Deck 12: Specific Learning Disabilities SLD

Question 1

According to current the DSM, there are three different types of learning disorders: Answer the following questions about learning disorders and the DSM:
a) Name the three learning disorders.
b) What are the three general criteria that the DSM uses to diagnose the three disorders?
c) What does the DSM suggest for obtaining measures for the disorders?

Answer 1

a) Reading Disorder, Mathematics Disorder, Disorders of Written Expression
b) Three general criteria:
1) Achievement on individually administered, standardized tests in reading, mathematics or written expression is substantially below the expected for age, schooling and level of intelligence.
2) Learning problems significantly interfere with academic achievement or activities of daily living that require reading, mathematics or writing skills.
3) If a sensory deficit is present, the LD must be in excess of those usually associated with the deficit.
c) Reading is specifically measured by individually administered standardized tests, accuracy, speed or comprehension; mathematics is (calculation or math reasoning) measured by individually administered standard tests of mathematical ability. Written expression is the most difficult to measure, since few standardized measures exist. DSM recommends individually administered standardized tests or functional assessments of writing skills.

Question 2

There is much controversy regarding the discrepancy model versus response to intervention (RTI) in determining whether a child has a learning disability.
a) In the discrepancy model, what two important factors are considered?
b) How is the standard deviation (SD) used to determine a significant discrepancy?
c) What are two arguments against using the discrepancy model?
d) What would determining SLD by RTI method involve?
e) What are two arguments against using the RTI model?

Answer 2

a) IQ and Achievement
b) SD = 15; can use I, 1.5 or 2 SDs as the benchmark. Suppose IQ is 95, then If you use 1SD, Achievement standard score would need to be 15 points or lower than IQ (e.g., 80); 1.5 SD Achievement would need to be approx 22 points below IQ ( e.g., 7); 2 SD Achievement would
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need to be 30 points below, which would be a standard score of 60.
c) lack of consistency between states, lack of research support, failure and age‐based model, IQ bias, Matthew Effects
d) RTI: Do a curriculum based assessment to determine levels, apply empirically supported intervention, re‐test after a period of time (e.g., 6 months). If child improves, then does not have SLD, if child does not improve, then likely has SLD. In the latter case, then request a comprehensive assessment
e) poorly defined and vague; does not address why the problem exists, or why they are not responding to the intervention; failure based model; no information about IQ; radically alters how the disorder is conceptualized.

Question 3

Describe how reading differs in individual with dyslexia compared to normal readers.

Answer 3

Children with dyslexia use the right side of the brain (frontal gyrus) to decode which results n more letter to sound decoding: a labor intensive process. Developmentally mature readers increasingly use the frontal regions for comprehension. The normal neural pathway progresses from back to front and from right to left.

Question 4

A specific learning disability (SLD) differs in many ways form a nonverbal learning disability. Discuss differences in the following areas:

Question 5

Children with SLD experience many social deficits. Name four social deficits.

Question 6

The concept of "word blindness" was initially proposed by

A) Hinshelwood, in his studies of congenital word blindness.
B) Gall, in his research on brain injury and mental impairment.
C) Kussmaul, as an explanation for the inability to recognize text.
D) Orton, who studied children who could not read in the United States.

Question 7

Orton's studies of children in the United States revealed all of the following, except

A) a genetic vulnerability to reading problems.
B) 15% of the children he tested who scored in the average range for intelligence experienced severe reading problems.
C) reading problems were due to mirror reading or letter reversals.
D) problems were thought to result from mixed cerebral dominance.

Question 8

The discrepancy criterion used to determine if a specific learning disability exists refers to

A) a significant difference between achievement and age.
B) a significant difference between intelligence and achievement.
C) a significant difference between achievement and grade level.
D) a significant difference between mental age and chronological age.

Question 9

In the early 1960s, Kirk introduced the term "Learning Disability" to a group of parents of children with reading problems. Prior to this time, the condition was referred to as

A) word blindness.
B) perceptual handicap.
C) failure to thrive.
D) dyslexia.

