Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, 2003
This study evaluated the cognitive and achievement profiles of college students experiencing diff... more This study evaluated the cognitive and achievement profiles of college students experiencing difficulties in foreign language (FLD group). Because past research appears to have generated different results based on the type of comparison groups utilized, we attempted to obtain a better representation of students with foreign language difficulties. A total of 77 students who had difficulty in foreign language were compared: (a) to a sample of 110 students with academic difficulties in nonforeign language areas, (b) to the standardized norms for the tests of cognitive and academic abilities, and (c) to their own group means (an ipsative analysis). Based on national norms and ipsative comparisons, primary areas of difficulty for FLD students appear to be in spelling and in long-term storage and retrieval. Difficulties were also noted in auditory processing and processing speed. Strengths were noted in quality of writing and verbal comprehension. As a general finding, it does not appear that FLD students have difficulties with native language abilities such as vocabulary knowledge or reading comprehension. Additional strengths exhibited by the FLD group were only in relation to the non-FLD group, who had academic difficulties in non-FLD areas. These strengths included quantitative knowledge, perceptual organization/visual processing, and practical mathematical ability. Many students in the non-FLD group were referred for difficulties in math coursework; therefore, the strengths exhibited by the FLD students should be considered in this context. Finally, significant gender differences were noted, with more males than females experiencing foreign language difficulties. Some universities report that over 50% of students referred for suspected learning disabilities in college are primarily referred because of an inability to meet foreign language requirements (Ganschow, Sparks, Javorsky, Pohlman, & Bishop-Marbuty, 1991). The inability to meet a language requirement can have a number of causes (Demuth & Smith, 1987), including low IQ, poor motivation, or anxiety. Many investigators hypothesize that students' foreign language learning problems result from underlying native language learning problems (
Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, 2010
This study investigated differences between attributional style and student adaptation to college... more This study investigated differences between attributional style and student adaptation to college for students with and without disabilities. In terms of attributional style, the students with disabilities demonstrated a more internal, stable, and global attributional style for both positive events and negative events. In terms of student adaptation to college, the group of students without disabilities scored higher for overall student adaptation to college, social adjustment, institutional attachment, and semester GPA. Additionally, we explored the ability of six variables to predict student adaptation to college for students with disabilities. Two variables contributed significantly to the prediction: self-advocacy skill and visibility of disability. College Attrition The transition to college can be diffi cult for many students as they face the challenges of adapting to their new environments. Prior research has suggested that feelings of isolation and loneliness, difficulty with separation from family, increased interpersonal confl icts, and fi nancial pressures are common during the fi rst few years of college, and if students cannot adjust they may be more likely to leave the university (
Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, 2005
The present study evaluated the utilization and perceived usefulness of recommendations made to c... more The present study evaluated the utilization and perceived usefulness of recommendations made to college students as the result of an evaluation and subsequent diagnosis of a specific learning disability. Participants were 47 college students who had received a diagnosis of learning disability within the previous two semesters at a university assessment clinic. Students rated 31 different recommendations in terns of past usage (prior to their evaluation), usage subsequent to their evaluation, perceived usefulness, and barriers to utilization of recommendations. While all recommendations were rated as useful, higher ratings tended to occur for recommendations including program modifications (e.g. course waivers) and training strategies (e.g. study aids). Least utilized recommendations were those with a significant time or monetary commitment.
The researchers examined the educational outcomes of three groups of college students who receive... more The researchers examined the educational outcomes of three groups of college students who received an evaluation due to academic difficulties: those diagnosed with a learning disability (LD) who subsequently registered for services through the university student disability resource center; those diagnosed with an LD who did not register for services; and those who were evaluated, but did not receive a diagnosis. The purpose of the study was to determine if accommodations and services provided by the disability resource center had a positive academic impact on students with LD in regards to their GPA and re-enrollment status after two semesters post-evaluation. No differences in post-evaluation GPA were found between the groups. However, both LD groups demonstrated within-group improvements in their GPA following the date of their evaluation, whereas students without an LD showed no improvement. Finally, students who were not diagnosed with LD were more likely to drop out of school t...
