Search

Many children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) demonstrate poor comprehension of language at the sentence level in both the spoken modality and the graphic symbol modality. This study explored whether children with ASD are able to follow directives when presented with a graphic symbol sentence that includes an animated symbol for a verb. A total of five participants with moderate-to-severe ASD were presented with 10 graphic symbol sentences and asked to perform the directive using the provided figurines/objects. Results demonstrated that children with ASD can correctly carry out full-sentence directives to varying degrees when the directives represented graphically include an animated verb. Several observations were noted pertaining to participants' performance and autism severity. The results of this study may have important implications for using animation as a tool to facilitate symbol syntax comprehension.

For this study, 11 children with moderate to severe autism spectrum disorder (ASD) were given directives containing prepositions in three cue conditions: (a) spoken alone, (b) a short video clip along with spoken cues, and (c) a sequence of three graphic symbols accompanied by spoken cues. Participants followed directives significantly more accurately with the video clip than with spoken cues only, and significantly more accurately with spoken cues only relative to the sequence of graphic symbols. Results suggest that the short video clip along with spoken cues may be an optimal mode for enhancing learners' ability to follow directives containing prepositions. In addition, results reveal three statistically significant correlations between participants' preexisting skills and directive-following accuracy: a positive correlation between spoken preposition preassessment total score and accuracy in the spoken-alone condition; a positive correlation between spoken noun preassessment total score and accuracy in the video-clip condition; and a positive correlation between ASD severity and the need for repetition in the video-clip condition. Results also suggested that, for children with more severe ASD symptoms, the video clips require repetitions so that the relationships illustrated within it can gain more semantic salience. Implications for clinical practice and future research are discussed.

Background: Achieving activity participation goals is a key factor in quality of life (QOL) for people with aphasia (PWA), but expressing participation goals can be difficult for many of them. Proxy reports by caregivers may not accurately reflect the interests and participation goals of PWA, and discrepancies in these goals between PWA and their caregivers may affect QOL, based on the assumption that caregivers' awareness of their loved ones' unique participation goals may be important to increasing PWA activity participation. Aims: To examine everyday activities valued by PWA using the Life Interests and Values (LIV) Cards; to measure congruence between PWA and their caregivers on life participation goals; and to measure how congruence of PWA-caregiver participation goals related to QOL. Methods & Procedures: A convenience sample of 25 PWA completed the LIV Card assessment and the Stroke Aphasia Quality of Life Scale--39 to assess participation goals and QOL. Participation goals were also evaluated with respect to age, time post-onset and aphasia severity. A total of 12 caregivers were administered the LIV Cards to calculate agreement between PWA-proxy activity reports and the relationship between agreement and QOL. Outcomes & Results: PWA endorsed wanting to participate more in a wide range of activities, with common interests in walking/running, going to the beach and eating out, among others. PWA-caregiver activity agreement was fair to moderate with point-to-point agreement averaging 70%. However, no relationship between degree of congruence in PWA-proxy pairs and QOL was found. Conclusions & Implications: PWA have a variety of activity participation goals that can be integrated into intervention plans. Dependence on proxy respondents should be reduced as much as possible to support self-determination for PWA.

Unlike English, short vowel sounds in Arabic are represented by diacritics rather than letters. According to the presence and absence of these vowel diacritics, the Arabic script can be considered more or less transparent in comparison with other orthographies. The purpose of this study was to investigate the contribution of working memory to vowelized and non-vowelized reading comprehension and determine whether working memory is more involved in non-vowelized than vowelized reading comprehension. Forty-nine Arabic speaking children from grade six (age 11) undertook two measures of reading comprehension (one vowelized and one non-vowelized). They were also given measures of word reading fluency, vocabulary, phonological awareness, rapid naming and listening span as a measure of working memory. The results indicated that both vowelized and non-vowelized texts were associated with the measure of working memory after controlling for vocabulary, word reading and phonological processing. Although the results are more consistent with common influences of working memory across the two orthographies, slightly larger effects of working memory on non-vowelized reading comprehension suggest that further research, potentially with younger cohorts of Arabic readers would be appropriate. The findings are discussed and future directions for research are suggested.

Abstract: U24 is a C-terminal membrane-anchored protein found in both human herpes virus type 6 and 7 (HHV-6 and HHV-7), with an N-terminal segment that is rich in prolines (PPxY [...]

Escalating conflicts over issues involving sexual orientation in public schools often pit conservative Christians against proponents of gay rights--with school leaders caught in the crossfire. Some beleaguered school administrators attempt to put a lid on the controversy by censoring student expression on one side or the other. But that tactic seems to make matters worse. Meanwhile, in other communities, conservative religious students have won the right to counter pro-gay messages with apparel proclaiming their own views about homosexuality. In this article, the author talks about a role for public school educators to negotiate conflicts over sexual orientation and religious expression.

Contrary to culture-war rhetoric from the Right, there is more student religious expression and more study about religion in public schools today than at any time in the last 100 years. And contrary to dire warnings from the Left, much of the religion that goes to school these days arrives through the First Amendment door. Of course, this isn't to suggest that all school districts get religion right. Throughout the country, the public school curriculum still falls short of serious consideration of religious ways of seeing the world.

