Learning Disorders/Intellectual Disabilities Flashcards
Mean and SD of index scores, t-scores, scaled scores:
index scores: 100, 15
t-scores: 50, 10
scaled scores: 10, 3
what does 90th percentile mean?
90% of sample is under the curve on the left and the remaining 10% is spread out in the right tail (a lot of variability)
10% of people would get a higher score
what does 50th percentile mean?
- Age expected - did really well on a test
- Half of sample is under curve on the left and other half on the right
what does 10th percentile mean?
10% of sample is under the curve on the left tail and the remaining 90% is spread out in the right (a lot of variability)
90% of people would get a higher score
what does 1st percentile mean?
- Extreme score - with intellectual disabilities we are talking about extreme scores
- 1% of sample under small part of tail on the left but there is a lot of variability
99% would get a higher score
Criteria for diagnosis of a learning disability:
- history of academic functioning below the level typically expected for individuals of the same chronological age, need for more time or support to maintain typical levels of academic functioning
- below average academic achievement in at least one of: reading, writing, or math
- evidence that the difficulties are related to deficits in psychological processes
- average cognitive abilities
- the difficulties are not accounted for by factors such as environment, motivation, culture, etc..
what do we look at to get a sense of the child academic performance?
- We look at report cards from back to grade 1: history of having a hard time in reading, writing and math
- Striking if getting bad grades in grade 1, sending a message that there is something getting in the way of learning
What is the WIAT useful for when testing for learning disorders?
- Subtests on the WIAT give you an idea of what components a person is having difficulty in
- This is good because report cards grades don’t come from standardized tests
why is oral language so different from reading/writing?
- Oral language is a fundamental part to being human (easily acquired)
- Reading and writing is a technology that many of us have cognitive mechanisms that make it possible but it’s taught to us, some of us don’t and find it more difficult
how many wrong do you get in a row before a test stops? how long is it generally?
- 4 wrong in a row test stops, about 1-1.5 hours
How heritable are learning disorders?
like ADHD they have a 70-90% heritability coefficient
- runs in families
What are learning disabilities comorbid with?
- ADHD
- Disruptive behaviour disorders
- Depression
- Anxiety
What is an intervention for learning disorders?
step 1: Early identification and intensive intervention (remediation/teaching)
- with intense teaching, a subgroup of kids seem to catch up with their peers
step 2: Assess progress and provide accommodations if problems persist (compensation
for inefficiency)
- e.g., calculator, screen reader, voice-to-text, use of word processor with spelling/grammar correction (trying to get around the learning difficulty)
- other workarounds based on profile: e.g., memorize speeches instead of reading them for someone with a specific learning disorder in reading
What is a specific evidence based program for learning disabilities?
Empower Reading and Learning Group
Intellectual Disability:
- the WISC and WIAT scores are generally associated and similar (below age expectations)
- Percentile wise: 1 in 50 (2nd percentile) and 1 in 100 (1st percentile), 1 in 1000 (0.1st percentile)
looking at WISC and WIAT scores are not sufficient enough for diagnosing an intellectual disability, what else must we consider?
Adaptive Behavior’s using an Adaptive Behavior Assessment System
- behaviours you have to perform to function in your environment
Intellectual Giftedness:
- Not a DSM category but is defined by school boards
- Considered the top 2% of the sample, 98th percentile and above in cognitive scores
- You can have giftedness, but be a horrible person
is it possible to have intellectual giftedness and have low academic scores?
yes, you can have a learning disability, and even scores in the average range can indicate trouble since cognitive scores are so high
Components of Sternbergs “Wisdom” balance theory:
WISDOM=
A good balance among:
(a) intrapersonal, (b) interpersonal, and (c) extrapersonal interests
over: (a) short and (b) long terms
to achieve balance among (a) adaptation to existing environments, (b) shaping of existing environments, and c) selection of new environments
- If the answer is different for each one of these factors it can lead to inner conflict of making a decision
according to the balance theory, wisdom is…
deciding what you will prioritize at any given moment, you can’t prioritize them all
- answer is different for each component
