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An implementation case study for the Response to Intervention (RTI) approach for oral language and reading instruction in the early years of primary school Australian Journal of Learning Difficulties Pub Date : 2024-03-28 Beth Shingles, Cecilia Sinclair, Tessa Weadman, Shiralee Poed, Pamela Snow, Tricia Eadie, Judy Connell, Sharon Goldfeld, Jon Quach
In this paper, we report the initial stages of Response to Intervention (RTI) implementation in one school that participated in the Getting it Right from the Start (GIRFTS) pilot study. Implementat...
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A Linguistic Approach to the Study of Dyslexia Australian Journal of Learning Difficulties Pub Date : 2023-12-18 Yufei Ren, Gang Cui
This article reviews the recently published book “A Linguistic Approach to the Study of Dyslexia”, which aims to delineate the linguistic and communicative profile of people with dyslexia. The cogn...
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Investigating the impact of impairment and barriers experienced by students with language and/or attentional difficulties Australian Journal of Learning Difficulties Pub Date : 2023-12-18 Haley Tancredi, Linda J. Graham, Callula Killingly, Naomi Sweller
Students with language and/or attentional difficulties are present in all classrooms, but evidence indicates they are poorly identified and supported. Reasonable adjustments are a legislative requi...
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“I want to help kids like me be heard!” A survey about schooling from the perspective of adolescents with ADHD Australian Journal of Learning Difficulties Pub Date : 2023-12-18 Kathy Gibbs, Lukas Barker, Leah Le
This study sought to increase awareness of ADHD though the context of a school assignment completed by a student with ADHD. The student (pseudonym Jim) sought opinions of 67 Australian school stud...
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Cognitive and metacognitive strategy use in poor comprehenders: an exploratory study Australian Journal of Learning Difficulties Pub Date : 2023-12-18 Bruna Rodrigues, Irene Cadime, Iolanda Ribeiro
Empirical research has shown that poor comprehenders use reading strategies less frequently than good comprehenders. Moreover, poor comprehenders tend to use simple strategies (e.g. slowing down re...
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Effects of a two-year literacy intervention from Kindergarten to Grade 1: a differential approach Australian Journal of Learning Difficulties Pub Date : 2023-12-18 Jean Ecalle, Emilie Dujardin, Christophe Gomes, Laurent Cros, Annie Magnan
Two groups were formed in a randomized, controlled trial: an Experimental group (n = 346), which benefited from specific interventions by trained teachers for a period of two years, and a Control g...
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Teachers beliefs and practices for the teaching of writing in the New Zealand elementary school: influences on student progress Australian Journal of Learning Difficulties Pub Date : 2023-05-22 Helen Walls, Michael Johnston
ABSTRACT In the present study, the effects of teachers’ beliefs and practices about writing pedagogy on students' progress were investigated in the context of the New Zealand primary school system. A total of 626 teachers completed a survey on their beliefs and practices. Principal component analysis of beliefs isolated three dimensions, reflecting valuation of (i) explicit, (ii) socio-cultural and
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Targeting phonological recoding to support orthographic learning: effectiveness of WordDriver delivered via telehealth Australian Journal of Learning Difficulties Pub Date : 2023-05-22 Antonette Seiler, Suze Leitão
ABSTRACT Fluent word recognition is an essential component of skilled reading, yet most children with reading difficulty have impaired word recognition. We developed and evaluated a web app, WordDriver, delivered via teletherapy, which targets phonological recoding to support orthographic learning and efficient word recognition. Participants were five children (aged 7–10 years) who, despite previous
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The impact of explicitly teaching word segmentation using a visual vowel hand sign system to help at-risk children learn to read and spell English: A proof-of-concept study Australian Journal of Learning Difficulties Pub Date : 2023-05-19 Stephen Flynn, Shane Erickson, Tanya Serry
ABSTRACT English vowels are phonologically and orthographically more difficult than consonants when learning to map speech to print. We sought to determine if teaching young at-risk readers and spellers to use a visual vowel hand sign system to segment spoken words into their component phonemes contributed to improved grapheme-phoneme correspondence knowledge, word reading and spelling. Twenty-three
