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Article 1: Bonifacci, P., Storti, M., Tobia, V., & Suardi, V. (2016). Specific learning disorders: A look inside children’s and parents’ psychological well-being and relationships. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 49, 532–545. doi:10.1177/0022219414566681

Learning Objective: 7.2 Differentiate between a Specific Learning Disorder and a Specific Learning Disability. Describe how learning disorders/disabilities are identified in school-age children.

Give examples of evidence-based treatments for school-age children with reading, writing, or math disabilities.

Summary: This study examined the link between learning disabilities and well-being among children with learning disabilities and their parents. Results indicated discrepancies between what parents reported about their children and what the children themselves reported.

Questions to Consider:

1. Parents of children with learning disorders reported higher levels of stress, but few other symptoms. What does this tell you about the effects of learning disabilities on the family?
2. Parents reported more symptoms in children with learning disabilities than the children themselves did. Why might this be?
3. This was a fairly small sample. What should the next step be? Are there other variables that should be investigated?
    

Article 2: Solis, M., Miciak, J., Vaughn, S., & Fletcher, J. M. (2014). Why intensive interventions matter: Longitudinal studies of adolescents with reading disabilities and poor reading comprehension. Learning Disability Quarterly, 37, 218–229. doi:10.1177/0731948714528806

Learning Objective: 7.2 Give examples of evidence-based treatments for school-age children with reading, writing, or math disabilities.

Summary: In this study, researchers examined fifth-grade students who were identified using a response to intervention framework and assigned to three treatment conditions and followed for three years. Results indicate the importance of ongoing intervention beyond the early- to mid-elementary school grades.

Questions to Consider:

1. Describe the intervention process. How was this different than you might find in younger students?
2. Without intensive intervention, how will students with reading disabilities catch up?
3. Why is it important that the texts used in the intervention cover topics than other content areas?