This cross-sectional study investigated contributions of phonological awareness (Elision and blending), rapid naming (object, color, letter, and digit), and phonological memory (nonword repetition and Digit Span) to basic decoding and fluency skills in Arabic. Participants were 237 Arabic speaking children from Grades K-3. Dependent measures included word decoding, oral passage reading fluency, nonword reading fluency, and retell fluency. Within-grade analyses indicated that phonological awareness accounted for more variance than rapid naming regardless of the nature of the outcome measure and grade. Rapid naming's capacity to predict variance, while less than that of phonological awareness, tended to rise steadily and was highest in Grade 3. Phonological memory, as measured by this study's tasks, showed almost no relationship to reading performance. The findings are discussed with respect to changing the requirements of Arabic reading in Grades K-3 and suggestions are made for future research.

U.S. schools are becoming increasingly religiously diverse, but students rarely learn about different religious beliefs and how those beliefs--or nonbelief--might shape people's responses to important issues. Face to Faith is a free program that uses videoconferencing to connect students with peers from around the world to discuss issues related to faith. Students first learn how to conduct a respectful dialogue. Then they participate with students from partner schools in lesson modules related to such issues as poverty and the environment. Online discussion forums and social action projects build on what students learn during the videoconferences. Students report that the program has helped them see that despite differences, they have a lot in common with people from other faiths and cultures.

At a time when the United States faces unprecedented challenges at home and abroad, public schools must do far more to prepare young people to be engaged, ethical advocates of "liberty and justice for all." This article explores what makes some people behave ethically--even at the risk of their own lives--and asserts that developing moral habits of the heart is the central mission of schools. It describes "schools of conscience" that support students in their search for meaning while teaching them the civic principles and virtues necessary for sustaining the common good in a democracy.

From northern California to southern Florida, there are just too many superintendents who are reluctant to touch religion with the proverbial 10-foot pole. Following the let-sleeping-dogs-lie approach to administration, they start to think about First Amendment solutions only after a fight breaks out. By then it is often too late to avert a bitter legal battle that divides the community and erodes support for public education. Even school districts with "religion policies" buried somewhere on the shelf still get into trouble because nobody remembers what the policies say. In this article, the author discusses several strategies school leaders can employ to be proactive when they are likely to get caught in the crossfire of debates involving deep religious and ideological differences. The author also describes what the school districts in Richardson, Texas and in Mustang, Oklahoma did in order to develop guidelines for their religious practices.

This study examined the extent to which mora deletion (phonological analysis), nonword repetition (phonological memory), rapid automatized naming (RAN), and visual search abilities predict reading in Japanese kindergartners and first graders. Analogous abilities have been identified as important predictors of reading skills in alphabetic languages like English. In contrast to English, which is based on grapheme-phoneme relationships, the primary components of Japanese orthography are two syllabaries--hiragana and katakana (collectively termed "kana")--and a system of morphosyllabic symbols (kanji). Three RAN tasks (numbers, objects, syllabary symbols [hiragana]) were used with kindergartners, with an additional kanji RAN task included for first graders. Reading measures included accuracy and speed of passage reading for kindergartners and first graders, and reading comprehension for first graders. In kindergartners, hiragana RAN and number RAN were the only significant predictors of reading accuracy and speed. In first graders, kanji RAN and hiragana RAN predicted reading speed, whereas accuracy was predicted by mora deletion. Reading comprehension was predicted by kanji RAN, mora deletion, and nonword repetition. Although number RAN did not contribute unique variance to any reading measure, it correlated highly with kanji RAN. Implications of these findings for research and practice are discussed.

In the wake of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the American government acted quickly to mobilize what it called "critical homeland defenders" to meet the threat faced by our nation and the world. Not surprisingly, 21 government agencies made the list, ranging from the State Department to the U.S. Border Patrol. That may be what it takes to address the immediate crisis. But for the long-term preservation and expansion of democratic freedom, the United States must look to public schools--the one institution founded to transmit civic principles and virtues from one generation to the next. In this article, the author stresses that not only should public schools be added to the list, they should be moved up to the top as America's most important homeland defender.

Perception and production of vowels in the words "pit,""pet," and "pat" were investigated with 19 adolescents with reading disabilities. Students with reading disabilities perceived and produced less well-defined vowel categories than a control group. Results suggest that speech processing difficulties of students with reading disabilities include weak phonological coding for vowel sounds with similar phonetic characteristics. (Contains references.) ( Author/DB)

Argues that nowhere is it more important to address religious diversity than in the public schools--the principal institution charged with enabling Americans to live with their deepest differences. Discusses the First Amendment and how the American press is handling religion. Addresses religious liberty in schools and religious liberty rights of students. Includes some basic information on Islam. Presents resources for addressing religious diversity and religious liberty in public schools. (SG)

From 19th-century Protestant hegemony to today's religion-free zones, we have found no proper, constitutional role for religion and religious expression in public education. Both models are unjust and, in some cases, unconstitutional. A third model, composed of consensual guidelines, must be translated into local district policies and practices. (MLH)