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Improving the reading skills of struggling secondary students in a real-world setting: issues of implementation and sustainability Australian Journal of Learning Difficulties Pub Date : 2023-05-17 Susan Main, Susan Hill, Annamaria Paolino
ABSTRACT Reading difficulties have been associated with limited academic success and related social-emotional outcomes including anxiety and low motivation. Recent research on the educational impact of the COVID-19 pandemic indicates that children with poor reading skills were disproportionally disadvantaged. This growing number of students experiencing reading difficulties will require effective implementation
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Roads travelled researching how children learn to read words Australian Journal of Learning Difficulties Pub Date : 2023-05-14 Linnea C. Ehri
ABSTRACT Application of psycholinguistic insights initiated a long career researching how children learn to read words. A theory was proposed claiming that spellings of individual words are stored in memory when their graphemes become bonded to phonemes in their pronunciations along with meanings, and this enables readers to read stored words automatically “by sight”. Our studies offered support for
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Support for students with additional health and developmental needs: practices and learnings from exemplar schools Australian Journal of Learning Difficulties Pub Date : 2022-09-05 Amy Watts, Beth Shingles, Stuart Edwards, Sharon Goldfeld
ABSTRACT Students with additional health and developmental needs are at risk of poor psychosocial and academic outcomes as they enter and move through school. Early identification and supports to promote participation and learning can be highly effective in meeting the needs of these students helping them thrive academically, socially, and emotionally. This qualitative study aimed to learn from primary
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Oral vocabulary knowledge and learning to read new words: A theoretical review Australian Journal of Learning Difficulties Pub Date : 2022-07-12 Signy Wegener, Elisabeth Beyersmann, Hua-Chen Wang, Anne Castles
ABSTRACT In this theoretical review, evidence for the link between spoken and written word knowledge is summarised, highlighting the specific hypotheses posed in this field and the extent to which they are informative regarding causation. A brief overview of major theories of orthographic learning draws attention to how each characterises the role of oral vocabulary within the learning process, and
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“The whole elephant”: “What works best” consultation practices of learning support teams in primary schools Australian Journal of Learning Difficulties Pub Date : 2022-06-23 Natasha Bryceson, Lynn Sheridan
ABSTRACT This study explored the consultation practices of Learning Support Teams (LSTs) in three NSW primary schools engaged in learning and wellbeing support for diverse students. An organisational ethnographic case study approach was used to explore behaviour, language and interactions within the school sites. Participants included learning support teachers, senior executive staff, school counsellors
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Investigating the number and type of literacy assessments and interventions in Aotearoa New Zealand primary schools Australian Journal of Learning Difficulties Pub Date : 2022-05-16 Alison Arrow, Angela Neville, Amanda Denston, Tom Nicholson
ABSTRACT In Aotearoa New Zealand, the lack of government funding and support for interventions beyond Reading Recovery means that assessment and support for students demonstrating literacy difficulties are primarily left to schools themselves. To meet the needs of students, including those demonstrating difficulties with literacy learning, schools and teachers must have assessments and interventions
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Poor reading and anxiety (PRAX): building a theory and practice Australian Journal of Learning Difficulties Pub Date : 2022-03-23 Genevieve McArthur
ABSTRACT Clinicians, teachers, and researchers have long suspected that there may be some kind of association between poor reading and emotional health. However, for many years, studies of this association were generally sporadic and poor in quality. This article outlines how – over the last 5 years or so – national and international associates of the PRAX (poor reading and anxiety) research group
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Consultation and mental health interventions in school settings: a scientist-practitioner’s guide Australian Journal of Learning Difficulties Pub Date : 2022-03-09 Emina McLean
(2022). Consultation and mental health interventions in school settings: a scientist-practitioner’s guide. Australian Journal of Learning Difficulties: Vol. 27, No. 1, pp. 181-183.
