[LearningDisabilities 893] Re: Re. Priorities for ResearchChristy Breihan breihanc at matc.eduMon Jan 29 22:35:24 EST 2007
Wow! I think that's exactly what we need to be able to select appropriate interventions and, if necessary, accommodations. The generalizations put forward at most professional development events I attend seem more intended to elicit sympathy than to find remedies. It should be possible through current research methods to identify specific barriers to precise areas of learning and then find the best tools to move the learner past them. Defining a group by its distance from a norm rather that by what actually separates it only perpetuates the sense of mystery when we should be seeking understanding. I absolutely agree that research results are less impressive than they might be were we applying them to better defined, more homogeneous groups. Doing this would also require all who aspire to claim some expertise in the field to update their lexicon in a way many practitioners have not done since their college days. Hopefully science will finally bring enlightenment to the warring "beliefs" in education. Christy Breihan Adult Basic Ed Instructor >>> Richard Gacka <ldconsultants at mac.com> 01/25/07 8:22 PM >>> I have been following the thread of responses to the question regarding future research efforts. Since the discussion has recently turned toward recognition that the problem may be ambiguity at the center of the bulls eye, that is, the definition of the condition being measured, I would like to continue the discussion. Like many apparent conundrums, movement toward a solution of the problems that affect research may not be easy, and may call for greater reconciliation between theoretical and practical considerations. I would hope that there is rather generalized recognition that there is a problem, the research that we have is often based on a very poorly defined group and that flaw ripples through all of the generalizations that result. To be certain, we should address research problem. But in doing so, do we focus on fixing the definition, or more realistically, moving in the direction of having better definitions. I think the latter would be a viable initial research objective. The literature shows increasing frequency of the term spectrum disorder in describing symptomatic continuums. I would propose that use of the term would be appropriate in the field of Learning Disabilities, i.e. we begin to replace the singular term Learning Disability with the more encompassing (and in my view more accurate) term Learning Disabilities Spectrum Disorder. This would better address the multiplicity of etiology but would also allow differentiation of the different types of L.D. Achieving that differentiation would be a major accomplishment, since that differentiation would greatly facilitate research on the impact of interventions because doing so would allow more apples to apples analysis. I have thought for a long time that much of the past research has failed to show impact because the group that was studied, while having the same label, was in fact a rather heterogeneous group. It is interesting to look at the DSM-IV in terms of the number and specificity of diagnostic codes. Learning Disorders has 4 codes, Communication Disorders has 5 codes and Attention-Deficit and Disruptive Disorders have 5 codes. Those codes are generally not consistent with terminology used in educational discussions, although one can mentally make a cross-walk between them and the terminology used in the field of Adult Education. Wouldnt it be a step forward for the field if the people who did the diagnostic work spoke the same language as the people who provide the treatment? Another way to look at the DSM-IV issue is to compare the generic area of Learning Problems with the area of Substance Abuse. In the latter, there are 114 (I may be off a little) diagnostic codes. It does not take an expert to see that the field of Substance Disorder did a much better job of lobbying for representation and specificity than did the field of Learning Disabilities. Since most research starts with some attempt at grouping, and since that grouping often depends of diagnostic classification, I would argue that some major thrust in the field of LD would be to better articulate the Types, and that gets back to the concept of it being a Spectrum Disorder. Another benefit or promoting a view of Learning Disabilities as a family of disorders sharing commonalities but also having differences would be the ability to identity or compensate for contaminating secondary and environmental issues. This has been suggested in the earlier discussions but has not been clearly defined; the differentiation between the pure underlying condition, and the presentation seen by most practitioners of the pure underlying condition, exacerbated by secondary, environmental, health, and emotional factors. Those factors need to be differentiated and recognized as part of any research. Having said all of that, the true value would be the enhanced capacity of practitioners to better select interventions that would have a greater probability of resulting in improved performance. If a clear and easy to understand classification system were available, it would allow practitioners to better conceptualize the group of students in their charge. With clearer definitions they could better adapt their use of materials and techniques to meet the characteristics of their students. Concurrently, formal research could use the same classifications but do so at a much more rigorous level of variable control, ideally keying off of trends reported in the practitioner research. This would result in a significant reduction in the chasm between research and reality. So, what exactly am I suggesting? The field of Learning Disabilities needs to establish a presence within the community that is currently working on the next revision of the DSM. The goal would be to expand the specificity of diagnostic codes and include clear definitions so that practitioners could conceptualize their interventions in the same terminology. I know that there are individuals who would resist such an expansion of categorization, but it need not be punitive, sterile or discriminatory, and it is sorely needed if the field is to gain any true professional recognition. That the field refine its thinking from speaking of A Learning Disability to A Continuum or A Spectrum of Manifestations. Even with the current spectrum disorders seen in the literature, (for example, Autism Spectrum Disorder), every individual case is likely to be a unique hybrid because no two individuals will have lived in the same environment and experienced the same consequences of having those difficulties. Starting to think of learning problems from that perspective would be a step in the right direction. That practitioners at the grass roots level begin to conceptualize the Learning Disabilities that they see on a daily basis as sub- types of a family of manifestations, and begin to adjust their interventions accordingly. I would encourage energetic application of practitioner research or practitioner inquiry, thinking more about gathering objective data on the consequences of their instruction than the term that they happen to call their efforts or the formal regulation of related variables. If that were done, a small core of informal evidence might evolve, that could then direct subsequent more rigorous formal research. My apologies for the length of this communication, but I hope it has been helpful in continuing the discussion. Richard Gacka Director: PA ABLE Learning Differences project ldconsultants at web.mac.com
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