Addresses, from a neurobiological perspective, the input-intake distinction commonly made in applied linguistics and the role of selective attention in transforming input to intake. The study places primary emphasis upon a neural structure (the nucleus reticularis thalami) that appears to be essential for selective attention. (79 references)…

Thirty students with dyslexia (mean age 13.5), 30 readers without disabilities, and 30 younger readers (mean age 8.9) were assessed to test the validity of the Reading Style Inventory (RSI). The RSI was not able to accurately profile children with dyslexia in terms of their cerebral hemisphere preferences. (CR)

This article discusses recent findings concerning cognitive outcomes in traumatic brain injury (TBI) in children and adolescents, with a particular focus on age differences with TBI. It suggests a relationship between specific learning disorders and brain dysfunction, addresses differential hemispheric functioning with TBI, and outlines recent…

Describes various models of learning styles and speculates on their applicability to distance education practice and research. Topic discussed include field dependence and independence; the Kolb Model; hemisphericity; sensory preferences; the Jungian approach; Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI); and psychological factors including age, sex…

A questionnaire given to 1,879 Bogota (Colombia) university students found a prevalence of 2% in self-reported stuttering. Results also indicated that the prevalence of minor brain injury or dysfunction, developmental dyslexia history, word-finding difficulties, and depressive symptoms were higher among the stutterers than the nonstutterers. (DB)

Left versus right hemispheric auditory-verbal processing ability was studied in 28 learning-disabled children and adolescents, by measuring the influence on reaction time of the hand used to respond versus the hemisphere stimulated. The LD children did not develop the ability to suppress right hemisphere linguistic processes as a function of age.…

Children as young as five years of age responded faster in a categorical task when information was initially presented to the left hemisphere, and faster in a coordinate task when information was initially presented to the right hemisphere. This finding provided evidence for the existence of distinct subsystems that compute categorial and…

Findings from a study of more than 600 technical college students revealed significant differences when global and simultaneous students were matched and mismatched with their hemisphericity. Significant relationships emerged between students' diagnosed hemisphericity (successive/simultaneous) and their learning-style preferences. (Author/IAH)

Review features of nonverbal learning disabilities in terms of personal, social, and academic manifestations, including deficits in reading comprehension, graphomotor coordination, mathematics, and science. Examines the neuropsychological and learning components associated with developmental right-hemisphere brain syndrome and outlines effective…

Reports on two studies. The first, a brain-imaging study evaluating brain-processing differences between high- and low- performing middle-school students attempting a spatial visualization task, establishes the connection between brain-processing patterns and task-learning efficiency. The second study, involving 33 women graduate education majors,…

Examines similarities in implementing theories of multiple intelligences, learning styles, and brain-based education in middle schools: (1) theories are learning and learner-centered; (2) teacher is a reflective practitioner and decisionmaker; (3) student is a reflective practitioner; (4) the whole person is educated; (5) the curriculum has…

Six experts in early care and education discuss trends that will shape early childhood education by 2010. Six trends with the greatest impact are brain research, public financing, universal prekindergarten, technology, diversity, and staffing issues. Other key trends include employer involvement, outcomes orientation, aging population, peace…

At a new charter school serving predominantly defiant underachievers and special-needs students, a psychology teacher was challenged to implement founders' brain-based principles. She succeeded by establishing a climate of relaxed alertness, immersing students in meaningful experiences, and guiding them in processing their experiences. (MLH)

Examined the contribution of biological and environmental variables to 11-year-olds' phonological development. Found that temporal lobe (planar) asymmetry, hand preference, family history of reading disability, and SES explained over half the variance in phonological and verbal performance, demonstrating a linear association between cerebral…

Identifies five key findings of brain research: complex inter-play between genes and environment; early experiences contribute to brain structure and capacities; early interactions affect wiring; brain development is non-linear; and a child's brain is more active than adults'. Discusses implications for early childhood environments, curriculum,…