Mathematical Word Problem Solving of Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders and Students with Typical Development

Mathematical Word Problem Solving of Students with Autistic Spectrum Disorders and Students with Typical Development - Young Seh Bae - This study investigated mathematical word problem solving and the factors associated with the solution paths adopted by two groups of participants (N=40), students with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) and typically developing students in fourth and fifth grade, who were comparable on age and IQ (greater than 80). The factors examined in the study were: word problem solving accuracy; word reading/decoding; sentence comprehension; math vocabulary; arithmetic computation; everyday math knowledge; attitude toward math; identification of problem type schemas; and visual representation. Results indicated that the students with typical development significantly outperformed the students with ASDs on word problem solving and everyday math knowledge. Correlation analysis showed that word problem solving performance of the students with ASDs was significantly associated with sentence comprehension, math vocabulary, computation and everyday math knowledge, but that these relationships were strongest and most consistent in the students with ASDs. No significant associations were found between word problem solving and attitude toward math, identification of schema knowledge, or visual representation for either diagnostic group. Additional analyses suggested that everyday math knowledge may account for the differences in word problem solving performance between the two diagnostic groups. Furthermore, the students with ASDs had qualitatively and quantitatively weaker structure of everyday math knowledge compared to the typical students. The theoretical models of the linguistic approach and the schema approach offered some possible explanations for the word problem solving difficulties of the students with ASDs in light of the current findings. That is, if a student does not have an adequate level of everyday math knowledge about the situation described in the word problem, he or she may have difficulties in constructing a situation model as a basis for problem comprehension and solutions. It was suggested that the observed difficulties in math word problem solving may have been strongly associated with the quantity and quality of everyday math knowledge as well as difficulties with integrating specific math-related everyday knowledge with the global text of word problems. Implications for this study include a need to develop mathematics instructional approaches that can teach students to integrate and extend their everyday knowledge from real-life contexts into their math problem-solving process. Further research is needed to confirm the relationships found in this study, and to examine other areas that may affect the word problem solving processes of students with ASDs

Web Ontoloji Dili (OWL) Yoluyla Gelişimsel Bozukluğu Olan Bireylere Yönelik Eğitsel Etkinlik Keşif Sistemi

Today, experts and organizations dealing with pervasive developmental disorder are trying to minimize the experienced problems of the individuals with educational methods chosen carefully after extensive research. However, because of various reasons the relatives of the individuals who cannot reach these organizations are trying to give proper education at home. During these trainings while selecting the educational methods they prefer internet and related software. However, today’s static based internet and related software can be insufficient to supple desired result for the individual’s needs.In this article, the architecture of Agent-based Educational Activity Discovery System which can operate on semantic base and propose educational methods for parents, pre-school educators, experts that are working for these institutions, university students studying in related fields or individuals interested in pervasive developmental disorder is presented. The ontology knowledgebase of this system is developed by using the OWL (Web Ontology Language) while creating its entire concepts, features, and relations between these concepts about pervasive developmental disorders are defined in ontology.Günümüzde, yaygın gelişimsel bozukluğa sahip bireylerin topluma kazandırılmasıyla ilgilenen kurumlar veya uzman eğitim kadrosu, uzun araştırmalar sonunda titizlikle seçtikleri eğitsel metotlarla yaşanılan sıkıntıları aza indirgemeye çalışmaktadırlar. Ancak, pek çok nedenden ötürü, bu kuruluşlara gidemeyen birey yakınları, uygun eğitimi evde vermeye çalışmaktadır. Bu eğitimler sırasında, kullanabilecekleri eğitsel metodu seçerken, internet veya ilgili yazılımlar en sık başvurdukları yöntemlerdendir. Ne var ki şu an statik tabanda sözdizimsel arama yapabilen günümüz internet veya ilgili yazılımları, bireyin ihtiyacına yönelik anlamsal tabanda hizmet/eğitsel aktivite taramalarında istenilen sonucu vermekte yetersiz kalabilmektedir.Bu makalede, anlamsal tabanda çalışabilen ve anne-babaların, okul öncesi eğitimcilerin, uzman eğitmenlerin veya ilgili alanlarda öğrenim gören üniversite öğrencilerinin ya da konuyla ilgilenen tüm bireylerin yararlanmaları için tasarlanmış eğitsel metot önermesi yapabilen, yaygın gelişimsel bozukluğu olan bireylerin gelişimine uygun Etmen-tabanlı Eğitsel Etkinlik Keşif Sistemi mimarisi sunulmaktadır. Bu sistemin bilgi tabanı OWL (Web Ontology Language) dili kullanılarak geliştirilmiş, yaygın gelişimsel bozukluklar alanına yönelik tüm kavramlar, özellikler ve bunlar arasındaki anlamsal bağlamdaki ilişkileri ontoloji yoluyla tanımlandırılmıştır

