Elementary school pupils identified as being a year or more behind in reading and/or math achievement and who were observed as spending low percentages of time on task were selected for participation in an intensive engineered resource room program. Groups of approximately 10 Ss participated in each of three eight-week intervention phases. (Author)

Compared teachers' ratings of students and students' marks in reading and math and their achievement test scores during their first, second, and fourth years in school. Teachers' ratings of students' interest and participation and their attention span and restlessness were related to students' first-year achievement test scores and their marks in…

A study of a 12-year-old boy with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder investigated the effectiveness of a token economy incentive program implemented in the home setting to increase attention to task while doing homework assignments. Results found the boy's percentage of time spent on-task increased markedly. (Author/CR)

The category of attention deficit disorder is defined in terms of diagnostic symptoms (inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity) and definitions. Aspects which need to be covered in the classroom evaluation of a child with suspected attention deficit disorder are reviewed, including examination of the task for its appropriateness; determination…

Four-, six- and eight-year-old children from an Evanston, Illinois school were the subjects for three experiments designed to evaluate the effects of color, complexity, movement, and incongruity on children's visual attention. Computer generated displays were used to: (1) assess developmental trends among the three age groups, (2) test a novel…

This study sought to evaluate the effectiveness of a relatively short-term program of relaxation training in producing changes in elementary students in terms of attention-related skills associated with reading tasks in the classroom. Evaluation of change was measured by change in experimental variables and subjective evaluations of change.…

Thirty-two hyperactive children (ages 5-11) and 32 controls were tested on (1) a component selection task, measuring serial memory and incidental learning and (2) a cancellation task, assessing attentional variables and distractibility. It was concluded that a deficit in sustained attention and impulsivity best described the group differences.…

Administered a complex reaction time task to 47 learning-disabled and 41 control children. The preparatory interval between a warning and act light was manipulated for length and regularity. Results indicated that the inability to sustain attention over time, rather than momentary inattentiveness, distinguished the two groups. (Author)

A study of 30 Austrian children with dyslexia (grades 2-4) found that poor dual-task balancing was limited to children with higher attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) ratings and that children with dyslexia without higher ADHD performed as well on dual-task balancing as age-matched control children. (Author/CR)

This study investigated student academic responding time as a function of time of day for 122 students (grades 2-4) with and without disabilities in 10 urban and suburban schools. Student academic responding time was higher when an academic activity was occurring, an active task was underway, and an individual rather than a group structure was…

The double-deficit theory of reading disabilities (RD) was examined in 56 children with reading disabilities and 45 controls (ages 8-11). Students differed on all phonological analysis tasks and rapid naming of digits and letters, but also differed on orthographic tasks, attention ratings, arithmetic achievement, and all WISC-III factors except…

A three phase program reduced hyperactive behavior, increased attending/participating behavior, and improved academic performance of a total of 20 learning disabled children from 10 to 14 years of age. (DB)

Children's behavior characteristics as reported by parents of 60 clients (6 to 13 years old) evaluated for specific learning disabilities were examined. (SBH)

Attention styles and peer relationships of hyperactive (N=23) and normal (N=68) boys and girls in grades 3-5 were compared using behavioral, cognitive, and sociometric measures. Among reported results was that hyperactive girls displayed more conduct problems than normal girls, but less than hyperactive boys. (Author/JW)

Findings of this study argue against the existence of a separate diagnostic category of hyperactivity. Hyperactivity and conduct-problem scales should be combined for purposes of rating child behavior problems. A category of "attention deficit disorder without hyperactivity" should be considered as a separate rating scale factor.…