Learning Disabilities: Opportunities and challenges in Oman

Family support for children with learning disabilities to attain good academic performance: A qualitative study

Introduction

Learning disabilities can cause poor academic performance in children, which may impact their futures. This study aimed to investigate how primary caregivers care for school-aged children with learning disabilities but with good academic achievement.

Methods

In this qualitative study, in-depth interviews were conducted among primary caregivers of school-aged children with learning disabilities who were attending schools in Sisaket Province, were aged 6-12 years and achieved good academic performance. Twenty-one caregivers were interviewed regarding the care of their children. The contents of the interviews were analysed.

Results

Two major themes concerning the provision of familial support for children with learning disabilities to achieve good academic performance emerged: (1) understanding and modifying the care provided to children with learning disabilities and (2) facilitating and promoting children's learning.

Conclusion

Families and caregivers of children with learning disabilities must have a comprehensive understanding of the disorder to assist with skill development and provide emotional support.

Specific Learning Disorders (SLD) and Behavior Impairment: Comorbidity or Specific Profile?

INTRODUCTION

Specific Learning Disorder (SLD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by difficulties in perceiving and processing verbal and non-verbal information. It is usually accompanied by impaired academic skills leading to school dropout and emotional disturbances, resulting in significant distress and behavioral problems.

METHODS

A cognitive, academic, and emotional-behavioral assessment was performed at T0 and T1 in children and adolescents with SLD. Participants received psychotherapy and speech therapy treatment from T0 to T1.

RESULTS

In SLD, the most compromised cognitive functions were working memory and writing skills. An impact on academic abilities was found. Children and adolescents with SLD experience greater anxiety and depression levels compared to their control peers.

CONCLUSIONS

SLD may adversely influence psychological well-being. To counteract such a consequence, more specific cognitive and academic skill-oriented strategies should be taken into consideration.

Impact of Emotional Expression of Parents on their Children who have Specific Learning Disorders and the Role of Parental Educational Counseling Program

  Background: Children are the world’s real treasures; they should be cherished, well raised and given the chance to develop properly. Some of them in different countries all over the world are suffering from different forms of specific learning disorders, which can be extremely frustrating the school child especially if associated with parental high emotional expression. Objectives: The purpose of the study is to identify the relation between emotional expressions (EE) of parents and anxiety rate in their children with specific learning disorders (SLDs), and its correlation with serum cortisol level of the children. The effect of parental educational counseling program (PECP) on anxiety rate of children and parental emotional expression was studied. Methods: The study was carried out on 140 children with SLD to evaluate their anxiety rate by using Taylor anxiety scale of children, and measuring serum cortisol level. Data were collected from parents by emotional expression scale (EES). Taylor anxiety scale and EES were repeated for children and parents after conducting sessions of PECP. Results: Results of Taylor anxiety scale showed that 60% of studied children were suffering from morbid anxiety. Results of EES showed that 80% of parents were practicing high emotional expression. Scores of children on Taylor anxiety scale demonstrated significant drop from 33.06±10.4 to 25.85±10.4 after applying the intervention (P < 0.001). More than two thirds of parents became practicing low EE after receiving sessions of the interventional program PECP. Scores of parents on EES showed significant drop from 61.31±16.84 to 36.51±13.89 after PECP (P < 0.001). A statistically significant positive correlation between scores of Taylor anxiety scale and EES before PECP was found (R = 0.533), and also after PECP (R = 0.309). Average level of serum cortisol of children with SLD was 8.973+1.784 mcg/dl, and it was significantly higher in boys than girls (P < 0.05). Serum cortisol level of studied children was higher in children with morbid and severe anxiety (P < 0.001). Cortisol levels of children were significantly higher in those whose parents were practicing high EE. Serum cortisol level of children revealed positive correlation with each of their scores on Taylor anxiety scale (R = 0.771) and scores of parents on EES (R = 0.468). Conclusion: Results of this study proved presence of direct relation between anxiety in school children with specific learning disorders and high emotional expressions of their parents. Results concluded effectiveness of PECP in management of children’s anxiety and parental emotional expression. Key words: Specific learning disorders, Emotional expression, Anxiety disorder, Serum cortisol level.

