure social perception and social adjustment, respectively. The NLD group was significantly less accurate than were the VLD and control groups in interpreting adult facial expressions and gestures, and significantly less accurate than was control group in interpreting subtle (i.e., low intensity) adult facial expressions. There was a nonsignificant trend toward more social skill deficits demonstrated on the PIC-R by the NLD group than the other study groups. Children with NLD were twice as likely as children with VLD to be diagnosed with an internalizing disorder. There were also consistent and compelling trends in the predicted direction with the NLD group showing the most impairment on measures of nonverbal perception.

Discrepancies in Parent and Teacher Ratings of Adaptive Behavior of Children with Multiple Disabilities.

Parent and teacher ratings of adaptive skills of 59 children with multiple disabilities (mean age 6 years) in a rehabilitation day treatment setting were compared. The Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales Classroom and Survey Editions were administered to each childs teacher and mother or other primary caretaker, respectively. Correlational analyses indicated a robust relation between Vineland forms; however, mean score comparisons indicated that teachers systematically rated the children as more skilled in both the global and the specific domains of adaptive behavior than did caretakers. Sources of interrater disagreement and implications for assessment of children with multiple disabilities were discussed.

Congruence in Parent and Teacher Ratings of Adaptive Behavior of Low-Functioning Children

We examined discrepancies in parent and teacher ratings of adaptive skills of 90 low-functioning children (mean age, 6 years) in a rehabilitation day treatment facility. Comparison of full Vineland Survey and Classroom Edition protocols suggested that teachers systematically rated the children as having more adaptive skills (p < .0001) than did caretakers. However, examination of a subset of identical items that overlaps the Classroom and Survey Editions indicated at least fair interrater agreement (φ > .40, p < .01) on 92% of the items. Item analysis also indicated that when disagreement between pairs of raters occurred, caretakers were more likely to rate skills as more advanced. Caretakers tended to rate skills using extreme categories (i.e., present versus absent), whereas teachers rated skills as emergent. Discrepant standard scores for low-functioning children reflect a Classroom Edition floor effect. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Emotion-Related Parenting Styles (ERPS): A Short Form for Measuring Parental Meta-Emotion Philosophy

Research Findings: Parents’ meta-emotion philosophy guides their approach to teaching their children about emotions (J. M. Gottman, L. F. Katz, & C. Hooven, 1997) and is measured with the Emotion-Related Parenting Styles Self-Test–Likert (Gottman et al., 1997, modified by J. Hakim-Larson, A. Parker, C. Lee, J. Goodwin, & S. Voelker, 2006). The purpose of this study was to explore the underlying structure of this measure, develop a short form, and assess its psychometric properties. In a sample of 107 parents of typically developing children, principal factor extraction with a direct oblimin rotation (delta = 0) identified 3 factors: emotion coaching, parental acceptance of negative emotion, and parental rejection of negative emotion. In a sample of 107 parents of children with developmental disabilities, a 4th factor was identified: feelings of uncertainty/ineffectiveness in emotion socialization. The 4-factor, 20-item short form showed good validity and reliability, with Cronbachs alphas ranging from .70 to .80. Practice or Policy: This short form is a practical means of assessment and may be used to identify parents of typically developing children who perceive similar challenges with their childrens emotions as do parents who have children with developmental disabilities. The discussion centers on potential emotion-related parenting practices and the identification of children at risk for emotion regulation difficulties.

MMPI diagnosis of psychosis in epilepsy

Clinical experience suggests that the diagnosis of psychosis in epilepsy with the MMPI is problematic, perhaps because the symptomatology of epilepsy and psychosis overlap. This study attempted to differentiate psychotic and nonpsychotic epileptics using the MMPI clinical and content scales, code-type categories, and modified Goldberg rule. A comparison group of schizophrenics was employed to explore differences between epileptic and schizophrenic psychoses. The failure of clinical scales and profile classification systems to differentiate the two epileptic groups implies that the MMPI might be insensitive to differential psychopathology in seizure-type subgroups.

K-ABC sequential-simultaneous processing and language-impaired preschoolers

This study examined the discriminative power of the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children (K‐ABC; Kaufman & Kaufman, 1983a) for assessment of exceptional preschoolers. Some 59 children between the ages of 40 and 73 months participated in the study: 14 with language impairment, 17 with behavior problems, 13 with both language impairment and behavior control deficits, and 15 normal controls. Multivariate analysis of variance indicated a significant overall effect for group on the combined K‐ABC measures, F(9, 156) = 4.24, p< .0001. Only the BP group showed a distinctive K‐ABC profile, obtaining a pattern of scores that has been predicted for language‐learning‐impaired preschoolers (Telzrow, 1984): higher Simultaneous Processing than Sequential Processing and Achievement scores (p< .05). Discriminant function analysis yielded correct classification of 61% of the sample with BP subjects frequently misclassified. A K‐ABC/McCarthy Scales of Childrens Abilities (MSCA, McCarthy, 1972) comparison for 37 subject...

Comparison of Mother and Father Report on the Personality Inventory for Children in a Non Referred Canadian Sample

Examined interparental agreement for the four broadband factor scales, three validity scales, one general screening scale, and twelve substantive scales of the Personality Inventory for Children-Revised (PIC-R; Lachar, 1982). Cohabitating mothers and fathers of 47 non-referred children and adolescents in Ontario and Newfoundland independently completed the PIC-R. The 24 male and 23 female children ranged in age from 9 to 16. Results indicated high cross-informant consistency with respect to correlations, means comparisons, and absolute difference scores. Parental agreement was similar whether rating male or female children. The pattern of scores obtained also suggests a cultural drift toward increased levels of pathology, as well as greater heterogeneity of reports obtained from modern fathers. Implications for assessment practices and future research are discussed.