Learning Disabilities Research Center

这项提议的目的是通过继续建立一个关于学习障碍的多学科研究中心--德克萨斯学习障碍中心来回应RFA-HD-12-202。与RFA的目标一致，我们将重点放在定义和测量问题、执行功能、针对阅读理解的干预措施以及LD的神经生物学相关性上。中心主题是，对教学反应的评估使学习障碍结构中历史上突出的组成部分--“意想不到的成绩低下”--具有可操作性，必须在对教学反应不充分的儿童中进行评估，建立可靠和有效的学习障碍分类，应从教学、神经生物学和认知的角度对反应不充分的儿童进行系统研究。为了实现这些目标，我们建议继续建立一个包括四个项目和四个核心的多学科中心。项目1(分类和一体化)继续通过评价实际数据和模拟数据，包括基于技术指标的分类的可靠性和有效性，来评价与学习和发展有关的分类问题。项目1还继续进行涉及干预反应(包括执行职能)和干预结果之间的相关性的实证综合。项目2(执行功能)提供了一项测量研究，旨在解决执行功能模型与神经心理学、认知神经科学和教育学框架之间的差异。并介绍了三个关于执行功能在阅读理解干预中作用的设计实验。项目3(干预)是在之前5年干预研究的基础上，对四年级有阅读理解问题的学生进行了两个为期两年的随机对照试验。在研究1中，比较了语言/知识或技能/策略与一切照旧(BAU)。研究2比较了混合干预，其中研究1的干预部分基于项目2的设计实验整合了执行功能要素和不包含执行功能要素。项目4(神经成像)将提供对对项目3的干预反应充分和不充分的儿童的结构和功能的神经成像研究，对执行功能、单词水平和句子理解任务进行成像。这些核心包括行政事务核心(A)、服务核心(B)、数据管理和统计核心(C)以及评估和征聘核心(D)。

The purpose of this proposal is to respond to RFA-HD-12-202 by continuing a multi-disciplinary research center on learning disabilities (LD), the Texas Center for Learning Disabilities. Consistent with the goals of RFA, we focus on definition and measurement issues, executive functions, interventions addressing reading comprehension, and the neurobiological correlates of LD. The central theme is that assessments of instructional response operationalize the historically prominent component of the LD construct, "unexpected underachievement," which must be evaluated in children who respond inadequately to instruction, establish a reliable and valid classification of LD, inadequate responders should be systematically studied from instructional, neurobiological, and cognitive perspectives. To accomplish these goals, we propose to continue a multi-disciplinary center that includes four Projects and four Cores. Project 1 (Classification and Integration) continues to evaluate classification issues pertinent to LD through evaluation of actual data and simulated data, including the reliability and validity of classifications based on RTI. Project 1 also continues empirical syntheses involving the correlates of intervention response (including executive functions) and intervention outcomes. Project 2 (Executive Functions) provides a measurement study designed to address differences in models of executive functions from frameworks in neuropsychology, cognitive neuroscience, and education. It also introduces three design experiments on the role of executive functions in reading comprehension intervention. Project 3 (Intervention) follows up the previous 5 years of intervention research with 2 two-year randomized controlled trials of studies of Grade 4 students with identified reading comprehension problems. In Study 1, comparisons are made of Language/Knowledge or Skills/Strategies vs. Business as Usual (BAU). Study 2 compares a hybrid intervention in which the Study 1 interventions are integrated with and without executive functioning elements based in part on the design experiments in Project 2. Project 4 (Neuroimaging) will provide structural and functional neuroimaging studies of children who respond adequately and inadequately to Project 3 interventions, imaging executive function, word level, and sentence comprehension tasks. The Cores include the Administrative Services Core (A), the Service Core (B), the Data Management and Statistics Core (C), and the Assessment and Recruitment Core (D).