Speech segmentation and spelling skills in children with developmental verbal dyspraxia

The thesis investigates the relationship between spoken and written language difficulties. Two children aged eleven and twelve years were studied. Both were of average intelligence but had a persisting speech difficulty of a dyspraxic nature. Normal control data was collected on each area tested so that the casescould be viewed from a developmental perspective. First, a detailed analysis of speech errors was carried out. Compared to Articulation Age matched controls, the speech disordered children made multiple errors, had difficulty assembling the articulatory programme for unfamiliar words and relied upon word specific knowledge. Second, on tests of auditory discrimination, lexical decision and segmentation skills, the speech disordered children performed less well than Reading Age matched controls. Their difficulties were most pronounced in the auditory modality and when non word material was used. Third, their reading and spelling performance was compared to low Reading Age dyslexic children without obvious speech difficulties. The speech disordered children were more deficient in their use of phonological strategies and had not broken through to the alphabetic phase of literacy development. The cases were followed up after three years. Although the children had improved their performance quantitatively, they still exhibited the same pattern of errors overall. They had become "trapped" in the logographic phase of literacy development and were adopting compensatory strategies when reading and spelling. Their pervasive phonological difficulties were compounded by their inconsistent and incoordinated speech. These findings challenge the traditional view of Developmental Verbal Dyspraxia as a motor speech disorder. In addition to their articulatory difficulties, the children also had auditory processing and lexical problems. The findings allow further discussion of the role of articulatory and phonological skills in literacy development. A model of reading and spelling strategies is presented and the points where speech and language disordered children are most at risk, are indicated. Finally, the clinical, educational and research implications are outlined

Identification of Opportunity Barriers and Supports for Individuals Using Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) and Stakeholders

Individuals using augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) are supported by many AAC stakeholders and communication partners. Clinical decision making and AAC assessment models consider the capabilities and access needs of the individual using AAC, as well as opportunity barriers and supports imposed by communication partners and environments. The purpose of this research was to investigate opportunity barriers and supports identified by two critical AAC stakeholders: speechlanguage pathologists and caregivers. The first study investigated characteristics of AAC service provision reported by post-professional speech-language pathologists. Speech-language pathologists reported lack of perceived knowledge related to AAC service delivery, inconsistent use of AAC modalities, and persistent barriers to AAC service provision. The second study analyzed parent, guardian, and caregiver perceptions of AAC interventions for school-aged children. Caregivers preferred family-centered rather than patient-centered service delivery models to facilitate AAC use by their child. The third study investigated experiences and contributing factors of stress in adult caregivers of children using AAC. Caregivers’ stress was impacted by the multiple enveloping systems. Within the family, caregivers’ experiences of stress were predicted by number of children and the caregivers’ educational level. Stress was mitigated by support systems which meet caregivers’ needs and expectations. This research reveals opportunity barriers and supports are a critical component to AAC service delivery and clinical decision making as perceived by speech-language pathologists and caregivers. Sustainable and adequate AAC service delivery requires AAC stakeholders to recognize opportunity barriers and implement supports to facilitate the long-term participation and communication of individuals using AAC. Augmentative and alternative communication service delivery in the absence of explicit consideration for communication partners and environments does not address opportunity barriers for the individual using AAC

