Journal of Learning Disabilities最新文献

We examined how generalized and mathematics-specific language skills predicted the word-problem performance of students with mathematics difficulty. Participants were 325 third-grade students in the southwestern United States who performed at or below the 25th percentile on a word-problem measure. We assessed generalized language skills in word reading, passage comprehension, and vocabulary knowledge. In addition, we measured mathematics-specific vocabulary knowledge. To explore variation within the mathematics-difficulty population, we utilized unconditional quantile regression to determine how each of these skill sets predicted word-problem performance when controlling for computation and emergent bilingual status. Results revealed that mathematics-vocabulary knowledge significantly predicted word-problem performance at all but two quantiles (p < .001), with strongest predictive relations at the highest quantiles. Passage comprehension had an overall significant relation to word-problem performance (p < .05) that was also reflected in multiple quantiles. Neither word-reading accuracy nor generalized-vocabulary knowledge demonstrated a significant predictive relation to word-problem performance. Given the consistent relation between mathematics-vocabulary knowledge and word-problem performance across quantiles, researchers and practitioners should prioritize evidence-based mathematics-vocabulary instruction to support students' word-problem-solving skills.

Evidenced-based mathematics interventions are critical for supporting students with mathematics difficulties. In research and practice, collecting implementation fidelity is important for ensuring that all the core components of the intervention are implemented as designed. Historically, implementation fidelity has been defined as multifaceted, including examinations of adherence, instructional quality, and student engagement, though mathematics intervention studies rarely report on fidelity components outside of adherence. The current study examined the relationships between these different components of fidelity and whether they are associated with student mathematics outcomes and intervention group size within the context of a first-grade mathematics intervention. Findings revealed relationships between components of fidelity with student's initial mathematics skill; however, no relationship was observed between fidelity components and student mathematics growth. Findings for group size were mixed. Limitations, implications for research and practice, and future directions are discussed.

Youth with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often exhibit impairments in mathematics, but long-term math development into adulthood, particularly in females, is underexplored. We characterized trajectories of math achievement in girls with ADHD and an age- and ethnicity-matched comparison sample from childhood through early adulthood across four waves and examined childhood cognitive predictors (global executive functioning, working memory, processing speed) of trajectories. The ethnically and socioeconomically diverse sample consisted of 140 girls with carefully diagnosed ADHD and 88 neurotypicals, ages 6 to 12 years at baseline, from the United States. Using latent growth curve models, we examined predictors of 16-year math achievement trajectories. In both the ADHD and neurotypical groups, scores declined over time; rates of change did not differ significantly. Yet in the ADHD sample, math difficulties (defined as scores at least 1 SD below the national average) increased notably over time, with many such difficulties emerging after childhood. By adulthood, nearly half of women with ADHD exhibited clear math difficulties. Worse baseline global executive functioning predicted slower math growth over time. Girls with ADHD may benefit from math supports before concerns emerge or worsen after childhood. Additional research on preventive interventions for math difficulties, including investigation of executive functioning, is warranted.

This study investigated the extent to which domain-general and domain-specific antecedents contributed to pre-algebra's initial level and growth rate among students who experience word-problem difficulty (WPD). We examined if such a profile differs for English-language learners (ELLs; n = 75) and non-ELLs (n = 55) with WPD. We assessed 130 U.S. students at the beginning of Grade 3, end of Grade 3, and middle of Grade 4. The latent growth curve analyses revealed only word-problem solving emerged as a predictor of pre-algebraic growth across ELLs and non-ELLs. English-language learners' stronger computational skills, along with their cognitive flexibility, potentially enabled them to effectively leverage working memory and nonverbal reasoning in acquiring pre-algebraic knowledge.

High school mathematics can have a direct impact on the academic, health, and financial outcomes of students. To understand how to better support students experiencing mathematics difficulty (MD) in Grades 9, 10, 11, and 12 (i.e., high school), we conducted a synthesis of 21 studies in which author teams investigated the efficacy of a mathematics intervention across a total sample of 197 students. Overall, 15 studies demonstrated positive outcomes, with four studies demonstrating no effects and two studies demonstrating mixed results. We identified several instructional strategies used across multiple studies: explicit instruction, use of technology, focus on vocabulary, use of representations, and word-problem instruction. In most studies, researchers used single case designs, and most of the mathematics content focused on early algebraic standards. As such, there is a need for more mathematics intervention research at the high school level.

We created and tested a family-based intervention with a sample of U.S. families of children in Grades 1 and 2 with reading and behavioral difficulties to investigate its impact on text comprehension. Developed with input from parents, reading experts, and behavior specialists, Family-RISE (Reading Intervention with Supports for Engagement) integrates evidence-based practices for enhancing students' knowledge of narrative texts with effective behavioral supports to maximize student engagement and minimize disruptive behaviors to help parents engage successfully in shared storybook reading. We assessed the effects of Family-RISE on children's narrative text comprehension using a multiple-baseline design. A functional relation was established between Family-RISE and narrative text comprehension, indicating Family-RISE substantially improved narrative text comprehension. Furthermore, nonoverlap of all pairs, Tau-U, and standard mean difference effect sizes were all considered large in favor of the intervention. Family members reported that the intervention was highly usable, feasible to implement, and socially valid. These findings underscore the promise of the Family-RISE intervention and the value of developing interventions that simultaneously support reading and behavior for children with co-occurring difficulties in these areas.

In the current study, we tested a network model of reading difficulty by using state-of-the-art psychological network analysis. Four hundred and fifty-three Chinese first-grade children (about 38% female, mean age = 7.00, SD = 0.41) were divided into good (n = 154), competent (n = 147), and struggling (n = 152) readers based on their scores of Chinese character reading. The Extended Bayesian Information Criterion graphical lasso (EBICglasso) method was applied to estimate cross-sectional networks for the three groups. Each network included four cognitive nodes (homophone awareness, morphological structure awareness, phonological awareness, and vocabulary) and two ecological nodes (family socioeconomic status and the number of books at home). Chronological age and nonverbal intelligence were also included in the estimated networks. The global (i.e., global structure and global connectivity) and local patterns (i.e., the most important edges and nodes) in each network were reported. The network comparison results showed that global connectivity was significantly lower among struggling readers than for good readers, implying that a holistic impairment of bidirectional connections among multiple variables relates to the difficulty in learning to read. The theoretical and empirical implications and the significance of applying the network approach to reading research are discussed.