... The ultimate goal of the coaching process is for the client to independently develop internal... more ... The ultimate goal of the coaching process is for the client to independently develop internal and external structures. ... They served as over-all indicators of the participant's performance during the coaching process, as well as tangible possible achievements for the participant. ...
Current estimates indicate that approximately 5 to 7% of the school-age population has remark-abl... more Current estimates indicate that approximately 5 to 7% of the school-age population has remark-able difficulty in math achievement, a statistic that presents a challenge for a society that demands at least minimal math competency for success in formal schooling, daily ...
This is a first preliminary study of the validity and reliability of the Matrix Analogies Test–Ex... more This is a first preliminary study of the validity and reliability of the Matrix Analogies Test–Expanded Form in South America. Participants were 104 Spanish-speaking children between the ages of 5 and 17 years living in Ecuador. Values of Cronbach alpha ranged from .87 to .92 for the 4 groups of items and was .95 for the total score. Raw scores on the MAT increased across ages. Scores of boys did not differ significantly from those of girls. Total test scores correlated significantly with scores on the Raven Standard Progressive Matrices ( r = .62, p
This study examined the reliability and validity of a new elementary cognitive task (ECT) based o... more This study examined the reliability and validity of a new elementary cognitive task (ECT) based on the Posner paradigm. This task measures the speed and efficiency of long-term memory retrieval using non-verbal stimuli. Results indicated that the non-verbal Posner task has acceptable test-retest reliability. Parameters of reaction time (RT) were found to correlate substantially (after correction for range restriction) with verbal IQ, but not with performance IQ.
The impact of memory and anxiety on math performance was analyzed in a sample of 115 college unde... more The impact of memory and anxiety on math performance was analyzed in a sample of 115 college undergraduates, all of whom had a diagnosed learning disability. The direct effects of memory and anxiety on math performance were first examined, followed by an examination of whether anxiety moderates the relationship between memory and math. Both memory and anxiety were found to directly affect math performance. Additionally, anxiety served as a moderator of the relationship between memory and math for most, but not all, measures of math achievement. The moderating effect of anxiety was stronger for long-term retrieval than for short-term memory. The relationships between memory, anxiety, and math were not significantly different for males and females. These findings suggest that, when working with individuals who have low anxiety but poor memory, enhancing memory strategies may be effective for remediating problems in math. However, for those with high levels of anxiety, it may be more efficacious to first ameliorate the anxiety, as working on memory may have a negligible effect on math performance for these individuals.
Objectives: Normal short stature (NSS), defined as height below the 5th percentile for age and se... more Objectives: Normal short stature (NSS), defined as height below the 5th percentile for age and sex norms that is not due to illness, hormonal deficiency, or part of a dysmorphic syndrome, has been thought to have a deleterious effect on psychosocial functioning based on observations of referred populations. Recent studies of nonreferred children with NSS, however, have demonstrated normal function. This study directly compared the psychosocial functioning of referred children with NSS, nonreferred children with NSS, and children with normal stature. Study design: Participants, 90 children (46 boys, 44 girls) between 6 and 12 years of age (mean, 9.6 years), were administered intelligence and achievement tests. Parents and teachers assessed adaptive and problem behaviors. Family adaptability and cohesiveness were measured. Results: Intelligence and achievement for referred and nonreferred children with NSS were average. Referred children with NSS were reported to have more externalizing behavior problems and poorer social skills than nonreferred children with NSS and children in the control group. Family adaptability and cohesiveness were comparable across groups. Conclusions: Children with NSS have normal psychosocial function, and results suggest that externalizing behavior problems, attention problems, and poor social skills in children referred to clinics for NSS are inappropriately attributed to short stature.
