The influence of affect on the achievement and behavior of students with learning disabilities

Memory and language impairments are associated with anxiety disorder severity in childhood

Introduction Children with anxiety disorders have been suggested to possess deficits in verbal fluency, shifting and attention, with inconsistent results regarding working memory and its subcomponents. This study extends previous findings by analyzing the performance of children with anxiety disorders in a wide range of neuropsychological functions. Methods We evaluated 54 children with a primary diagnosis of an anxiety disorder according to diagnostic criteria from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition (DSM-5) using subtests of a neuropsychological battery. The severity of anxiety disorders was assessed using the Pediatric Anxiety Rating Scale (PARS). We calculated the frequency of neuropsychological impairments (-1.5 standard deviation of the normative sample). Comparisons between groups were performed based on the severity of anxiety symptoms, as well as in the presence of one vs. more diagnoses of anxiety disorder. Results We found higher impairment in visuospatial working memory (23.1%), semantic memory (27.8%), oral language (35.4%) and word writing (44.4%) in anxious children. Moreover, children with higher anxiety severity presented lower performance in visuospatial working memory, inferential processing, word reading, writing comprehension, copied writing, and semantic verbal fluency (d = 0.49 to 0.96 [Cohen's d]). The higher the number of anxiety diagnoses, the lower the performance in episodic memory and oral and written language (d = 0.56 to 0.77). Conclusion Our data suggested the presence of memory (visuospatial working memory and semantic memory) and language deficits (oral and writing) in some children with an anxiety disorder. Severity and number of anxiety diagnoses were associated with lower performance in memory and language domains in childhood.

“I’m Not the Only One!” Group Therapy with Older Children and Adolescents Who Have Learning Disabilities

Children and adolescents with learning disabilities (LD) are vulnerable to psychosocial difficulties. Both the detrimental impact of LD on social adjustment and the significance of peer relations for developmental needs make group therapy a natural intervention. Despite modifications that are required due to their cognitive deficits, many students with LD fit the criteria and can benefit from group psychotherapy. In this paper, a model of group therapy for older children and adolescents with LD is presented. The approach is informed by a combination of self psychology, mutual aid, and interpersonal group therapy. The leaders use special techniques to accommodate the LD and to foster the group process. Examples are presented to illustrate the approach.

Anxiety and Response to Reading Intervention among First Grade Students

BACKGROUND

For school-aged children with reading difficulties, an emerging and important area of investigation concerns determining predictors of intervention response. Previous studies have focused exclusively on cognitive and broadly defined behavioral variables. What has been missing, however, are studies examining anxiety, which is among the most commonly experienced difficulty for youth.

OBJECTIVE

The present study examined anxiety among children classified as typically achieving or showing inadequate/adequate response following an intervention for reading problems.

METHODS

Participants were 153 ethnically-diverse children (84 male, 69 female) evaluated in the winter and spring of their first-grade academic year. Children completed several standardized measures of reading achievement involving decoding and fluency along with a multidimensional anxiety rating scale.

RESULTS

Repeated measures ANOVA revealed significant main effects for time and scale and significant interactions for time*scale and group*scale. Logistic regression examined whether anxiety predicted response to intervention (Y/N) at the end of the school-year.

CONCLUSIONS

Results showed overall decreases in anxiety over time, with the exception of the harm avoidance area which increased and also interacted with group (children with decoding/fluency difficulties reported less harm avoidance than typically achieving children). The harm avoidance area was most pertinent across analyses highlighting the potential importance of targeting this area; however, none of the anxiety scales predicted response group at the end of the intervention. Ongoing research is needed in this area in order to identify characteristics of inadequate responders to reading intervention programs and/or inform interventions that incorporate these socioemotional factors.

