ARTICLE#:4 ----------------------------------------------------------------TITLE: Learning disabilities and challenging behaviors [book review]. ACCESSION NO: BEDI02101302 AUTHOR: Mather, Nancy.; Goldstein, Sam, 1952-; Villareal, Donna,; SOURCE TITLE: Education and Treatment of Children SOURCE INFO: v. 25 no3 (Aug. 2002) p. 366-70 PUBLICATION YEAR: 2002 ISSN: 0748-8491 UPDATE CODE: 20021031 FULLTEXT LINK: http://wilsontxt.hwwilson.com/pdfhtml/03477/3THYY/0SM.htm FULL TEXT, HTML VERSION 13783 bytes http://wilsontxt.hwwilson.com/pdffull/03477/3THYY/0SM.pdf FULL TEXT, PDF VERSION 13783 bytes http://wilsontxt.hwwilson.com/pdffull/03477/3THYY/0SM.pdf PAGE IMAGE PDF ---------------------------------------------------------------------------FULLTEXT : The magazine publisher is the copyright holder of this article and it is reproduced with permission. Further reproduction of this article in violation of the copyright is prohibited. Mather, N., & Goldstein, S. (2001). Learning disabilities and challenging behaviors: A guide to intervention and classroom management. Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes. (softcover, 397 pp., $44.95) Organizing and managing large amounts of information is often a challenge for students with learning disabilities. This book provides teachers with a practical tool to do the same with the broad topic of learning disabilities-identify, organize, and manage the development of the academic and social behavior skills that students with learning disabilities need to participate successfully in school. The authors, Nancy Mather, faculty member specializing in learning disabilities at the University of Arizona, and Sam Goldstein, clinical neuropsychologist and faculty member at the University of Utah, incorporate contributions by Robert Brooks, Karyl Lynch, and Ann M. Richards. OBJECTIVES Directed towards K-12 teachers, school psychologists, speech-language therapists, and other educators, this book aims to present a useful, up-to-date map for navigating through the broad topography of school learning
disabilities. The authors write that “...the main focus is on identifying the developmental, learning, and behavior skills that will be most effective for helping students to succeed in school” (p. 5). The conceptual framework used by the authors is a set of ten blocks that form a pyramid. This pyramid symbol appears in the top right hand corner of every odd-numbered page and serves as a constant reminder of the core academic and social behaviors needed for school. The book's first objective is to use the 10-block pyramid to assist teachers in helping students better understand themselves as unique learners. The blocks are guides to systematically describe and assess individual strengths and needs in the classroom. A second objective is to help professionals design and implement comprehensive school intervention programs. A third objective is to use the block concepts to organize and describe an array of effective instructional practices, methods, and resources to teach students with learning disabilities. CONTENT The book is divided into 4 sections, which explain the four “stories” of the pyramid: foundational blocks, symbolic blocks, and conceptual blocks and learning strategies. The sections are subdivided into 11 total chapters, averaging 30-50 pages. The chapters, each focusing upon a block of learning, provide descriptions, examples, appendices, and work samples of actual children whose experiences weave through the book and whose later lives are discussed in the concluding chapter. Chapter 1, The Building Blocks of Learning, explains the pyramid model, which is the book's conceptual framework. While students may present any combination of strengths and weakness among the blocks, the authors describe 5 common profiles seen among students with learning disabilities: (1) strengths in symbolic and conceptual blocks, weaknesses in foundational blocks; (2) strengths in foundational and conceptual blocks, weaknesses in symbolic blocks; (3) strengths in foundational and symbolic blocks, weaknesses in conceptual blocks; (4) Strengths in conceptual blocks, weaknesses in foundational and symbolic blocks; and (5) a significant strength or weakness in one block. The chapter provides a 5-page questionnaire for screening students in relationship to these areas of the building blocks model. Chapter 2, Theoretical Foundations, provides additional rationale for the blocks and current definitions of learning disabilities, the aptitudeachievement discrepancy measure, and alternative identification procedures. Part II, the foundational blocks section, includes chapters 3-6 regarding attention, the emotions and behavior, self-esteem, and school environment. Chapter 3 discusses the attention block, specifically as attention deficit and
hyperactivity disorders (ADHD). Topics include the characteristics, causes and developmental course of ADHD, the teacher's role in the evaluation of ADHD, effects of medications, and classroom models for managing attention difficulties. In addition to concrete suggestions for ways to more effectively interact with students with ADHD, the authors include handouts such as a “Ritalin Quiz” and a two-page chart listing commonly prescribed medications for ADHD, dosage levels, duration of behavioral effects, benefits, and usage precautions. Chapter 4, Understanding and Managing Emotional and Behavior Problems, discusses aspects of student behavior, temperament and mood in the classroom. The chapter focuses on five areas: anxiety, depression, classroom interventions, oppositional and conduct problems, and the use of behavior modification concepts. After brief description of popular models and techniques for dealing with discipline referrals, the authors explain practical behavior modification strategies including schedules of reinforcement, modeling, shaping and positive/ negative reinforcement. Punishment is discussed in terms of response cost procedures and the use and misuse of time-out procedures. Chapter 5, written by Robert Brooks, is about strategies to promote academic self-esteem and resilience. The author outlines the components of the mindset of the effective educator, based upon attribution theory. He defines ways to recognize and strengthen students' “islands of competence” and learned attitudes. He encourages teachers to foster self-esteem, motivation, and resilience among all students, including students with learning disabilities. In the book's framework, self-esteem is the third of the four “foundational blocks” that form the base of the pyramid model. The last of the foundational blocks is school environment. This