Question 10

Specific Learning Disabilities were officially recognized as a disability that could receive funding for educational services in

A) 1990.
B) 1920.
C) 1975.
D) 1968.

Question 11

During the solidification period between 1975 and 1985, what was the major activity regarding SLD?

A) Major advocacy groups were being formed.
B) Political lobbyists were attempting to increase awareness of SLD.
C) Funding opportunities sparked a number of research programs initiated by universities and researchers in the field.
D) Debate regarding whether the discrepancy criterion was valid.

Question 12

The DSM?IV?TR (2000) and IDEA (2004) represent two different classification systems that view learning disabilities in different ways. Which of the following statements is true?

A) The DSM is a categorical system, while the IDEA is a dimensional system.
B) The DSM is a dimensional system, while the IDEA is a categorical system.
C) The DSM is an empirical system, while the IDEA is a dimensional system.
D) The DSM and IDEA both represent categorical systems.

Question 13

Which of the following is not one of the learning disorders found in the DSM?IV?TR?

A) Spelling Disorder
B) Reading Disorder
C) Mathematics Disorder
D) Disorder of Written Expression

Question 14

The DSM equates functioning "substantially below" the expected level to be a difference of

A) 1 standard deviation.
B) 1.5 standard deviations.
C) 2 standard deviations.
D) 3 standard deviations.

Question 15

Regarding learning disorders, the DSM recognizes all of the following associated features, except

A) learning disabilities impact daily living.
B) learning disabilities may result from sensory deficits.
C) poor skills may cause feelings of demoralization and low self?esteem.
D) cognitive processing problems, such as attention and memory may also be evident.

Question 16

According to the DSM, the most difficult learning disorder to measure is

A) reading disorder.
B) mathematics disorder.
C) disorder of written expression.
D) developmental coordination disorder.

Question 17

Of children with learning disabilities, what is the anticipated drop?out rate in high school?

A) 10%
B) 20%
C) 30%
D) 40%

Question 18

According to the most recent IDEA (2004), a learning disability

A) is defined the same way it was defined in IDEA 1997.
B) differs from the previous definition because the revised definition is exclusionary.
C) no longer considers poor teaching as an exclusionary factor.
D) differs from the previous definition because the current definition is no longer exclusionary.

Question 19

In the most recent IDEA (2004), Response to Intervention (RTI)

A) is included as an option.
B) is mandated for all states.
C) is very well defined and provides a success?based model.
D) provides information about the child's IQ relative to academic performance.

Question 20

Compared to the percentage of children receiving special education services for SLD in 1992, rates in 2002

A) increased dramatically.
B) have demonstrated a modest increase, but this is not unique to SLD.
C) were lower than for those receiving assistance under the category of ADHD.
D) were among the lowest rates receiving special education services.

Question 21

Wally has problems with fine motor skills like tying his shoe laces and buttoning up his shirt. However, his one joy in life is solving math problems. As a specific disability, Wally might be considered as having

A) nonverbal learning disability.
B) dyscalculia.
C) dysgraphia.
D) dyspraxia.

Question 22

Which of the following is false regarding dyslexia?

A) Over half with dyslexia have trouble with reversing letters and numbers.
B) Dyslexics represent 80% of those with SLD.
C) Between 5 and 17.5% of school children have dyslexia.
D) If your parent is dyslexic, the chances of you having dyslexia is 50%.

Question 23

Stanovich used the term "Matthew effects" to refer to

A) the fact that most with dyslexia are males.
B) the fact that many children have unrecognized dysgraphia.
C) the ever?widening gap between good and poor readers.
D) the ever?widening gap between males and females with the disorder.

