Alternative Education

Many students struggle with success in a traditional school settings. For that reason, alternative education programs exist to support these students through high school graduation and to post-secondary endeavors. Students in alternative education come from varying backgrounds and have differing needs; therefore, programs targeting these students need to meet each individual's needs. Students may have behavioral or emotional concerns, academic deficits, be pregnant or parenting teenagers, or have severe trauma backgrounds. Alternative education needs to focus on school culture, student engagement, academic interventions, behavioral interventions, and social-emotional learning. The ultimate goal of alternative education is to help all students succeed no matter their needs and ease their transition to a traditional school, post-secondary education, career, military, or other ventures. This chapter will outline alternative education and how to implement strategies in all settings.

Functional Consequences of Poor Binaural Hearing in Development: Evidence From Children With Unilateral Hearing Loss and Children Receiving Bilateral Cochlear Implants

Poor binaural hearing in children was hypothesized to contribute to related cognitive and academic deficits. Children with unilateral hearing have normal hearing in one ear but no access to binaural cues. Their cognitive and academic deficits could be unique from children receiving bilateral cochlear implants (CIs) at young ages who have poor access to spectral cues and impaired binaural sensitivity. Both groups are at risk for vestibular/balance deficits which could further contribute to memory and learning challenges. Eighty-eight children (43 male:45 female, aged 9.89 ± 3.40 years), grouped by unilateral hearing loss ( n = 20), bilateral CI ( n = 32), and typically developing ( n = 36), completed a battery of sensory, cognitive, and academic tests. Analyses revealed that children in both hearing loss groups had significantly poorer skills (accounting for age) on most tests than their normal hearing peers. Children with unilateral hearing loss had more asymmetric speech perception than children with bilateral CIs ( p < .0001) but balance and language deficits ( p = .0004, p < .0001, respectively) were similar in the two hearing loss groups ( p > .05). Visuospatial memory deficits occurred in both hearing loss groups ( p = .02) but more consistently across tests in children with unilateral hearing loss. Verbal memory was not significantly different than normal ( p > .05). Principal component analyses revealed deficits in a main cluster of visuospatial memory, oral language, mathematics, and reading measures (explaining 46.8% data variability). The remaining components revealed clusters of self-reported hearing, balance and vestibular function, and speech perception deficits. The findings indicate significant developmental impacts of poor binaural hearing in children.

A pharmacokinetic model of lead absorption and calcium competitive dynamics

Lead is a naturally-occurring element. It has been known to man for a long time, and it is one of the longest established poisons. The current consensus is that no level of lead exposure should be deemed “safe”. New evidence regarding the blood levels at which morbidities occur has prompted the CDC to reduce the screening guideline of 10 μg/dl to 2 μg/dl. Measurable cognitive decline (reduced IQ, academic deficits) have been found to occur at levels below 10 μg/dl, especially in children. Knowledge of lead pharmacology allows us to better understand its absorption and metabolization, mechanisms that produce its medical consequences. Based upon an original and very simplified compartmental model of Rabinowitz (1973) with only three major compartments (blood, bone and soft tissue), extensive biophysical models sprouted over the following two decades. However, none of these models have been specifically designed to use new knowledge of lead molecular dynamics to understand its deleterious effects on the brain. We build and analyze a compartmental model of lead pharmacokinetics, focused specifically on addressing neurotoxicity. We use traditional phase space methods, parameter sensitivity analysis and bifurcation theory to study the transitions in the system’s behavior in response to various physiological parameters. We conclude that modeling the complex interaction of lead and calcium along their dynamic trajectory may successfully explain counter-intuitive effects on systemic function and neural behavior which could not be addressed by existing linear models. Our results encourage further efforts towards using nonlinear phenomenology in conjunction with empirically driven system parameters, to obtain a biophysical model able to provide clinical assessments and predictions.

