Browsing by Author "Stuebing, Karla K."
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Item A response to recent reanalyses of the National Reading Panel Report: Effects of systematic phonics instruction are practically significant(Journal of Educational Psychology, 2008-02) Stuebing, Karla K.; Barth, Amy E.; Cirino, Paul T.; Francis, David J.; Fletcher, Jack M.The authors examine the reassessments of the National Reading Panel (NRP) report (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, 2000) by G. Camilli, S. Vargas, and M. Yurecko (2003); G. Camilli, P. M. Wolfe, and M. L. Smith (2006); and D. D. Hammill and H. L. Swanson (2006) that disagreed with the NRP on the magnitude of the effect of systematic phonics instruction. Using the coding of the NRP studies by Camilli et al. (2003, 2006), multilevel regression analyses show that their findings do not contradict the NRP findings of effect sizes in the small to moderate range favoring systematic phonics. Extending Camilli et al. (2003, 2006), the largest effects are associated with reading instruction enhanced with components that increase comprehensiveness and intensity. In contrast to Hammill and Swanson, binomial effect size displays show that effect sizes of the magnitude found for systematic phonics by the NRP are meaningful and could result in significant improvement for many students depending on the base rate of struggling readers and the size of the effect. Camilli et al. (2003, 2006) and Hammill and Swanson do not contradict the NRP report, concurring in supporting comprehensive approaches to reading instruction.Item A test of the cerebellar hypothesis of dyslexia in adequate and inadequate responders to reading intervention(Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 2010-03) Barth, Amy E.; Denton, Carolyn A.; Stuebing, Karla K.; Fletcher, Jack M.; Cirino, Paul T.; Francis, David J.; Vaughn, SharonThe cerebellar hypothesis of dyslexia posits that cerebellar deficits are associated with reading disabilities and may explain why some individuals with reading disabilities fail to respond to reading interventions. We tested these hypotheses in a sample of children who participated in a grade 1 reading intervention study (n = 174) and a group of typically achieving children (n = 62). At posttest, children were classified as adequately responding to the intervention (n = 82), inadequately responding with decoding and fluency deficits (n = 36), or inadequately responding with only fluency deficits (n = 56). Based on the Bead Threading and Postural Stability subtests from the Dyslexia Screening Test-Junior, we found little evidence that assessments of cerebellar functions were associated with academic performance or responder status. In addition, we did not find evidence supporting the hypothesis that cerebellar deficits are more prominent for poor readers with “specific” reading disabilities (i.e., with discrepancies relative to IQ) than for poor readers with reading scores consistent with IQ. In contrast, measures of phonological awareness, rapid naming, and vocabulary were strongly associated with responder status and academic outcomes. These results add to accumulating evidence that fails to associate cerebellar functions with reading difficulties.Item Cognitive and behavioral attention in children with math difficulties(Child Neuropsychology, 2013) Gold, Alanna B.; Ewing-Cobbs, Linda; Cirino, Paul T.; Fuchs, Lynn S.; Stuebing, Karla K.; Fletcher, Jack M.Cognitive assessments and behavioral ratings of attention were used to examine the relation of inattention to math performance in children. Third grade students with math difficulties (MD; n = 17) and math and reading difficulties (MDRD; n = 35) were administered the Attentional Network Test (ANT), as well as achievement and intelligence measures. Strengths and Weaknesses of ADHD-Symptoms and Normal-Behavior-IV (SWAN-IV) Inattention ratings were collected from teachers. Two comparison groups were also recruited: a typically achieving group (n = 23) and a group that responded to a math-tutoring intervention (responders; n = 54). On the ANT, children with MD and MDRD did not perform significantly different than typically achieving children or responders on measures of alerting and orienting attention and executive control. All subgroups did demonstrate performance patterns that were expected on the ANT. However, performance across blocks of the task was inconsistent, suggesting poor reliability. There were no relations between ANT performance and SWAN-IV behavioral inattention scores, though behavioral ratings of inattention correlated significantly with math performance. Children with MD and MDRD may have more difficulty with distraction and attention to detail in contextual situations, as opposed to impulsive responding in these settings. The lack of relation between cognitive attention and math performance may suggest that either the ANT does not assess the relevant attention constructs associated with math difficulties or may parallel studies of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in which cognitive and behavioral assessments are weakly related.Item Cortical Thickness and Gyrification in Children with Developmental Dyslexia(2015-05) Williams, Victoria; Fletcher, Jack M.; Juranek, Jenifer; Stuebing, Karla K.; Sharp, CarlaPrior research has demonstrated a pattern of atypical neural structure and function within regions of the left hemisphere reading network in individuals with dyslexia compared to controls. However, studies of pediatric dyslexia are sparse, demonstrate variability in dyslexia classification, and yield inconsistent associations between cortical metrics and reading ability. This study investigated cortical metrics in typically developing readers (n=39) and children with dyslexia (n=37) as determined by deficient single word reading ability. Whole-brain vertex-wise analyses, performed using FreeSurfer, evaluated cortical thickness and local gyrification between reading groups, controlling for age. Following multiple comparison correction, readers with dyslexia demonstrated reduced cortical thickness within previously identified critical reading areas including: bilateral inferior-temporal, inferior-frontal, and occipito-parietal regions, along