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Using Computer Assisted Instruction to Improve Reading Comprehension of Children on the Autism Spectrum: A Pilot Study Australian Journal of Learning Difficulties Pub Date : 2022-01-24 Natalia R. Henderson-Faranda, Jayne Newbury, Dean Sutherland
ABSTRACT Many children on the autism spectrum have difficulty developing reading comprehension skills. This multiple phase single case design pilot study examined the impact of a computer-assisted reading tool, Reading Eggspress™, with or without teacher directed instruction on the reading comprehension skills of four children on the autism spectrum (mean age 9 years, 10 months). Participants engaged
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Literacy development in children with cochlear implants: a narrative review Australian Journal of Learning Difficulties Pub Date : 2022-01-12 Nicola Bell, Anthony J. Angwin, Wayne J. Wilson, Wendy L. Arnott
ABSTRACT There exists a substantial body of research to suggest that children with cochlear implants (and hearing loss more generally) experience difficulties when learning to read and write. These difficulties are posited to stem partly from limitations in phonological processing ability, which is considered fundamental to typical literacy development. This paper comprises a narrative review of the
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Tier 2 oral language and early reading interventions for preschool to grade 2 children: a restricted systematic review Australian Journal of Learning Difficulties Pub Date : 2021-12-30 Sharon Goldfeld, Ruth Beatson, Amy Watts, Pamela Snow, Lisa Gold, Ha ND Le, Stuart Edwards, Judy Connell, Hannah Stark, Beth Shingles, Tony Barnett, Jon Quach, Patricia Eadie
ABSTRACT This systematic review investigated small-group Tier 2 interventions to improve oral language or reading outcomes for children during preschool and early primary school years. Literature published from 2008 was searched and 152 papers selected for full-text review; 55 studies were included. Three strength of evidence assessment tools identified a shortlist of six interventions with relatively
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What we have learned: implementing MiniLit as an intervention with young struggling readers Australian Journal of Learning Difficulties Pub Date : 2021-11-06 Meree Reynolds, Jennifer Buckingham, Alison Madelaine, Sarah Arakelian, Nicola Bell, Simmone Pogorzelski, Robyn Wheldall, Kevin Wheldall
ABSTRACT Information about effective interventions for students with early reading difficulties is essential when deciding about how best to provide support. MiniLit, a small-group intervention for young struggling readers, was released in 2011 after several years of development and trials. This paper provides a rationale for MiniLit, a brief history of its development and implementation, and a summary
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An exploratory study of students with dyslexia in a mixed online and on-campus environment at an Australian regional university Australian Journal of Learning Difficulties Pub Date : 2021-10-14 Christina Maurer-Smolder, Susan Hunt, Shane Bruce Parker
ABSTRACT Research suggests that tertiary students with dyslexia are less likely to achieve high or passing marks in their studies than students without dyslexia. The aim of this investigation was to discover the nature of barriers faced by students with dyslexia at an Australian regional university where two thirds of the overall population had a distance component to their study. First, a validated
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Adults with dyslexia: A snapshot of the demands on adulthood in Australia Australian Journal of Learning Difficulties Pub Date : 2021-10-23 Shae Wissell, Leila Karimi, Tanya Serry
ABSTRACT This study explored the educational and employment profiles and the psychosocial wellbeing of 65 Australian adults with dyslexia. Participants were also asked about their age at diagnosis of dyslexia. These domains have been under studied in the Australian adult dyslexic community. Data was collected using an anonymous online two-part survey. Part one was purpose-designed to collect personal
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“Between exclusion and inclusion”: emotional and professional aspects of how teachers with writing difficulties cope Australian Journal of Learning Difficulties Pub Date : 2021-11-01 Shirley Har-Zvi, Merav Salkovsky, Michal Feldman
ABSTRACT This qualitative phenomenological study based on semi-structured interviews examined authentic experiences of teachers with essential difficulties in handwriting and spelling to consider the emotional and professional aspects of how they cope in the educational system. Twenty such teachers participated. Findings revealed three discourse circles – school, family, and intra-personal – along
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A scoping review to map research on children with dysgraphia, their carers, and educators Australian Journal of Learning Difficulties Pub Date : 2021-11-22 Elvira Kalenjuk, Stella Laletas, Pearl Subban, Sue Wilson
ABSTRACT The aim of this scoping review was to systematically map and summarise recent peer-reviewed research on children with dysgraphia between 2015 and May 2021. The research included the perspectives of children, carers, and educators. Dysgraphia is a largely unrecognised specific learning disorder (SLD) in writing that manifests as a disability in handwriting, spelling, and/or composition skills
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Parents can accurately and reliably administer an online dyslexia evaluation tool Australian Journal of Learning Difficulties Pub Date : 2021-11-19 David P. Hurford, Autumn Wines