Question 24

The gene called DCDC2 is thought to

A) influence how identical twins inherit dyslexia.
B) disrupt normal brain circuits.
C) influence reading fluency.
D) both b and c

Question 25

Reading is localized in three areas of the brain. All of the following are correct, except

A) left frontal gyrus.
B) left parietal/temporal lobes.
C) left temporal/occipital lobes.
D) basal ganglia.

Question 26

Which is of the following is false regarding normal readers?

A) Initially readers use the frontal regions.
B) Neural pathways mature from right to left.
C) Neural pathways mature from back to front.
D) Visual word and letter naming occurs in the posterior regions.

Question 27

According to Shaywitz and colleagues (2002), the main reason that dyslexics have trouble reading is due to

A) neurotransmitter malfunctions.
B) deficits in phonemic awareness.
C) poor memory for paragraphs.
D) poor visual/spatial skills.

Question 28

What percentage of children will have a mathematics learning disability (MLD)?

A) 2%
B) 10%
C) 5?8%
D) 3?5%

Question 29

All of the following have been cited as problems in the identification of MLD, except

A) children may struggle with math in one grade and not the next.
B) we solve math problems from the right to left, while we read from left to right.
C) composite math scores on most tests will mask specific problems.
D) individuals may do well in several areas of math (addition, subtraction), and do poorly in one area (e.g., fractions).

Question 30

One of the major symptoms that can determine if a child has MLD is if the child

A) demonstrates deficits in solving word problems.
B) demonstrates difficulty understanding number sense (counting, estimating).
C) is treatment?resistant.
D) Both b) and c) are important criteria

Question 31

If your parent has MLD, then your chances of also having MLD are ___ greater than normal.

A) 5 times
B) 10 times
C) 2 times
D) 7 times

Question 32

Compared to those with dyslexia, children with Nonverbal Learning Disabilities (NLD) demonstrate all of the following, except

A) less activity in the left hemisphere when solving nonverbal tasks.
B) increased weakness in mathematics.
C) higher scores on verbal portions of intelligence tests.
D) dysfunction in the right hemisphere.

Question 33

Which of the following is true?

A) More boys than girls have NLD.
B) More girls than boys have NLD.
C) About equal numbers of boys and girls have NLD.
D) More girls than boys have dyslexia.

Question 34

The White Matter Model has been developed to explain

A) dyscalculia.
B) poor connections between the left and right hemispheres.
C) nonverbal learning disabilities.
D) both b and c

Question 35

Children with NLD may demonstrate all of the following symptoms, except

A) clumsiness, poor coordination.
B) poor ability to decode written information.
C) deficits in visual/spatial processing.
D) poor ability to transfer social information between situations.

Question 36

Children with NLD are at higher risk for all of the following, except

A) externalizing problems.
B) internalizing problems.
C) social problems.
D) They are at risk for all of the above.

Question 37

Which of the following is false regarding studies of social skills and social competence in children with specific learning disabilities?

A) Approximately ¼ of those with SLD are rejected by their peers.
B) b. Approximately ¼ of those with SLD are neglected by their peers.
C) 75% of those with SLD receive negative ratings for social skills.
D) None are false, all are true.

Question 38

A researcher asks a class to complete a questionnaire for her about their classmates. Examples of the questions include: "Who in the class has the most friends?" and "Who in the class would you like to take with you on a vacation?" The type of scale that this represents is

A) social skills rating system.
B) sociometric status measure.
C) profile of Nonverbal Sensitivity.
D) Walker?McConnell Scale of Social Competence and Adjustment.

Question 39

According to Maag (2005), Social Skills Training (SST) programs have been guilty of all of the following, except

A) targeting behaviors that are not socially valid.
B) focusing on children with intellectual disabilities.
C) failure to pinpoint specific skills that are deficit.
D) failure to demonstrate success.

Question 40

Several recommendations have been suggested to improving SST programs. Which of the following has been recommended?

A) using a functional behavioral assessment to determine deficit areas
B) teach appropriate replacement behaviors (RBT)
C) increase the use of norm reference measures (e.g., SSRs)
D) all of the above