The Impact of Parents’ Emotional Expression on Their Children with Specific Learning Disorders: The Role of Parental Educational Counseling Program

Background: According to the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, the fifth edition (DSM-5), specific learning disorders (SLDs) are neurodevelopmental disorders that share common features of persistent difficulty in learning key academic skills like reading, writing, or mathematics. Some children in different countries worldwide suffer from various forms of SLDs, which can be highly frustrating for a schoolchild, especially if associated with high (negative) parents' emotional expression (PEE).Aim: This study aimed to identify the relation between PEE and anxiety in children with SLD, and evaluate the effect of a parental educational counselling program (PECP) on the emotional expressions (EE) of parents and anxiety in children with SLD.Methods: A randomized controlled trial was conducted on 140 children with SLD and their parents at the Helwan University Educational Hospital's Learning Disability Unit (LDU) in Cairo, Egypt. The emotional expression scale (EES) of parents and Taylor manifest anxiety scale (TMAS) of children were used, and children's serum cortisol levels were measured as an anxiety marker. TMAS and EES were repeated after the conduction of 10 sessions of PECP. Serum cortisol samples were taken before PECP.Results: The study was revealed that more than half (60%) of studied children are suffered from morbid anxiety, and 80% of their parents practised high EE. Cortisol levels were significantly higher in children with severe& morbid anxiety, and in children whose parents practised high EE (P<0.001). After applying PECP, scores of TMAS demonstrated a significant drop from 33.06±10.4 to 25.85±10.4, and scores of EES showed a significant drop from 61.31±16.84 to 36.51±13.89. Conclusions: There was a statistically significant positive correlation between scores of TMAS& EES before and after PECP (r=0.533) and (r=0.309), respectively, proving the presence of a direct impact of PEE on the anxiety of studied children with SLDs.

The Impact of Emotional Expressions of Parents on their Children with Specific Learning Disorders: The Role of Parental Educational Counseling Program

BACKGROUND: Children are the world’s real treasures; they should be cherished, well raised, and given the chance to develop properly. Some of them in different countries worldwide are suffering from various forms of specific learning disorders (SLDs), which can be extremely frustrating the school child, especially if associated with parental high emotional expression (EE). OBJECTIVES: The purpose of the study is to identify the relation between parents’ EEs and anxiety rate in their children with SLDs and its correlation with serum cortisol level of the children. The effect of parental educational counseling program (PECP) on the anxiety rate of children and parental EE was studied. METHODS: The study was carried out on 140 children with SLD to evaluate their anxiety rate using Taylor anxiety scale of children, and measuring serum cortisol level. Data were collected from parents by EE scale (EES). Taylor anxiety scale and EES were repeated for children and parents after conducting sessions of PECP. RESULTS: Results of Taylor anxiety scale showed that 60% of studied children were suffering from morbid anxiety. Results of EES showed that 80% of parents were practicing high EE. Scores of children on Taylor anxiety scale demonstrated a significant drop from 33.06 ± 10.4 to 25.85 ± 10.4 after applying the intervention (p < 0.001). More than two-thirds of parents became practicing low EE after receiving sessions of the interventional program PECP. Scores of parents on EES showed a significant drop from 61.31 ± 16.84 to 36.51 ± 13.89 after PECP (p < 0.001). A statistically significant positive correlation between scores of Taylor anxiety scale and EES before PECP was found (r = 0.533) and after PECP (r = 0.309). Average level of serum cortisol of children with SLD was 8.973 ± 1.784 mcg/dl, and it was significantly higher in boys than girls (p < 0.05). Serum cortisol level of studied children was higher in children with morbid and severe anxiety (p < 0.001). Cortisol levels of children were significantly higher in those whose parents were practicing high EE. Serum cortisol level of children revealed a positive correlation with each of their scores on Taylor anxiety scale (r = 0.771) and scores of parents on EES (r = 0.468). CONCLUSION: Results of this study proved the presence of direct relation between anxiety in school children with SLDs and high EEs of their parents. Results concluded the effectiveness of PECP in the management of children’s anxiety and parental EE.

Screening for learning disabilities in Oman: confirmatory factor analysis of the Arabic version of the learning disabilities diagnostic inventory

Students at risk for learning disabilities (LD) are overidentified in elementary schools in Oman due to the absence of adequate instruments which teachers can use in validating their observations. Teachers need valid instruments so that their judgment of students' behaviours can help in making academic and non-academic decision. The Learning Disabilities Diagnostic Inventory (LDDI) is widely used to examine manifestations of LD as an intrinsic processing disorder. This study aimed to verify the six-factor structure with confirmatory factor analysis, and test its measurement invariance across child gender. Teachers completed the Arabic version of the LDDI for an Omani sample of 1564 children aged 7 to 11. Overall, the six-factor model showed an acceptable fit after performing some post-hoc modifications that were justified on a theoretical ground. Results indicated metric invariance across gender. Zero-order correlations, however, were highly significant, which reflected that the Arabic version of the LDDI showed poor discriminant validity compared to the original LDDI. The Arabic version of the LDDI, however, can be a handy tool to screen for the LD manifestations and help in responding to teachers' academic concerns about students in Key stages 1 and 2 in Oman.