ABSTRACT The purpose of the present study was to examine the potential that parents could effectively administer an online dyslexia evaluation tool (ODET) to their children. To this end, four groups consisting of parents and trained staff were compared. Sixty-three children (36 females and 27 males) participated. The children in each group were assessed twice. In the Parent–Parent group, children were
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Differences in oral language growth between children with and without literacy difficulties: evidence from early phases of learning to read and spell in Greek Australian Journal of Learning Difficulties Pub Date : 2021-08-04 Apostolos Kargiotidis, Ioannis Grigorakis, Angeliki Mouzaki, George Manolitsis
ABSTRACT The present study examined oral language growth differences in a sample of 256 Greek-speaking children with and without literacy difficulties (LD), during the first two elementary grades. Measures of vocabulary, phonological awareness (PA), morphological awareness (MA), and rapid automatized naming (RAN) were administered in both grades for the assessment of oral language growth. Reading skills
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Investigating the efficacy of using error analysis data to inform explicit teaching of spelling Australian Journal of Learning Difficulties Pub Date : 2021-03-04 Tessa Daffern, Robert Fleet
ABSTRACT Empirical evidence supports the view that explicit teaching can make a positive difference to learning; however, further research is needed to understand the impact on learning to spell if spelling error analysis is used to inform explicit spelling instruction. This paper presents findings of an intervention study involving 572 students in Years 3 to 6 from 31 classes across four Australian
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Supporting struggling adolescent readers through the Response to Intervention (RTI) framework Australian Journal of Learning Difficulties Pub Date : 2021-01-06 Melinda de Haan
ABSTRACT The purpose of this article is to describe what needs to happen in Australian schools to provide effective literacy support for adolescent students with reading difficulties. The central thesis of this paper is that the Response to Intervention (RtI) model provides a useful framework for organizing multi-tiered evidence-based reading interventions for struggling adolescent readers. Necessary
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The Fast Feedback method: a quasi-experimental study of the use of formative assessment for primary students’ writing Australian Journal of Learning Difficulties Pub Date : 2020-12-30 Helen Walls, Michael Johnston
ABSTRACT “Fast Feedback” is a feedback system for primary student writing. Developed in line with a Writer(s)-Within-Community model, and empirical research in the fields of writing instruction, feedback and self-regulation, this system uses individualized goals and focused feedback in the expectation that it will accelerate student progress. In 2015 nine teachers were asked to trial Fast Feedback
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Re-mapping the territory: an analysis of literacy intervention provision for primary students in five Australian states Australian Journal of Learning Difficulties Pub Date : 2020-07-02 Joanne Quick
ABSTRACT Literacy interventions are a common educational response for supporting students with literacy difficulties. Australian schools historically offered such programs,, though recent studies were not found in the research literature. This paper reports on school-level and literacy intervention data for a randomly selected sample of 366 schools, from across Australia’s five more populous states
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Research and theory into practice: Australian preservice teachers’ knowledge of evidence-based early literacy instruction Australian Journal of Learning Difficulties Pub Date : 2020-07-02 Linda Meeks, Alison Madelaine, Coral Kemp
ABSTRACT Much has been written about the decline in Australian literacy standards, as measured by international tests, and concerns have been expressed about the quality of teacher preparation for teaching early literacy to young children in their first years of school. Preservice teacher knowledge of research evidence supporting the essential components of early literacy instruction and the strategies
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New teachers talk about their preparation to teach early literacy Australian Journal of Learning Difficulties Pub Date : 2020-07-02 Linda Meeks, Alison Madelaine, Jennifer Stephenson
ABSTRACT Individual telephone interviews with 11 Australian beginning teachers who were newly appointed, or seeking a teaching position, were used to explore their perceptions of their preparation to teach early reading. Interviewees provided self-ratings of preparedness and ability to teach early reading, information about their knowledge of early reading instruction and information regarding their
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Re-mapping the territory: an overview of learning and literacy intervention provision in primary education in five Australian states Australian Journal of Learning Difficulties Pub Date : 2020-06-12 Joanne Quick
ABSTRACT This paper provides data on patterns of schools’ learning intervention provision in 2017, and discusses the utility of online sources to gather this information. Demographic, achievement, and intervention data were collected for a sample of 366 schools offering primary education across Australia’s five more populous states. Intervention offerings were analysed in relation to schools’ demographic
