SPED 780

Class 3

Medical Aspects/Brain Research

Family/Social Context

Judith Mack, MSEd, MSW

Adjunct Lecturer

Department of Special Education

Agenda

• Brain Research/ Medical Aspects of LD

• Causes of LD

• Family and Social Context

• Group Topics and Presentation Dates

What Causes Learning Disabilities?

• Etiology – cause of a disability or abnormal condition

• Early researchers believed neurological dysfunction to be the cause

• Two reasons researchers and practitioners may have been skeptical about a neurological basis for learning disabilities:• Inaccurate measurement of neurological dysfunction• Emphasis on behaviorism and environmentalism

Factors Contributing to the Acceptance of Neurological

Causes

• Decrease in popularity of behaviorism and environmentalism

• Technological advances in neurological research

Medical Aspects/Brain ResearchKey Questions

• What causes learning disabilities?

• How does the brain function?

• How can we infer neurological dysfunction?

• What should educators keep in mind regarding causes?

How Does the Brain Function?

Neurons send and receive information in the brain. Most neurons consist of:

1) The cell body, or soma

2) Dendrites

3) The axon

4) Terminal buttons

Different Parts of the BrainHave Different Functions

• Brain Stem – regulates important survival reflexes such as respiration and heart rate

• Cerebellum – regulates several behaviors having to do with movement

Cerebral Cortex• Frontal Lobes – responsible for the regulation of

one’s behavior

• Parietal Lobes – crucial to the integration of bodily sensations and visual perception

• Occipital Lobes – dedicated to various aspects of visual perception

• Temporal Lobes – involved in attention, memory, and language production and expression

Left and Right Hemispheresof the Brain

• Each hemisphere receives sensory information and controls the movement of the opposite side of the body.

• Broca and Wernicke drew attention to the left hemisphere’s role in language.

• Split-brain patients prove that the two brain hemispheres are primarily responsible for different functions.

What Factors Contributeto Neurological Dysfunction?

• Hereditary Factors

• Teratogenic Factors• Prenatal exposure to toxins

• Medical Factors• Meningitis, difficulties during birth, ear

infections

• Environmental Factors• Poverty, malnutrition

How Can We InferNeurological Dysfunction?

• Methods of determining whether learning disabilities are the result of neurological disorders:

• Postmortem studies

• Neuroimaging studies

• Right-hemisphere brain dysfunction

Brain Research Methods

• MRI- magnetic resonance imaging shows size, shape, and location of brain structures

• PET- positron emission tomography measures metabolism with the brain thus determining glucose in the brain of a child with hyperactivity

• fMRI- functional magnetic resonance imaging shows brain activity while people complete complex tasks

MRI/fMRI

Brain Imaging and LD

• Early readers move from using posterior systems (visual-perceptual processes) to frontal systems

• Progression from letter/word recognition to comprehension requires maturation of the pathways from back to front

Brain Imaging and LD

• As reading improves, the activation changes from diffuse to more organized.

• Leads to improvements in reading and language skills as well as better auditory processing ability.

Figure. fMRI image of a normal person reading. The arrow points to the part of the brain that is activated.

Brain Imaging and LD• Nonfluent readers show more

activity in:• parietal and occipital regions• right hemisphere

• Fluent and adult readers :• utilize the left hemisphere more

for reading.

Semrud-Clikeman, M. (2003, December). Neuropsychological aspects of learning disabilities. Paper presented at the National Research Center on Learning Disabilities Responsiveness-to-Intervention Symposium, Kansas City, MO.

Brain activation during pseudoword reading, before and after intervention. Note the dramatic increase in left temporoparietal activation associated with drastic improvement in phonological

decoding skills. http://www.uth.tmc.edu/clinicalneuro/dyslexia.htm

Effects of Intervention

Some Teaching Implications

• Skills are processed in the brain differently depending on the individuals age, exposure, genetic, biological make up

• Children’s experiences can affect how the brain responds

Turn & Talk

• Compare the Medical and Educational Models

• What are the major contrasts?

• Can both models be useful in teaching students with LD?

• Discuss your philosophical position regarding the etiology of learning disabilities. (i.e., nature vs. nurture)

What to Keep in MindRegarding Causes

• We are rarely able to determine definitively the cause of someone’s learning disability

• Keep causal factors in proper perspective

• The exact cause of a learning disability is only of limited utility to teachers and other educators

Turn & Talk

• How does understanding the brain impact your teaching?

• Do you believe educators should communicate etiology of learning disabilities information to parents or not? Why or why not?

• Specifically, look over Jamal’s family history. Should his mom share his father’s history with him?

Switching Gears: Family and Social Context

Key Points: Working With Families

• How have professionals’ views of parents changed?

• What treatment models are used with families?

• What are some current trends in the family life of your students?

• What is the family’s role?

• How can communication be enhanced between the family and professionals?

How Professionals’ Views of Parents Have Changed

• Parents have significantly influenced the area of learning disabilities.

• Parents were once ignored or blamed for their children’s learning and social problems.

• Now, they are recognized as critical in helping meet the needs of children with disabilities. Why?• Reciprocal effects• Passage of federal laws

Treatment Models Used with Families

• Most authorities advocate family-centered models of treatment.

• Today’s approaches to working with families are also characterized by attention to social systems.

Treatment Models Used with Families

• The family systems model consists of four interrelated components: Family characteristics Family interaction Family functions Family life cycle

• The social support systems model stresses the importance of informal rather than formal sources of support for families.

Some Current Trends in American Family Life

Teachers need to be aware of three important and interrelated areas of diversity:

The family unit Race, ethnicity, and language Socioeconomic status

Family Adjustment

• Parents often experience guilt and stress.

• Some siblings have trouble adjusting and develop feelings of resentment.

• Most families adjust well, but a few experience enough stress to be considered dysfunctional.

Mediated Learning Experience

Family Values and Attitudes Toward Learning

• Parents can exert influence on their children through interactions with them as well as through attitudes.

• Children whose parents value education are at an advantage.

• For the child with learning disabilities, positive influence from the parents is even more important.

Parents as Advocates

• Parents can be effective advocates for their child to ensure that they receive the best education possible.• Parents have an overall picture of their

child’s disability throughout the years.

• As children with learning disabilities mature, they must become their own advocates.

Parent Teacher Conferences

• Four general purposes:1) Imparting information about students’ academic

and social behaviors2) Gathering information about students’ interests3) Planning for students’ educational programs4) Solving problems students are having at school

• Teachers should provide parents with additional resources.

Communication between the Family and Professionals

• Communication between parents and professionals is not always ideal.

TURN & TALK

• How would you rate your ability to work with parents?

• What are the most successful strategies for working with parents?

For Tomorrow

• Choose presentation topic with your group

Reading:

• Required:• Hallahan, Chapter 11 – please read this

chapter when you get the book• Lagrander

• Recommended:• Snowling (2004)