section relates to the classroom and school learning environment. Teachers are advised to maximize this aspect, which they control, through the use of active teaching with techniques such as direct instruction and small-group instruction. The authors describe the importance of seating arrangements, classroom space, communication with parents, allocating time in the classroom, managing transitions, and using preventative approaches to discipline. Important points for discussion are highlighted. A final section outlines the use of positive homework practices. While the foundations--learning environment, emotions, attention and selfesteem--are essential aspects of learning in school, they are not sufficient to guarantee student success. The third section of the book describes level two of the conceptual pyramid, symbolic blocks that relate to visual and auditory information processing. Chapter 7 defines and describes orthographic awareness, orthographic dyslexia, phonological dyslexia, verbal short-term
memory, and fine motor development. Discussion includes suggestions for classroom accommodations to address these areas. The chapter includes a handwriting evaluation scale, an instrument for screening early reading processes, a supplemental checklists and recording sheet for use with emergent readers, and an appendix which gives an overview of the relationship between speech sounds and spelling development. Chapter 8 relates specifically to how to teach decoding and encoding, reading fluency, calculating, and handwriting. This chapter explains skills development in decoding and encoding, phonics, types of text, reading fluency, calculating, handwriting, and in writing classroom accommodations. Several types of synthetic and analytic phonics methods are briefly described. Specific activities for increasing reading rate are offered. The section's appendix is Frye's 1,000-word list. The fourth major section of the book discusses the conceptual blocks of the pyramid model. Chapter 9, Thinking with Language, Images, and Strategies, is written by authors Karyl Lynch and Ann M. Richards. This chapter explains the components of oral language, receptive and expressive skills, instruction and interventions for students with nonverbal learning disabilities, and provides an overview of metacognitive and executive processes, the basis of learning strategies instruction. A final section discusses classroom accommodations including altering difficulty levels, providing a classroom coach, allowing more time and practice, and consideration of physical classroom arrangements. The appendix is an outline of test-taking strategies for students. Chapter 10 describes various ways to better instruct students in the areas of reading comprehension, written expression, and math problem solving. The abilities in the conceptual blocks of the pyramid model help learners of all ages understand meanings, comprehend relationships, visualize complex designs, and apply previously acquired knowledge as they engage in academic tasks. The chapters range from suggestions for specific software to assist students in organizing thoughts, to quick, helpful strategies to improve the editing process, such as “think-alouds,” self-regulated strategies, and reading a student's paper aloud backwards in order to isolate and more effectively proof each sentence. This useful chapter contribution is written by Karyl Lynch and includes the following sections: reading comprehension and written expression; reading comprehension strategies; written language strategies; math problem solving and an appendix of synonyms for words children use commonly in writing. In Chapter 11, The Classroom Environment as a Microcosm of the World, the authors follow up with the lives, 10 years later, of the same students introduced in Chapter 1. These students are referred to throughout the book
as exemplars of the learning challenges described in the pyramid model; the stories of the students are reminders of how school and academic learning lead to post-secondary and adult transitions as well. The authors emphasize that students who use learning strategies are able to compensate and adjust for weaknesses in other areas. The pyramid concept is invoked as the authors provide closing thoughts to guide teachers. Among the suggestions are for teachers to respect students; to want to teach; to work from a model; and to focus on keeping the work of the students meaningful, interesting, and purposeful. DOES THE BOOK MEET ITS OBJECTIVES? The Building Blocks of Learning pyramid comprehensively describes how a child's unique learning and behavior characteristics, as well as his / her support system and strengths, affect success in school. This book would be excellent as an introductory college/university textbook about learning disabilities and classroom behavior problems. In addition, each chapter can stand on its own to supplement or introduce specific topical areas. By describing each of the blocks, teachers and other specialists can use the book as a resource to develop and implement appropriate instructional plans. The book's discussion of accommodations, which are explained in several of the chapters, actually merit a complete chapter in themselves for their relevance to the instruction and assessment of students with learning disabilities. The authors stress the importance of providing choices to students, understanding why some students struggle, and the attention needed to assist students in gaining self-understanding. One aspect, however, that the text avoids addressing is the influence of home language and cultural differences among students with learning disabilities, described as one of the fastest growing student populations in the reauthorized Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1997. While the Building Blocks model has yet to be extensively researched, it may indeed be among the most robust and flexible models available to address the needs of LD students, including culturally and linguistically diverse exceptional learners. Overall, this textbook meets its objective to suggest a conceptual framework to bridge between educational research and practice. SUMMARY The pyramid shows what students need to be successful in school. Mather and Goldstein's book would be a useful text for school inservice activities to help teachers better understand and affect the factors that influence student's school performance. This book is a welcome contribution to an education field hungry for comprehensive, practical ways to understand and support students with learning disabilities.
ADDED MATERIAL Donna Villareal The Ohio State University