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Combining explicit instruction and positive psychology to see adolescents with learning difficulties flourish Australian Journal of Learning Difficulties Pub Date : 2020-06-12 Matthew Oliver White
ABSTRACT Academically engaging adolescents with learning difficulties continues to be a challenge for teachers and education authorities around the world. This paper reports on one part of a broader study to address the impasse present between research and practice in meeting the needs of adolescents with learning difficulties. Drawing on the mounting research attesting to the effectiveness of Explicit
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Using sentence dictation to practise and assess taught spelling and punctuation skills: a Year 2 Explicit Instruction intervention Australian Journal of Learning Difficulties Pub Date : 2020-01-02 Sally Robinson-Kooi, Lorraine S Hammond
ABSTRACT Daily contextualised sentence dictation was used for Year 2 students to practise, and the teacher to assess, taught spelling concepts, capital letters and full stop usage in an Explicit Instruction (EI) intervention. Conducted in a mainstream setting, it supported all students learning to spell, including those with a learning difficulty (LD) and an English Learner (LL). Results showed that
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Educators’ perceptions of the impact of reading difficulties for young people Australian Journal of Learning Difficulties Pub Date : 2020-01-02 Mary Claessen, Peta Dzidic, Mark Boyes, Nicholas Badcock, Mandy Nayton, Suze Leitao
ABSTRACT There is a growing body of work describing the psychosocial impact of reading difficulties. Educators play a key role in teaching children to read; therefore, it is important to consider how they view the impact of reading difficulties on young people. Given this, the aim of this research was to explore the lived experiences of educators who work with young people with reading difficulties
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Australian preservice teachers and early reading instruction Australian Journal of Learning Difficulties Pub Date : 2020-01-02 Linda Meeks, Jennifer Stephenson
ABSTRACT University websites and internet search engines were used to locate information about literacy units addressing early reading instruction offered in Australian primary and early childhood teacher preparation programs. Data concerning course organizational details, the content of literacy units, and the qualifications and research interests of unit coordinators were collected for 40 Australian
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Interventions for dyslexia in Brazil: a scoping review discussed within the perspective of international best practice Australian Journal of Learning Difficulties Pub Date : 2020-01-02 Rita Signor, Mary Claessen, Suze Leitão
ABSTRACT Reading success has a significant impact on social, academic and vocational engagement. While there have been many advances in Brazilian educational policy, and a reduction in rates of absolute illiteracy, low levels of literacy continue to be a significant area of concern. We aimed to scope the literature to identify the types of intervention researched in Brazil for people with developmental
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Knowledge and attitudes towards attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): a comparison of teachers and teaching assistants Australian Journal of Learning Difficulties Pub Date : 2020-01-02 Charlotte W. Greenway, Alison Rees Edwards
ABSTRACT Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) rates in classrooms have increased considerably in recent years. Previous literature has acknowledged the significance of teachers’ knowledge and attitudes towards ADHD when making referral and intervention decisions. Using Mulholland, Cumming and Jung’s (2015) knowledge (SASK) and attitude (SASA) scales, ADHD training and perceived support were
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Longitudinal reading outcomes in response to a book-based, whole class intervention for students from diverse cultural, linguistic and socio-economic backgrounds Australian Journal of Learning Difficulties Pub Date : 2019-07-03 Maria Lathouras, Marleen F. Westerveld, David Trembath
ABSTRACT This study aimed to investigate if a universal 24-week oral language and emergent literacy programme delivered to students in the first year of schooling positively impacts reading performance 2years post intervention. Eighty-nine participants were second grade students from three primary schools in low socio-economic status areas. Using a controlled trial, the original study findings revealed
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Design and development of a Malay word recognition intervention program for children with dyslexia Australian Journal of Learning Difficulties Pub Date : 2019-07-03 Lay Wah Lee
ABSTRACT This paper synthesizes research on dyslexia remediation, word recognition development and the Malay language writing system to design and develop a Malay language word recognition intervention program (MyBaca) for children with dyslexia. Malay is alphabetic, is highly transparent, with salient syllabic units. The program is designed based on theories of the Simple View of Reading and Ehri’s
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Preventing a summer slide in reading – the effects of a summer school Australian Journal of Learning Difficulties Pub Date : 2019-07-03 Tom Nicholson, Shanthi Tiru