Potential causal relationship between depressive symptoms and academic achievement in the Hawaiian high schools health survey using contemporary longitudinal latent variable change models

There is a relatively consistent negative relationship between adolescent depressive symptoms and educational achievement (e.g., grade point average [GPA]). However, the causal direction for this association is less certain due to the lack of longitudinal data with both indicators measured across at least 2 time periods and due to the lack of application of more sophisticated contemporary statistical techniques. We present multivariate results from a large longitudinal cohort-sequential study of high school students (N = 7,317) with measures of self-reported depressive symptoms and self-reported GPAs across multiple time points (following McArdle, 2009, and McArdle, Johnson, Hishinuma, Miyamoto, & Andrade, 2001) using an ethnically diverse sample from Hawai'i. Contemporary statistical techniques included bivariate dynamic structural equation modeling (DSEM), multigroup ethnic and gender DSEMs, ordinal scale measurement of key outcomes, and imputation for incomplete longitudinal data. The findings suggest that depressive symptoms affect subsequent academic achievement and not the other way around, especially for Native Hawaiians compared with female non-Hawaiians. We further discuss the scientific, applied, and methodological-statistical implications of the results, including the need for further theorizing and research on mediating variables. We also discuss the need for increased prevention, early intervention, screening, identification, and treatment of depressive symptoms and disorders. Finally, we argue for utilization of more contemporary methodological-statistical techniques, especially when violating parametric test assumptions.

Anxiety and reading difficulties in early elementary school: evidence for unidirectional- or bi-directional relations?

The present study examined competing models of the bi-directional influences of anxiety and reading achievement. Participants were 153 ethnically-diverse children (84 male, 69 female) from general education classes evaluated in the winter and spring of their first-grade academic year. Children completed standardized measures of reading achievement involving decoding and fluency along with an anxiety rating scale. Hierarchical linear regression analyses revealed that separation anxiety symptoms were negatively predicted by fluency performance and harm avoidance symptoms were positively predicted by decoding performance. Fluency performance was positively predicted by harm avoidance and total anxiety (for girls only) symptoms, while decoding was not predicted by any anxiety subscale.

Children with and without learning disabilities: a comparison of processes and outcomes following group counseling

This study compared outcomes and processes in counseling groups of an expressive-supportive modality for children with learning disabilities (LD) and without them (NLD). Participants were 266 students (ages 10-18), all referred for emotional, social, and behavioral difficulties; of these, 123 were identified with LD and 143 were not. There were 40 groups in all--20 with LD children and 20 with NLD. Outcome variables included adjustment, social competence, and academic achievements. Process variables included bonding, group functioning, and client behavior. Analyses were nested using mixed models. Results indicated no differences in outcomes or process variables between populations except for academic achievements; some between-group differences were found in the effect of processes on outcomes. It was concluded that children with LD may be successfully treated in expressive-supportive counseling groups for their emotional and social difficulties.

Perception of emotions in anxious and learning disabled children

This study examined differences in the ability to perceive others' emotions in anxious and learning disabled children, as these differences may contribute to these children's unique socio-emotional difficulties and therapeutic needs. Forty-six children ages 8 to 12 with either anxiety disorders (ANX), language-based learning disabilities (LD), both conditions, or neither condition (clinical controls) were compared on the DANVA, a standardized measure of auditory and visual perception of emotion. Group results were then compared to normative data. Using multivariate analyses, significant group differences were found on the auditory portion of the DANVA but not on the visual portion. LD and comorbid children scored lower on several auditory stimuli, especially when presented at low emotional intensity, while ANX and comorbid children showed high accuracy for auditory sadness. Comorbid children also had lower auditory DANVA scores than the normative sample. No interactive effects between ANX and LD were found. ANX and LD each appear to have distinct effects on the auditory perception of others' emotions. Children with both conditions show both effects and differ from normal children in this domain. Replication using larger samples is required.

The influence of affect on social-information processing

This study examined the impact of four affect induction conditions (self-induced positive affect, music-induced positive affect, music-induced negative affect, and neutral affect) on the social-information-processing skills of 96 seventh-grade students with and without learning disabilities using the Dodge (1983) model of social skills. Following a 1-minute affect induction, students were presented with a social problem and asked a series of questions that tested their social skills. Although the results did not find significant differences between school-identified students with and without learning disabilities, there were significant main effects for language skills and affect induction. Students above the median on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills language test generated more solutions and fewer negative responses than students below the median. Students in the self-induced positive affect condition generated more solutions, whereas students in the music-induced positive affect condition generated more embellishments and perceived less interpretation (negative/positive), than students in the neutral and negative affect conditions. The implications of these results for research and practice are discussed.