We compared the level of agreement among four models used to diagnose learning disabilities (LD),... more We compared the level of agreement among four models used to diagnose learning disabilities (LD), including the simple discrepancy, intraindividual, intellectual ability—achievement, and underachievement models. The sample included 170 clinic-referred university students. The simple discrepancy model diagnosed significantly more students with LD than the other three models. The highest degree of agreement occurred between the intraindividual and intellectual ability—achievement models (70%); the lowest level of agreement occurred between the simple discrepancy and underachievement models (48%). Finally, only two of the six comparisons among the four models demonstrated significant correlations. We conclude that even when discrepancy models diagnose similar numbers of students with LD, the same students are not diagnosed across different models.
This study used confirmatory factor analysis to compare one-, two-, and three-factor models of at... more This study used confirmatory factor analysis to compare one-, two-, and three-factor models of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms to determine which model is the best fit for the data. Participants were 190 clinic-referred college students who had been evaluated for ADHD, 155 of whom had received a diagnosis. Data consisted of both self- and other (e.g., parent) ratings of both current and childhood symptoms. Symptoms came directly from the DSM-IV criteria for ADHD. A three-factor model, consistent with the DSM-III, was superior for current and childhood symptoms, regardless of rater (i.e., self or parent). The primary implication for these findings is that there may be a viable Impulsive subtype of ADHD within the adult population. Further research might include a closer examination of the unique functional limitations associated with impulsivity, as well as the development of diagnostic items that maximize model fit.
Considerable discussion has occurred about the most appropriate methods for diagnosing learning d... more Considerable discussion has occurred about the most appropriate methods for diagnosing learning disabilities (LD) in postsecondary students. Two of the many areas of controversy that have emerged include the appropriate diagnostic criteria to use and the appropriate referent group. A review of previous court cases demonstrates that the issue of whether to compare an individual to the general population or to a smaller referent population has not been adequately clarified. Furthermore, few empirical studies have examined the impact of choosing different referent groups on the likelihood that one will be diagnosed with LD. Therefore, this correlational study described the levels of agreement between three diagnostic models of LD, using both age- and grade-based norms to represent two referent groups for each of the three models. The sample included 155 postsecondary students referred for testing due to academic difficulties. The findings indicated that in two of the three models teste...
Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, 2003
This study evaluated the cognitive and achievement profiles of college students experiencing diff... more This study evaluated the cognitive and achievement profiles of college students experiencing difficulties in foreign language (FLD group). Because past research appears to have generated different results based on the type of comparison groups utilized, we attempted to obtain a better representation of students with foreign language difficulties. A total of 77 students who had difficulty in foreign language were compared: (a) to a sample of 110 students with academic difficulties in nonforeign language areas, (b) to the standardized norms for the tests of cognitive and academic abilities, and (c) to their own group means (an ipsative analysis). Based on national norms and ipsative comparisons, primary areas of difficulty for FLD students appear to be in spelling and in long-term storage and retrieval. Difficulties were also noted in auditory processing and processing speed. Strengths were noted in quality of writing and verbal comprehension. As a general finding, it does not appear that FLD students have difficulties with native language abilities such as vocabulary knowledge or reading comprehension. Additional strengths exhibited by the FLD group were only in relation to the non-FLD group, who had academic difficulties in non-FLD areas. These strengths included quantitative knowledge, perceptual organization/visual processing, and practical mathematical ability. Many students in the non-FLD group were referred for difficulties in math coursework; therefore, the strengths exhibited by the FLD students should be considered in this context. Finally, significant gender differences were noted, with more males than females experiencing foreign language difficulties. Some universities report that over 50% of students referred for suspected learning disabilities in college are primarily referred because of an inability to meet foreign language requirements (Ganschow, Sparks, Javorsky, Pohlman, & Bishop-Marbuty, 1991). The inability to meet a language requirement can have a number of causes (Demuth & Smith, 1987), including low IQ, poor motivation, or anxiety. Many investigators hypothesize that students' foreign language learning problems result from underlying native language learning problems (
Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, 2010
This study investigated differences between attributional style and student adaptation to college... more This study investigated differences between attributional style and student adaptation to college for students with and without disabilities. In terms of attributional style, the students with disabilities demonstrated a more internal, stable, and global attributional style for both positive events and negative events. In terms of student adaptation to college, the group of students without disabilities scored higher for overall student adaptation to college, social adjustment, institutional attachment, and semester GPA. Additionally, we explored the ability of six variables to predict student adaptation to college for students with disabilities. Two variables contributed significantly to the prediction: self-advocacy skill and visibility of disability. College Attrition The transition to college can be diffi cult for many students as they face the challenges of adapting to their new environments. Prior research has suggested that feelings of isolation and loneliness, difficulty with separation from family, increased interpersonal confl icts, and fi nancial pressures are common during the fi rst few years of college, and if students cannot adjust they may be more likely to leave the university (
Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, 2005
The present study evaluated the utilization and perceived usefulness of recommendations made to c... more The present study evaluated the utilization and perceived usefulness of recommendations made to college students as the result of an evaluation and subsequent diagnosis of a specific learning disability. Participants were 47 college students who had received a diagnosis of learning disability within the previous two semesters at a university assessment clinic. Students rated 31 different recommendations in terns of past usage (prior to their evaluation), usage subsequent to their evaluation, perceived usefulness, and barriers to utilization of recommendations. While all recommendations were rated as useful, higher ratings tended to occur for recommendations including program modifications (e.g. course waivers) and training strategies (e.g. study aids). Least utilized recommendations were those with a significant time or monetary commitment.
The researchers examined the educational outcomes of three groups of college students who receive... more The researchers examined the educational outcomes of three groups of college students who received an evaluation due to academic difficulties: those diagnosed with a learning disability (LD) who subsequently registered for services through the university student disability resource center; those diagnosed with an LD who did not register for services; and those who were evaluated, but did not receive a diagnosis. The purpose of the study was to determine if accommodations and services provided by the disability resource center had a positive academic impact on students with LD in regards to their GPA and re-enrollment status after two semesters post-evaluation. No differences in post-evaluation GPA were found between the groups. However, both LD groups demonstrated within-group improvements in their GPA following the date of their evaluation, whereas students without an LD showed no improvement. Finally, students who were not diagnosed with LD were more likely to drop out of school t...
... The ultimate goal of the coaching process is for the client to independently develop internal... more ... The ultimate goal of the coaching process is for the client to independently develop internal and external structures. ... They served as over-all indicators of the participant's performance during the coaching process, as well as tangible possible achievements for the participant. ...
Current estimates indicate that approximately 5 to 7% of the school-age population has remark-abl... more Current estimates indicate that approximately 5 to 7% of the school-age population has remark-able difficulty in math achievement, a statistic that presents a challenge for a society that demands at least minimal math competency for success in formal schooling, daily ...
This is a first preliminary study of the validity and reliability of the Matrix Analogies Test–Ex... more This is a first preliminary study of the validity and reliability of the Matrix Analogies Test–Expanded Form in South America. Participants were 104 Spanish-speaking children between the ages of 5 and 17 years living in Ecuador. Values of Cronbach alpha ranged from .87 to .92 for the 4 groups of items and was .95 for the total score. Raw scores on the MAT increased across ages. Scores of boys did not differ significantly from those of girls. Total test scores correlated significantly with scores on the Raven Standard Progressive Matrices ( r = .62, p
This study examined the reliability and validity of a new elementary cognitive task (ECT) based o... more This study examined the reliability and validity of a new elementary cognitive task (ECT) based on the Posner paradigm. This task measures the speed and efficiency of long-term memory retrieval using non-verbal stimuli. Results indicated that the non-verbal Posner task has acceptable test-retest reliability. Parameters of reaction time (RT) were found to correlate substantially (after correction for range restriction) with verbal IQ, but not with performance IQ.