ABSTRACT Researchers have found that summer reading loss contributes to the reading achievement gap between low and high socioeconomic (SES) children. This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of a 3-week summer intervention in addressing this slide for 36 low SES children compared with another 36 children in a matched control group from one New Zealand school. The program involved one-to-one tutoring
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Performance of Australian children on the English Phonics Screening Check following systematic synthetic phonics instruction in the first two years of schooling Australian Journal of Learning Difficulties Pub Date : 2019-06-28 Kevin Wheldall, Nicola Bell, Robyn Wheldall, Alison Madelaine, Meree Reynolds
ABSTRACT Recently, there has been debate surrounding the potential implementation of the Phonics Screening Check (PSC) in Australian primary schools. The present study sought to investigate the child- and task-related factors influencing the PSC performances of Year 1 Australian students, who had received almost two years of systematic synthetic phonics (SSP) instruction. Non-parametric between- and
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Evaluating the efficacy of a small-group oral narrative intervention programme for pre-primary children with narrative difficulties in a mainstream school setting Australian Journal of Learning Difficulties Pub Date : 2019-01-02 Laura Glisson, Suze Leitão, Mary Claessen
ABSTRACT This study designed and evaluated the efficacy of a manualised programme for children in mainstream school with delays in narrative discourse. Efficacy was evaluated using a Phase 1 non-randomised single-subject across multiple-baselines design. The programme was delivered by a speech pathologist with 11 mainstream children aged 5;0–5;11 years, in small groups, three times a week for 6 weeks
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Evaluation of a tangible mobile application for students with specific learning disabilities Australian Journal of Learning Difficulties Pub Date : 2019-01-02 Elif Polat, K. Cagiltay, C. Aykut, N. Karasu
ABSTRACT Students with specific learning disabilities (SLD) typically do not perform at the expected levels of academic achievement. Tangible mobile applications are learning devices that allow for physical engagement and multisensory interaction. They present as promising tools to facilitate learning for students with SLD. This study explored the use of a tangible mobile application for assisting
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Children’s reading difficulties, language, and reflections on the simple view of reading Australian Journal of Learning Difficulties Pub Date : 2019-01-02 Kate Nation
ABSTRACT Reading comprehension is a complex task which depends on a range of cognitive and linguistic processes. According to the Simple View of Reading, this complexity can be captured as the product of two sets of skills: decoding and linguistic comprehension. The Simple View explains variance in reading comprehension and provides a good framework to guide the classification of reading disorders
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The cognitive foundations of learning to read: a framework for preventing and remediating reading difficulties Australian Journal of Learning Difficulties Pub Date : 2019-01-02 William E. Tunmer, Wesley A. Hoover
ABSTRACT This article presents an overview of a conceptual framework designed to help reading professionals better understand what their students are facing as they learn to read in alphabetic writing systems. The US National Reading Panel (NRP) recommended five instructional components for improving reading outcomes but presented these instructional components as a list without explicitly addressing
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Becoming numerate: enduring theories, recent research, and current issues Australian Journal of Learning Difficulties Pub Date : 2019-01-02 Peter Westwood
ABSTRACT The author provides an overview of several theories of numeracy acquisition that, despite criticisms, have withstood the passage of time and continue to influence policy and practices in schools. These are followed by a brief review of some recent research in the domain of numeracy learning and teaching. The article ends with some of the current issues that are (or should be) receiving attention
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Do nonword reading tests for children measure what we want them to? An analysis of year 2 error responses Australian Journal of Learning Difficulties Pub Date : 2018-07-03 Anne Castles, Vince Polito, Stephen Pritchard, Thushara Anandakumar, Max Coltheart
ABSTRACT Nonword reading measures are widely used to index children’s phonics knowledge, and are included in the Phonics Screening Check currently implemented in England and under consideration in Australia. However, critics have argued that the use of nonword measures disadvantages good readers, as they will be influenced by their strong lexical knowledge and err by making word errors (e.g. reading
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Editorial Australian Journal of Learning Difficulties Pub Date : 2018-07-03 Tanya Serry
As the incoming editor of the Australian Journal of Learning Difficulties, I humbly thank Dr Wendy Moore for her leadership over recent years and for her tireless patience handing the baton over to me. I also gratefully acknowledge members of the Board of Learning Difficulties Australia for their faith in appointing me as editor of this journal which I believe has great capacity to reach a multidisciplinary
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Learning to spell: enduring theories, recent research and current issues Australian Journal of Learning Difficulties Pub Date : 2018-07-03 Peter Westwood