with left anterior cingulate cortex. In readers with dyslexia, thinner cortex was accompanied by increased gyrification in the cuneus and left inferior temporal cortex. The convergence of thinner and more gyrified cortex within the left inferior temporal region in children with dyslexia may reflect its early temporal role in processing word forms, and highlights the importance of the ventral stream for successful decoding. Reading fluency scores demonstrated a positive association with cortical thickness in right inferior frontal and bilateral inferior temporal cortices, while reading comprehension was significantly correlated with thickness across all regions.Item Prediction and stability of mathematics skill and difficulty(Journal of Learning Disabilities, 2012-05) Martin, Rebecca B.; Cirino, Paul T.; Barnes, Marcia A.; Ewing-Cobbs, Linda; Fuchs, Lynn S.; Stuebing, Karla K.; Fletcher, Jack M.The present study evaluated the stability of math learning difficulties over a 2-year period and investigated several factors that might influence this stability (categorical vs. continuous change, liberal vs. conservative cut point, broad vs. specific math assessment); the prediction of math performance over time and by performance level was also evaluated. Participants were 144 students initially identified as having a math difficulty (MD) or no learning difficulty according to low achievement criteria in the spring of Grade 3 or Grade 4. Students were reassessed 2 years later. For both measure types, a similar proportion of students changed whether assessed categorically or continuously. However, categorical change was heavily dependent on distance from the cut point and so more common for MD, who started closer to the cut point; reliable change index change was more similar across groups. There were few differences with regard to severity level of MD on continuous metrics or in terms of prediction. Final math performance on a broad computation measure was predicted by behavioral inattention and working memory while considering initial performance; for a specific fluency measure, working memory was not uniquely related, and behavioral inattention more variably related to final performance, again while considering initial performance.Item Prospective and episodic memory in relation to hippocampal volume in adults with spina bifida myelomeningocele(Neuropsychology, 2015-01) Treble-Barna, Amery; Juranek, Jenifer; Stuebing, Karla K.; Cirino, Paul T.; Dennis, Maureen; Fletcher, Jack M.The present study examined prospective and episodic memory in relation to age, functional independence, and hippocampal volume in younger to middle-aged adults with spina bifida myelomeningocele (SBM) and typically developing (TD) adults. Prospective and episodic memory, as well as hippocampal volume, was reduced in adults with SBM relative to TD adults. Neither memory performance nor hippocampal volume showed greater decrements in older adults. Lower hippocampal volume was associated with reduced prospective memory in adults with SBM, and this relation was specific to the hippocampus and not to a contrast structure, the amygdala. Prospective memory mediated the relation between hippocampal volume and functional independence in adults with SBM. The results add to emerging evidence for reduced memory function in adults with SBM and provide quantitative evidence for compromised hippocampal macrostructure as a neural correlate of reduced memory in this population.Item Reliability and validity of oral reading fluency median and mean scores among middle grade readers when using equated texts(Reading Psychology, 2012-02) Barth, Amy E.; Stuebing, Karla K.; Fletcher, Jack M.; Cirino, Paul T.; Romain, Melissa A.; Francis, David J.; Vaughn, SharonWe evaluated the reliability and validity of two oral reading fluency scores for 1-minute equated passages: median score and mean score. These scores were calculated from measures of reading fluency administered up to five times over the school year to students in grades six to eight (n = 1,317). Both scores were highly reliable with strong convergent validity for adequately developing and struggling middle grade readers. These results support the use of either the median or mean score for oral reading fluency assessments for middle grade readers.Item The Role of Executive Functioning, Anxiety, and Family Burden on Mathematical Performance in Children with Traumatic Brain Injury(2015-08) Maxwell, Emily C.; Cirino, Paul T.; Ewing-Cobbs, Linda; Sharp, Carla; Stuebing, Karla K.Mathematical performance is closely linked with anxiety and executive processes, which are both adversely impacted by traumatic brain injury (TBI) in children. The present study examined the impact of executive functioning, anxiety, and family burden of injury on mathematical performance in children with TBI or orthopedic injuries (OI) at 2 months and 2 years post-injury. Participants (ages 6 to 15 years) had been hospitalized for complicated-mild/moderate and severe TBI (n = 51) or OI (n = 47) and were enrolled in a prospective longitudinal study. Children completed two measures of mathematics (calculation and problem solving), and parents completed measures of family burden, anxiety, and executive function. Mediation and path analyses were used to evaluate contributions of the above variables to mathematical outcomes. Compared to children with OI, children with TBI had lower calculation and problem solving scores, higher family burden, and executive functioning impairment persisting 2 years post-injury (p < 0.05). Mediation analyses revealed that executive functioning at 2 months partially mediated the role of group on calculation at 2 months (b = -0.71; 95% bootstrap confidence interval CI of -1.93 to -0.06). Problem solving at 2 months and calculation at 2 months mediated the relation of group to problem solving and calculation scores at 2 years post-injury, respectively. Neither anxiety nor family burden significantly impacted mathematical performance (p < 0.05). Executive functioning difficulties at 2 months post-injury in children with complicated-mild/moderate to severe TBI predicts long-term functioning and may serve as a red flag regarding the need for interventions to improve educational and psychological health outcomes.