The impact of memory and anxiety on math performance was analyzed in a sample of 115 college unde... more The impact of memory and anxiety on math performance was analyzed in a sample of 115 college undergraduates, all of whom had a diagnosed learning disability. The direct effects of memory and anxiety on math performance were first examined, followed by an examination of whether anxiety moderates the relationship between memory and math. Both memory and anxiety were found to directly affect math performance. Additionally, anxiety served as a moderator of the relationship between memory and math for most, but not all, measures of math achievement. The moderating effect of anxiety was stronger for long-term retrieval than for short-term memory. The relationships between memory, anxiety, and math were not significantly different for males and females. These findings suggest that, when working with individuals who have low anxiety but poor memory, enhancing memory strategies may be effective for remediating problems in math. However, for those with high levels of anxiety, it may be more efficacious to first ameliorate the anxiety, as working on memory may have a negligible effect on math performance for these individuals.
Objectives: Normal short stature (NSS), defined as height below the 5th percentile for age and se... more Objectives: Normal short stature (NSS), defined as height below the 5th percentile for age and sex norms that is not due to illness, hormonal deficiency, or part of a dysmorphic syndrome, has been thought to have a deleterious effect on psychosocial functioning based on observations of referred populations. Recent studies of nonreferred children with NSS, however, have demonstrated normal function. This study directly compared the psychosocial functioning of referred children with NSS, nonreferred children with NSS, and children with normal stature. Study design: Participants, 90 children (46 boys, 44 girls) between 6 and 12 years of age (mean, 9.6 years), were administered intelligence and achievement tests. Parents and teachers assessed adaptive and problem behaviors. Family adaptability and cohesiveness were measured. Results: Intelligence and achievement for referred and nonreferred children with NSS were average. Referred children with NSS were reported to have more externalizing behavior problems and poorer social skills than nonreferred children with NSS and children in the control group. Family adaptability and cohesiveness were comparable across groups. Conclusions: Children with NSS have normal psychosocial function, and results suggest that externalizing behavior problems, attention problems, and poor social skills in children referred to clinics for NSS are inappropriately attributed to short stature.
We compared the level of agreement among four models used to diagnose learning disabilities (LD),... more We compared the level of agreement among four models used to diagnose learning disabilities (LD), including the simple discrepancy, intraindividual, intellectual ability—achievement, and underachievement models. The sample included 170 clinic-referred university students. The simple discrepancy model diagnosed significantly more students with LD than the other three models. The highest degree of agreement occurred between the intraindividual and intellectual ability—achievement models (70%); the lowest level of agreement occurred between the simple discrepancy and underachievement models (48%). Finally, only two of the six comparisons among the four models demonstrated significant correlations. We conclude that even when discrepancy models diagnose similar numbers of students with LD, the same students are not diagnosed across different models.
This study used confirmatory factor analysis to compare one-, two-, and three-factor models of at... more This study used confirmatory factor analysis to compare one-, two-, and three-factor models of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms to determine which model is the best fit for the data. Participants were 190 clinic-referred college students who had been evaluated for ADHD, 155 of whom had received a diagnosis. Data consisted of both self- and other (e.g., parent) ratings of both current and childhood symptoms. Symptoms came directly from the DSM-IV criteria for ADHD. A three-factor model, consistent with the DSM-III, was superior for current and childhood symptoms, regardless of rater (i.e., self or parent). The primary implication for these findings is that there may be a viable Impulsive subtype of ADHD within the adult population. Further research might include a closer examination of the unique functional limitations associated with impulsivity, as well as the development of diagnostic items that maximize model fit.
Considerable discussion has occurred about the most appropriate methods for diagnosing learning d... more Considerable discussion has occurred about the most appropriate methods for diagnosing learning disabilities (LD) in postsecondary students. Two of the many areas of controversy that have emerged include the appropriate diagnostic criteria to use and the appropriate referent group. A review of previous court cases demonstrates that the issue of whether to compare an individual to the general population or to a smaller referent population has not been adequately clarified. Furthermore, few empirical studies have examined the impact of choosing different referent groups on the likelihood that one will be diagnosed with LD. Therefore, this correlational study described the levels of agreement between three diagnostic models of LD, using both age- and grade-based norms to represent two referent groups for each of the three models. The sample included 155 postsecondary students referred for testing due to academic difficulties. The findings indicated that in two of the three models teste...
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