Novel digital biomarkers for frontotemporal dementia

Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is a heterogenous neurodegenerative disease and is caused by an autosomal dominant mutation in around one third of cases. This pattern of inheritance enables FTD to be studied in the presymptomatic phase, where individuals carry the genetic mutation but have yet to develop symptoms. There are currently no approved treatments for FTD, although clinical trials aiming to target interventions at the earliest disease stage, are underway. There is an urgent need for biomarkers that can reliably detect and monitor the progression of disease in the presymptomatic period, though there are a distinct lack of sensitive cognitive measures. This thesis aims to establish the validity and sensitivity of a set of digital biomarkers that can be used to measure cognitive function in FTD. I begin this thesis by describing the Ignite computerised cognitive assessment, developing normative properties for the tests through a remote data collection study in over 2,000 healthy controls. I build upon this validation by establishing the concurrent validity of Ignite with gold-standard pen and paper tasks, the test-retest reliability upon repeated administration, and demonstrate the tests are sensitive to presymptomatic impairment across several cognitive domains. I also describe a novel portable eye tracking experiment that can be completed outside of the lab, first highlighting the validity of the tests as measures of cognitive function and demonstrating their sensitivity in detecting early changes in social cognition in the presymptomatic period. Finally, I investigate a smartphone app that passively monitors human-device interactions to generate digital biomarkers of cognitive function. I establish the acceptability of the app in the general population before demonstrating the measures produced can detect differences in keyboard interactions in presymptomatic FTD mutation carriers. This work provides evidence that biomarkers generated from different digital devices are valid and sensitive measures of cognitive impairment in FTD. Therefore, digital biomarkers could replace outdated pen and paper tasks and be used as outcome measures in clinical trials

What are the experiences of non-ASC, primary-aged children participating in a school- based LEGO ® Therapy intervention?

LEGO ® Therapy was originally conceptualised by American clinical psychologist Dan LeGoff, outlined in his 2004 book Using LEGO ® as a Therapeutic Medium for Improving Social Competence; based upon his clinical work with children with autism spectrum condition (ASC). Whilst working with children with ASC, LeGoff noticed that children in the waiting room of his Florida clinic would engage in pro-social and collaborative behaviour with LEGO ®, despite showing no previous inclination to voluntarily interact with others. Inspired by this observation, LeGoff decided to explore the efficacy of LEGO ® as a therapeutic medium in a more formalised way as he felt that other therapy approaches were difficult, irrelevant, or un-engaging. Over a number of years and with several subsequent published studies, LEGO ® Therapy became a formalised intervention with the aim of 'improving the social competency of children with ASC'. LEGO ®Therapy has since become an intervention commonly adopted by schools for usage with a wide range of children with a range of Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), including those who do not have diagnoses of ASC. The purpose of this piece of research is to provide a piece of literature to explore and provide some understanding of the current practice around the use of LEGO ® Therapy as a social skills intervention for children without a diagnosis of ASC. The theoretical inception of LEGO ® Therapy was formulated around the specific social learning difficulties that children with ASC present (LeGoff, 2004). However, the success of the approach has since attracted interest from a wider scope of professionals, who have co-opted the intervention as a more general tool for improving the social skills of all children, and there is currently no existing research that underpins this. Furthermore, no existing literature has sought to explore the experiences of key stakeholders within the intervention. This study consists of two phases. The first explored the experiences and perceptions of school practitioners involved in the administration and delivery of LEGO ® Therapy, and the second phase explored the perceptions and experiences of caregivers and children. Interviews, utilising a hierarchical focused interviewing (HFI; Tomlinson, 1989) approach, were completed with school- based LEGO ® Therapy practitioners and school SENCos, in order to gain organisational and professional perspectives, as well as interviews with caregivers of children receiving the intervention, and the children themselves (utilising a form of photo elicitation methodology; Yan, Yuejuan & Hongfens, 2005; Smith, Duncan & Marshall, 2005); in order to gain perspectives of key stakeholders benefitting from the intervention. This study found that, generally, LEGO ® Therapy is well received by practitioners, caregivers and children, and all parties feel that the intervention has strong utility beyond the initial (LeGoff, 2004; LeGoff & Sherman, 2006) research’s focus. There are a number of structural and organisational factors which need to be considered (e.g., resourcing, training, intervention purpose) and given the socio-economic climate, may influence schools’ decisions to implement and administer a LEGO ® Therapy intervention. Furthermore, many of the factors identified as being of key importance to LEGO ® Therapy’s success are not unique to the intervention itself and may be explained, in part, by commonly occurring factors. Findings of this thesis also discuss whether LEGO ® Therapy can be considered inclusive practice and considers the extent to which both caregiver and child voice has been implemented in the current delivery of LEGO ® Therapy and outlines some discussion around future directions for the intervention

