| 1. |
- Fälth, Linda, et al.
(författare)
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Computer-assisted Interventions Targeting Reading Skills of Children with Reading Disabilities - A Longitudinal Study
- 2013
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Ingår i: Dyslexia. - : Wiley. - 1076-9242 .- 1099-0909. ; 19:1, s. 37-53
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of three computerized interventions on the reading skills of children with reading disabilities in Grade 2. This longitudinal intervention study included five test sessions over 1year. Two test points occur before the intervention, and three afterwards. The last follow-up was conducted 1year after the first measurement. One hundred thirty children in Grade 2 participated in the study. Three groups of children with reading difficulties received computerized training programmes: one aimed at improving word decoding skills and phonological abilities, the second focused on word and sentence levels and the third was a combination of these two training programmes. A fourth group received ordinary special instruction. In addition, there was one comparison group with age-matched typical readers. All groups improved their reading skills. The group that received combined training showed greater improvement than the one with ordinary special instruction and the group of typical readers at two follow-ups. The longitudinal results indicate additional positive results for the group that received the combined training, the majority of students from that group being no longer judged to be needing special education 1year after the intervention.
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| 2. |
- Heimann, Mikael, 1951-, et al.
(författare)
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Increasing reading and communication skills in children with autism through an interactive multimedia computer program.
- 1995
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Ingår i: Journal of autism and developmental disorders. - : Springer. - 0162-3257 .- 1573-3432. ; 25:5, s. 459-80
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper reports on the effect of using an interactive and child-initiated microcomputer program (Alpha) when teaching three groups of children (N = 30) reading and communications skills: (a) 11 children with autism (M chronological age, CA = 9:4 years), (b) 9 children with mixed handicaps (M CA = 13:1), and (c) 10 normal preschool children (M CA = 6:4 years). Their mental age varied from 5:8 years to 6:9 years and all children received computer instruction supplementary to their regular reading and writing activities. Tests of reading and phonological development were carried out at the onset of the training (Start), at the end (Post 1), and at a follow-up evaluation (Post 2). In addition, video observations of the childrens' verbal and nonverbal communication were added at Start and Post 1. The children with autism increased both their word reading and their phonological awareness through the use of the Alpha program. Clearly significant gains were observed during the intervention, but none during the follow-up period. A similar but weaker pattern is observed for the children with mixed handicaps. In contrast, the normal preschool children increased their scores regardless of the program. Analyses of the children's classroom behavior indicate that the intervention succeeded in stimulating verbal expressions among the children with autism and mixed handicap. A significant increase in enjoyment was also noted for the children with autism. It is concluded that the intervention with a motivating multimedia program might stimulate reading and communication in children with various developmental disabilities, but that such interventions must be individually based and include both detailed planning and monitoring from teachers, and parents, as well as from clinicians in charge.
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| 5. |
- Koch, Felix-Sebastian, 1977-, et al.
(författare)
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Changes in infant visual attention when observing repeated actions
- 2018
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Ingår i: Infant Behavior and Development. - : Elsevier. - 0163-6383 .- 1879-0453. ; 50, s. 189-197
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Infants early visual preferences for faces, and their observational learning abilities, are well-established in the literature. The current study examines how infants attention changes as they become increasingly familiar with a person and the actions that person is demonstrating. The looking patterns of 12- (n = 61) and 16-month-old infants (n = 29) were tracked while they watched videos of an adult presenting novel actions with four different objects three times. A face-to-action ratio in visual attention was calculated for each repetition and summarized as a mean across all videos. The face-to-action ratio increased with each action repetition, indicating that there was an increase in attention to the face relative to the action each additional time the action was demonstrated. Infants prior familiarity with the object used was related to face-to-action ratio in 12-month-olds and initial looking behavior was related to face-to-action ratio in the whole sample. Prior familiarity with the presenter, and infant gender and age, were not related to face-to-action ratio. This study has theoretical implications for face preference and action observations in dynamic contexts.
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| 6. |
- Reichenberg, Monica, 1950, et al.
(författare)
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Will an app-based reading intervention change how teachers rate their teaching self-efficacy beliefs? A test of social cognitive theory in Swedish special educational settings
- 2023
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Education. - : FRONTIERS MEDIA SA. - 2504-284X. ; 8
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Educational researchers have challenged Bandura’s prediction that self-efficacy beliefs tend to be established early in learning and that once set, self-efficacy beliefs persist unless a critical event causes them to be reevaluated. However, the results have been mixed in previous research, including being positive, negative, and unchanged. In response, we evaluated how 75 teachers (i.e., special educators) rate their teaching self-efficacy beliefs in motivating student reading and adapting reading instruction at two time points. All teachers taught students with an intellectual disability, communication difficulties, and poor reading skills. The teachers participated in a workshop to learn teaching reading strategies with apps under various conditions (comprehension strategies, phonemic strategies, or both comprehension and phonemic strategies). We analyzed teacher self-efficacy beliefs at two time points with a 12-week span (pre-and postintervention). First, we developed measures of teacher self-efficacy through confirmatory factor analyses. Next, we analyzed the data with multiple imputation and mixed linear regression with difference-in-differences (DiD). The results indicated no statistically significant treatment effect on teachers’ rating of their teaching self-efficacy beliefs. We conclude that our results agree with Bandura’s original prediction and thus, his social cognitive theory.
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| 7. |
- Samuelsson, Jenny, 1980, et al.