Empirically Derived Subclasses of Academic Skill Among Children at Risk for Behavior Problems and Association With Distal Academic Outcomes

Students with early indicators of behavior risk have predictable, negative outcomes, and those with co-existing academic problems have significantly more negative outcomes. Identifying academic subclasses of students with behavior risk can inform integrated interventions and school-based problem-solving teams. In addition, identifying academic strengths among a population of children typically only differentiated by severity of maladaptive behaviors may offer insight into academic resiliency. Using a sample of 676 elementary school students identified as behaviorally at risk, latent class analysis of reading and math indicators was conducted. Results indicated a three-class structure was the best fit for these data, with Class 1 (25%) having the least academic risk, Class 2 (37%) as below average reading and math, and Class 3 (38%) with significant academic deficits. Class membership was found to significantly predict end of year statewide assessment performance. While those behaviorally at-risk students with co-occurring academic deficits were very likely to fail the end of year assessments (Class 3; 88%–99% failure rates), those with stronger academic skills (Class 1) were increasingly more likely to pass (47%–56% pass rates). Practical implications, including intervention selection, and future directions are discussed.

Three Student Engagement Strategies to Help Elementary Teachers Work Smarter, Not Harder, in Mathematics

Many students with and/or at risk for emotional and behavioral disorders have academic deficits that affect their performance in mathematics. In addition, these students’ behavioral issues may interfere with their academic achievement. For these students, it makes sense for teachers to consider implementing research- and/or evidence-based practices that simultaneously promote mathematics fluency and increased academic engagement. The purpose of this article is to provide teachers with three instructional practices that we believe can easily be integrated into mathematics instruction. The practices are opportunities to respond, token economy, and self-monitoring.

Self-Awareness of Executive Functioning Deficits in Adolescents With ADHD

Objective: Children with ADHD lack self-awareness of their social and academic deficits, frequently rating themselves more favorably than external sources. The purpose of the current study was to assess whether adolescents with ADHD also hold a positive bias toward their executive functioning (EF). Method: Participants include 22 control and 35 ADHD subjects, aged 11 to 16. Participants and their parents completed the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Functioning (BRIEF) Self and Parent forms, respectively. Discrepancy scores were calculated for each domain by subtracting the adolescents’ T-score from the parents’ T-score. Results: Discrepancy scores were significantly higher in the ADHD group than controls within the Inhibit, Shift, Monitor, Emotional Control, Working Memory, and Plan/Organization domains (all p < .05). Conclusion: As compared with controls, adolescents with ADHD tend to endorse fewer EF difficulties than what parents report. This is the first study to demonstrate that those with ADHD may overestimate their EF ability.

Neuropsychological assessment before and after radiotherapy in a child with an intracranial tumor: case report

INTRODUCTION: Brain tumors are the most common solid tumors and the second largest group of neoplasms diagnosed in childhood. Treatment includes surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy. However, radiotherapy can cause complications, e.g., cognitive deficits. CASE DESCRIPTION: We describe the case of a child diagnosed with a brain tumor evaluated before and after radiotherapy to investigate cognitive decline after treatment. The results showed a decline in Intelligence Quotient (IQ) scores and reversal of the predominance of verbal and nonverbal skills. After radiotherapy, the subject showed slowness, academic deficits, and difficulties learning new information. COMMENTS: Even though the post-treatment evaluation showed scores compatible with the average, comparison between pre- and post-treatment evaluations demonstrated the impact of radiotherapy on the subject's cognitive profile. These results highlight the importance of evaluating patients who undergo radiotherapy before and after treatment and understanding neuropsychological scores associated with the subjects' complaints.

Manifestations of Dyslexia and Dyscalculia

This study examined the prevalence of dyslexia and dyscalculia among persons with academic deficits in English Language and Mathematics in public primary schools in Ibadan metropolis. A correlational survey study, sampling 477 pupils who were between the ages of eight and 12 years, and in 4th and 5th grades with the use of four research instruments- the Myklebust Pupil Rating Scale (MPRS), the Slosson Intelligence Test- Revised Third Edition (SIT-R3), the Test of Pupil Reading Abilities Test (TPRA) and the Mathematical Abilities Test (MAT) was adopted. It was discovered that dyslexia and dyscalculia were prevalent among pupils with academic deficits in English Language and Mathematics, and that pupils with both dyslexia and dyscalculia are in the larger percentage. It was also discovered that learning disabilities, dyslexia and dyscalculia were not peculiar to any gender. Persons with academic deficits in English language and mathematics should be screened for either dyslexia or dyscalculia, even both. Also, they should be taught according to a carefully developed Individualized Education Plan.