Causes and Treatments for Math Disabilities

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Questions and Answers

Why is encouraging children who stutter to 'relax' during conversations not usually effective?

Relaxing can make stuttering worse.

Encouragement does not help children who stutter.

Children who stutter cannot relax during conversations.

Stuttering is a complex speech disorder with underlying neurological and psychological components. (correct)

What might be a more effective intervention for older children and adolescents who stutter?

Using more complex vocabulary

Ignoring the stuttering behavior

Fluency shaping techniques (correct)

Encouraging more practice

Why might children who meet diagnostic criteria for ASD not also be diagnosed with Social Communication Disorder?

There are not enough specialists to provide the correct diagnosis.

SCD is more common in adults than in children.

ASD includes symptoms beyond social communication difficulties. (correct)

Children with ASD do not have social communication problems.

What is a key feature that distinguishes Social Communication Disorder (SCD) from Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)?

Presence of restricted interests and repetitive behaviors Signup and view all the answers

How can school psychologists and professionals avoid misdiagnosing children from low-SES families with learning disabilities?

Consider contextual factors like family environment and cultural differences Signup and view all the answers

Children with math disabilities often struggle with basic counting principles and exhibit less efficient arithmetic strategies, leading to slower calculation speed and more errors. This is primarily due to:

Delays in Number Sense Signup and view all the answers

Which treatment for math disabilities involves teachers providing verbal prompts for solving math problems and encouraging children to use these prompts independently?

Self-Instruction Signup and view all the answers

What is a common characteristic of children with math disabilities related to memory?

Reliance on immature counting strategies Signup and view all the answers

Which age group is mediated or assisted instruction recommended for when treating math disabilities?

Teenagers Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary focus of direct instruction for children with math disabilities?

Gradually fading assistance as mastery is gained Signup and view all the answers

Why might a child with math disabilities struggle to subitize?

Because of delays in developing number sense Signup and view all the answers

In what context should teachers offer increasingly specific hints until a child can solve math problems independently?

Mediated or Assisted Instruction Signup and view all the answers

True or False: Children with math disabilities typically have efficient arithmetic strategies.

False Signup and view all the answers

What is the estimated prevalence of learning disabilities among school-age children?

5% to 7.5% Signup and view all the answers

Which gender is more likely to be identified with a learning disability?

Boys Signup and view all the answers

What type of disabilities are characterized by deficits in phonemic awareness and abnormalities in brain regions associated with reading?

Reading Disabilities Signup and view all the answers

Which intervention showed significant improvement in reading fluency and comprehension among children with reading disabilities?

RAVE-O Signup and view all the answers

What method focuses on teaching writing skills through planning, implementing, and evaluating written expression strategies?

SRSD Signup and view all the answers

Which skill do children with math disabilities often struggle with?

Number Sense Signup and view all the answers

What do children with writing disabilities often struggle with compared to typically developing peers?

Spelling and Grammar Signup and view all the answers

What type of intervention helps improve comprehension skills in children with reading disabilities?

Story Mapping Signup and view all the answers

What aspect of reading disabilities do children struggle with according to the text?

Reading Fluency Signup and view all the answers

In which tier of the Response to Intervention (RTI) process did Ricky require individualized instruction?

Tier III Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary purpose of Response to Intervention (RTI)?

Providing evidence-based educational interventions Signup and view all the answers

Which tier of RTI involves more intensive, individualized instruction for struggling children?

Tier III Signup and view all the answers

What does Comprehensive Assessment aim to differentiate between?

Learning disabilities and low achievement due to other factors Signup and view all the answers

In RTI, what does Tier II involve providing to children who show delays?

Supplemental instruction Signup and view all the answers

What is the first step in RTI according to the text?

Universal screening of all children Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of escalating support in RTI?

To monitor progress and intervene accordingly Signup and view all the answers

What aspect of Comprehensive Assessment helps in differentiating cognitive processing problems from low achievement?

Norm-referenced testing of academic achievement Signup and view all the answers

Why is it important for RTI to identify and support children with learning disabilities early?

To reduce the need for special education referrals Signup and view all the answers

What role do normative deficits play in the assessment process within Comprehensive Assessment?

They help differentiate between learning disabilities and academic skills deficits. Signup and view all the answers

What should be provided at Tier III of RTI for children who continue to struggle?