(författare)
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My point of view: Students with intellectual and communicative disabilities express their views on speech and reading using Talking Mats
- 2024
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Ingår i: British Journal of Learning Disabilities. - : Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Inc.. - 1354-4187 .- 1468-3156. ; 52:1, s. 23-35
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: It can be challenging for people with intellectual disabilities to convey their thoughts and opinions because of cognitive, speech and language impairments. Consequently, facilitating their ability to communicate using augmentative and alternative communication methods is essential. The picture-based framework Talking Mats has been applied in many studies and has been shown to be successful in facilitating communication and soliciting views from individuals with intellectual disabilities and communication difficulties. The aim of this study was to describe the views of students with intellectual disabilities and communication difficulties on speech and reading activities and to examine whether valence scores (from negative to positive) on these views were associated with performance on tests of their corresponding abilities. Methods: This is a cross-sectional quantitative survey study. A group of 111 students with intellectual disabilities and communication difficulties aged 7–21 wereinterviewed about their speech and reading activities using the visual framework Talking Mats. Their answers were scored on a three-grade like-dislike continuum and were correlated with their results on adapted tests of the corresponding abilities. Findings: The students expressed their views on speech and reading activities. The scored views on speech were positively associated with speech production, and the scored views on reading activities were positively related to reading ability. This suggests that their opinions as expressed through Talking Mats were consistent and reliable. Conclusions: Most students with intellectual disabilities and communicative difficulties can reliably express their own opinions of their abilities when they are provided with a clear visual structure and pictorial support, such as Talking Mats. In this study, this was seen for students with a mild intellectual disability from age seven and onwards and for students with a more severe intellectual disability from 12 years of age and onwards.
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| 8. |
- Samuelsson, Jenny, 1980, et al.
(författare)
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The potential impact of literacy intervention on speech sound production in students with intellectual disability and communication difficulties
- 2024
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Ingår i: CLINICAL LINGUISTICS & PHONETICS. - : TAYLOR & FRANCIS INC. - 0269-9206 .- 1464-5076.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A small body of research and reports from educational and clinical practice suggest that teaching literacy skills may facilitate the development of speech sound production in students with intellectual disabilities (ID). However, intervention research is needed to test the potential connection. This study aimed to investigate whether twelve weeks of systematic, digital literacy intervention enhanced speech sound production in students with ID and communication difficulties. A sample of 121 students with ID were assigned to four different groups: phonics-based, comprehension-based, a combination with both phonics- and comprehension-based intervention and a comparison group with teaching-as-usual. Speech sound production was assessed before and after the intervention. The results on the data without the imputed variable suggested a significant positive effect of systematic, digital literacy interventions on speech sound production. However, results from sensitivity analyses with imputed missing data was more ambiguous, with the effect only approaching significance (ps = .05-.07) for one of the interventions. Nonetheless, we tentatively suggest that systematic, digital literacy intervention could support speech development in students with ID and communication difficulties. Future research should be done to confirm and further elucidate the functional mechanisms of this link, so that we may have a better understanding and can improve instruction and the pivotal abilities of speech and reading.
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| 9. |
- Samuelsson, Jenny, 1980, et al.
(författare)
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The relationship between early literacy skills and speech-sound production in students with intellectual disability and communication difficulties: a cross-sectional study
- 2023
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Ingår i: International Journal of Developmental Disabilities. - : Taylor & Francis. - 2047-3869.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Earlier research and reports from educational practice seem to suggest that teaching early literacy skills may facilitate speech-sound production in students with intellectual disabilities, but further research is needed to confirm a potential connection. This study investigated (1) the relationship between speech-sound production, phonological awareness, and letter-sound knowledge in students with intellectual disabilities and communication difficulties, and (2) to what degree phonological awareness and letter-sound knowledge explain the variance in speech-sound production over and above IQ and chronological age. A group of 116 students, aged 7-21, enrolled in Swedish compulsory schools for students with intellectual disabilities participated in this study. All had limited reading skills. The test results for phonological awareness, letter-sound knowledge, and speech-sound production had a wide range. The results showed that early literacy skills were moderately and significantly correlated with speech-sound production. After controlling for IQ and age in a regression model, the addition of phonological awareness and letter-sound knowledge explained 29% of the variance in speech-sound production. The results suggest that phonological awareness and letter-sound knowledge is associated with speech-sound production and that these associations are not explained by age or IQ. Further research on this group of students should aim to determine causal relationships, for instance, by investigating early reading intervention and the potential effect on speech-sound production.
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| 10. |
- Strid, Karin, 1974, et al.
(författare)
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Deferred Imitation and Social Communication in Speaking and Nonspeaking Children With Autism
- 2013
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Ingår i: Focus on Autism and other developmental disabilities. - : SAGE Publications. - 1088-3576 .- 1538-4829. ; 28:4, s. 230-240
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Deferred imitation and early social communication skills were compared among speaking and nonspeaking children with autism and children developing typically. Overall, the children with autism showed a lower frequency on measures of deferred imitation and social communication compared with typically developing children. Deferred imitation was observed at a significantly lower level among the speaking and nonspeaking groups of children with autism. However, when comparing the speaking autism group with the typical group, many differences in observed social communication disappeared. These results underscore the importance of considering children’s verbal ability in autism research and clinical practice, and indicate that there are specific difficulties in deferred imitation in autism but that the social communication deficits that are observed are greatly influenced by low level of verbal ability.
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