Determining the competency of children with developmental delays to testify in criminal trials

In South Africa children are required to testify under oath or admonition. The shortcomings of the competency test are of particular relevance to children with developmental disabilities, since courts are not equipped to adequately assess the competency of these children to give evidence. One component of testimonial competency, namely the understanding of the concepts truth and lies, is overemphasised and is examined with questions that are developmentally inappropriate for child witnesses in general. For children with cognitive disabilities, such questions create barriers for participation in the truth-seeking process. Consequently, convictions have been set aside on appeal owing to procedural irregularities found in the implementation of this test. In the literature review on testimonial competency, attention was given to restrictions that specific developmental disabilities impose on the perceptual, cognitive, communication and moral development of children. Two of four components – narrative ability and moral capacity – were studied in a sample of 184 children in middle childhood. Participants’ ability to give coherent and detailed accounts of events, their understanding of the concepts truth, lies, promises and the oath, and the Lyon and Saywitz oath-taking competency test, were investigated. Quantitative and qualitative methods were used for data analysis. Three groups were identified: those children with very limited, average or full testimonial competency. Their capacities were found to be related to maturation of cognitive functions and level of intellectual functioning. Participants were better able to demonstrate their understanding of truth and falsity by responding to the oathtaking test than giving verbal descriptions of these concepts. Whereas 1 percent of participants had a conceptual understanding of an oath, 15 percent understood the concept of a promise. Syncretism and confabulation compromised the narrative accounts of a substantial number of participants. Syncretism relates to immature narrative ability: correct details are combined in an illogical fashion. Confabulation refers to filling memory gaps with fabricated information. Guidelines on the competency determination of children with developmental disabilities were compiled. It is suggested that the competency examination be replaced by a formal, pre-trial competency assessment. The court should also receive expert evidence on how to facilitate meaningful participation when a child with sufficient testimonial competence is the witness

Integrated adaptive skills program model (IASP)

Integrated Adaptive Skills Program Model (IASP) is designed to offer supportive services to disabled students seeking to integrate into a local after-school program. IASP Model focuses on teaching adaptive skills to disabled students that would prepare them to be fully included into an after-school program with their same age peers. The program offers support, training, and consultation to the students and staff involved in the program. A variety of research-methods and assessment screening tools are used to determine eligibility and program implementation. The IASP Model was piloted during the 2011-2012 school year, in California, United States, but due to limited local and state funds the program could not continue. Students with disabilities deserve to be involved in the community and should not be excluded based on funds. Teaching and educating others on how to integrate students with disabilities into programs will minimize and/or eliminate exclusion of participating in recreation programs within residing communities.https://scholar.dominican.edu/books/1179/thumbnail.jp