Intensive, individualized instruction Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Response to Intervention (RTI)

RTI is a method used by school personnel to identify learning disabilities through evidence-based educational interventions, monitoring progress, and escalating support as needed.
RTI consists of three tiers:
- Tier I: Universal screening of all children to assess basic academic skills.
- Tier II: Supplemental instruction to children who show delays but haven't been identified with learning disabilities.
- Tier III: More intensive, individualized instruction to children who continue to struggle despite Tier II interventions.

Comprehensive Assessment

Comprehensive assessment integrates classroom observations with norm-referenced testing of academic achievement, intellectual ability, and cognitive processing.
It helps differentiate between learning disabilities caused by cognitive processing problems and low achievement due to other factors.
The assessment involves evaluating whether the child meets specific criteria, including normative deficits in academic skills, related cognitive processing problems, intact intellectual functioning, and ruling out alternative explanations for academic deficits.

Learning Disabilities

Learning disabilities are characterized by academic skill deficits, underlying cognitive processing problems, and otherwise normal cognitive functioning (IQ).
Prevalence of learning disabilities is estimated to be around 5% to 7.5% among school-age children, with reading disability being the most common.
Boys are more likely than girls to be identified with a learning disability, and children from minority backgrounds are more likely to be classified with learning disabilities due to socioeconomic factors.

Reading Disabilities

Reading disabilities stem from basic reading problems, including deficits in phonemic awareness and abnormalities in brain regions associated with reading.
Reading fluency and comprehension problems are associated with deficits in processing speed, verbal working memory, and rapid automatized naming (RAN).
Effective treatments for children with reading disabilities include systematic instruction in phoneme awareness and phonics for basic reading problems, guided oral reading for fluency, and interventions targeting underlying cognitive deficits such as RAVE-O.

Written Expression Disabilities

Children with writing disabilities often spend less time on planning, translating, and reviewing, resulting in disjointed writing with frequent errors.
Effective treatments for written expression disabilities include self-regulated strategy development (SRSD), focusing on planning, implementing, and evaluating written expression strategies.

Math Disabilities

Children with math disabilities often have delays in developing number sense, impacting their ability to subitize, mentally represent quantities, and understand the ordinal nature of numbers.
Math disabilities are associated with difficulties in remembering math facts and procedures, leading to slower calculation speed and reliance on immature counting strategies.
Effective treatments for math disabilities include direct instruction, self-instruction, and mediated or assisted instruction, which target specific math skills and strategies.

Case Study: Response to Intervention (RTI)

The case study illustrates how two boys, Rafe and Ricky, were identified and supported through the RTI process, with Rafe responding to group-based intervention in Tier II and Ricky requiring individualized instruction in Tier III.

Addressing Parent Concerns

To address concerns about language delays, it's essential to reassure parents that late language emergence is relatively common and does not necessarily indicate a more serious problem.
However, it's also important to suggest monitoring progress and considering professional evaluation if language delays persist or worsen.

Language Problems and Parent-Child Interactions

While there may be a correlation between impoverished parent-child interactions and children's language problems, correlation does not imply causation.
Other factors, such as genetic predispositions, neurological differences, or environmental stressors, could also contribute to children's language difficulties.

Interventions for Stuttering

Encouraging children who stutter to "relax" during conversations is not usually effective because stuttering is a complex speech disorder with underlying neurological and psychological components.
A more effective intervention for older children and adolescents who stutter may involve speech therapy techniques such as fluency shaping, stuttering modification, or cognitive-behavioral therapy.

Children who meet diagnostic criteria for ASD may not necessarily be diagnosed with SCD because ASD encompasses a broader range of symptoms and impairments beyond social communication difficulties alone.
Differential diagnosis between ASD and SCD involves careful assessment of a range of symptoms, behaviors, and developmental history to determine the most appropriate diagnosis.

Avoiding Misdiagnosis of Children from Low-SES Families

School psychologists and other professionals can avoid misdiagnosing children from low-SES families with learning disabilities by considering a comprehensive assessment approach that takes into account various factors that may impact academic performance.
This approach should include gathering information from multiple sources, conducting thorough assessments of academic skills, cognitive abilities, language proficiency, and socio-emotional functioning, and considering contextual factors such as family environment, access to resources, and cultural differences.

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Description

Explore the causes and characteristics of math disabilities, as well as effective interventions for children experiencing math difficulties. Learn about delays in number sense and other factors contributing to math disabilities.