The relationships of two cognitive styles to reading speed and comprehension were investigated by administering a measure of ability to disregard irrelevent stimuli (closure flexibility) and a measure of ability to move fluently from one stimulus to another (fluency) to 94 fifth-grade children. (CM)

The performance of five students (ages 6 to 10) in an adjustment class for deaf children was compared under fixed and variable ratio schedules of reinforcement. During the VR condition, students visually attended more and engaged in disruptive behavior less often than during the FR condition. (Author)

This study evaluated a computer-assisted training program used by four patients (ages 40 to 53) who had attentional deficits caused by cerebrovascular accident and closed head injury. Patients demonstrated improvements in training tasks, attention, and visual memory, but no improvements in two verbal memory tests and a general intelligence test.…

Examined the role of same-sex peer interactions in influencing early school competence and the degree to which effortful control (EC) moderated these relations. Results indicated that EC, measured at the end of the Fall semester, moderated the relations of children's same-sex play to their school competence, measured at the end of the following…

Reviews approaches to attention deficit hyperactivity disorders (ADHD) that are alternatives to the biomedical model. Addresses the general problem of description and classification of behaviors into the ADHD diagnosis and discusses perspectives on sociocultural factors in ADHD behaviors, diagnosis, and treatment approaches. Maintains that ADHD…

This longitudinal study examined the hypothesis that two different types of joint-attention skills were related to verbal and nonverbal IQ measures through middle childhood. Subjects were infants born preterm and tested at 13 months and at 8 years. Findings provide support for the hypothesis that the initiation of joint attention makes a unique…

Three two-year-old boys with autism participated in a study comparing effects on time engaged when a toy was selected by either teacher or child. The data suggest the child-choice condition resulted in more engaged time for each participant and less problematic behaviors for two of the children. (Contains references.) (Author/DB)

This paper presents a model of differential diagnosis of attentional problems and reading disability that uses intra-individual differences in performance of tasks that vary in their requirement of sustained attention such as listening comprehension (high attention requirement) and reading comprehension (lower attention requirement). The validity…

Children with mental retardation are particularly prone to failure on relational tasks such as oddity and match-to-sample, suggesting a differential sensitivity to relational information. This paper reports on several studies in which characteristics of stimulus arrays were enhanced. Results demonstrated the theoretical and practical significance…

The study investigated the effects of a self-instructional training package on the on-task behavior of four adults with mental retardation employed in a sheltered workshop. On-task behavior increased substantially across all subjects following the training and the behavior generalized from the training setting to the actual work environment.…

This study compared parent and teacher behavioral ratings for 77 children (ages 5-16) diagnosed as having attention deficit disorder with hyperactivity (ADD/H), attention deficit disorder without hyperactivity (ADD/WO), or learning disabilities (LD). ADD/WO and LD children were rated similarly on symptoms of withdrawal and impulsivity but differed…

The onset and maintenance of visual attention to signing was observed in three profoundly deaf children (ages two and three) while interacting with their hearing mothers about a picture story. All children experienced problems with the need to focus simultaneously on the mother's signs and the picture book. Suggestions for developing visual…

This study, with four preschool children who displayed difficulty maintaining independent on-task behavior, found they were able to learn a self-monitoring strategy (comprising self-talk, self-appraisal, and self-recording) and to maintain the targeted behavior improvements upon removal of the prompts. (DB)

Twenty students and 45 adults with visual impairments or blindness were administered a test of tactile concentration and short-term memory involving the reproduction of the order of finger stimulation using the Finger Knocking Box. Reliability and validity scores indicated encouraging results with use of the instrument. (JDD)

This study examined effects of providing "mood calming" background music in a special class for children with emotional and behavioral difficulties. Findings indicated a significant improvement in behavior and mathematics performance for all 10 of the children, with effects most noticeable for children with problems related to constant stimulus…