ABSTRACT This review highlights some areas of current interest in teaching students to spell and how spelling skills develop. The topics covered in the paper include: theories of spelling acquisition, theories guiding effective teaching, the importance of word study approaches across the age range, the influence of technology on learning to spell, spelling for students with English as a second language
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Developmental dyslexia: emotional impact and consequences Australian Journal of Learning Difficulties Pub Date : 2018-06-21 Emily M. Livingston, Linda S. Siegel, Urs Ribary
ABSTRACT Learning disabilities are associated with mental health, behavioural and social difficulties. Developmental dyslexia is a particularly salient example of a learning disability that is associated with social and emotional consequences that are not considered primary features of the disorder. These issues can remain and, in some cases, escalate in adulthood. Practitioners should be made aware
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Teachers’ use of phonics, knowledge of language constructs, and preferred word identification prompts in relation to beginning readers Australian Journal of Learning Difficulties Pub Date : 2018-01-02 James W. Chapman, Keith T. Greaney, Alison W. Arrow, William E. Tunmer
Abstract New Zealand’s approach to literacy instruction is predominantly whole language. Explicit code-orientated literacy instruction is not favoured, however, most teachers are believed to include phonics in their literacy lessons. No study has been reported on phonics use in New Zealand schools. Survey responses on the use of phonics instruction from 666 primary school teachers were analysed. We
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EDITORIAL Australian Journal of Learning Difficulties Pub Date : 2018-01-02 Wendy Moore
Learning difficulties constitute the lived experiences of children and adults with unique dispositions and cognitive profiles who find themselves in learning environments that offer both opportunities and challenges. Young people and adults with learning difficulties go to schools, attend clinics and pursue further education. In this issue of the Australian Journal of Learning Difficulties, these different
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A model of assessment and intervention for Non-Verbal Learning Disability (NVLD) in the Australian education system: an educational and developmental psychologist perspective Australian Journal of Learning Difficulties Pub Date : 2018-01-02 Celia Brenchley, Shane Costello
Abstract Non-Verbal Learning Disabilities (NVLD) have a relatively rare incidence, estimated to be approximately 1.7% of all learning disabilities. Symptoms of the disorder are perceptual, social and emotional. These symptoms differ according to the developmental age, with 85% of cases being diagnosed in secondary school when education becomes more complex. In Australia the intricate arrangements between
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Shared book reading behaviours of children with Down Syndrome before and after participation in the MultiLit reading tutor program: an exploratory study Australian Journal of Learning Difficulties Pub Date : 2017-11-17 Lisa Lim, Joanne Arciuli, Natalie Munro
Abstract This exploratory study compares the shared book reading behaviours of five school aged children with DS (aged 11 years 6 months to 15 years 6 months) before and after participation in an intervention which included selected components of the MultiLit Reading Tutor Program. The program was delivered 1:1 to participants each week over a 12 week period. Analysis of the average performance across
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Australian adolescent boys with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD): teacher and teaching factors that assess the efficacy of reducing unwanted behaviours within the classroom environment Australian Journal of Learning Difficulties Pub Date : 2017-11-06 Kathryn Gibbs
Abstract Students with AD/HD experience difficulty concentrating in the classroom due to unwanted behaviours. This article focuses on what six Australian adolescent boys have to say about teacher and teaching factors that enabled them to regain focus (if distracted) and concentrate on classroom learning. A multiple, instrumental case-study was used to collect data from the boys using semi-structured
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To what extent does children’s spelling improve as a result of learning words with the look, say, cover, write, check, fix strategy compared with phonological spelling strategies? Australian Journal of Learning Difficulties Pub Date : 2017-07-03 Susan Dymock, Tom Nicholson
Abstract The ubiquitous weekly spelling test assumes that words are best learned by memorisation and testing but is this the best way? This study compared two well-known approaches to spelling instruction, the rule based and visual memory approaches. A group of 55 seven-year-olds in two Year 3 classrooms was taught spelling in small groups for three lessons a week, 20-min per lesson, over ten weeks
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Does linguistic comprehension support the decoding skills of struggling readers? Australian Journal of Learning Difficulties Pub Date : 2017-07-03 Michele Blick, Tom Nicholson, James Chapman, Jeanette Berman
Abstract This study investigated the contribution of linguistic comprehension to the decoding skills of struggling readers. Participants were 36 children aged between eight and 12 years, all below average in decoding but differing in linguistic comprehension. The children read passages from the Neale Analysis of Reading Ability and their first 25 miscues were categorised into syntactic, semantic, phonemic