Improving Learning Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne Literacy, Behaviour & Auditory Processing: Building ‘fences’ at the top of the ‘cliff’ in preference to the provision of belated and costly ‘ambulance services’ at the bottom Literacy, Behaviour & Auditory Processing: Building ‘fences’ at the top of the ‘cliff’ in preference to the provision of belated and costly ‘ambulance services’ at the bottom a Dr Kathy Rowe MD FRACP & b Dr Ken Rowe MSc PhD a Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne b Australian Council for Educational Research 12 th CHERI Conference Westmead Children’s Hospital, Sydney, 5-6 September 2007 a Dr Kathy Rowe MD FRACP & b Dr Ken Rowe MSc PhD a Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne b Australian Council for Educational Research 12 th CHERI Conference Westmead Children’s Hospital, Sydney, 5-6 September 2007 URL: http://www.acer.edu.au/learning_processes/
Measures of functional APC 1Measures of functional APC 1Digit span:
Surrogate measure of ability to recall short unrelated pieces of informationless dependent on familiarity with language Often used as an indication of short term auditory memory and/or attentionIt is generally accepted that children with an auditory capacity of 4-5 ‘chunks’ (e.g., phonemes) develop reading skills more easily
Digit span:Surrogate measure of ability to recall short unrelated pieces of informationless dependent on familiarity with language Often used as an indication of short term auditory memory and/or attentionIt is generally accepted that children with an auditory capacity of 4-5 ‘chunks’ (e.g., phonemes) develop reading skills more easily
Sentence length:Also lacks reliable norms, but used as a surrogate measure for the quantity of information able to be recalled - dependent on:
Familiarity with languageDevelopmental ageAbility to listen, concentrateIntelligence & its normal variationAbility to process verbal information in the brain (central auditory processing)
Sentence length:Also lacks reliable norms, but used as a surrogate measure for the quantity of information able to be recalled - dependent on:
Familiarity with languageDevelopmental ageAbility to listen, concentrateIntelligence & its normal variationAbility to process verbal information in the brain (central auditory processing)
Measures of functional APC 2Measures of functional APC 2
Ability increases between ages 3-15 years, but not at the rate commonly thought
20% of ALL children do not progress at the rate one would expect, and are at high risk of difficulties with learning and externalizing behaviour problems
DevelopmentalMost common specific processing difficulty
Ability increases between ages 3-15 years, but not at the rate commonly thought
20% of ALL children do not progress at the rate one would expect, and are at high risk of difficulties with learning and externalizing behaviour problems
Key features of AP difficulties 2Key features of AP difficulties 2
As a functional problem, AP can be an:isolated difficulty with normal intelligenceassociated with attention deficit behaviours (ADD/ADHD)speech and language difficultiesmild intellectual disabilityESL background
As a functional problem, AP can be an:isolated difficulty with normal intelligenceassociated with attention deficit behaviours (ADD/ADHD)speech and language difficultiesmild intellectual disabilityESL background
Consequences for childrenConsequences for childrenIf adjustments are not made, children (especially boys) miss a lot of basicinformationChildren assume that they are ‘dumb’and lose confidenceChildren often develop significant behavior problems because they don’t understand why they are in ‘trouble’
If adjustments are not made, children (especially boys) miss a lot of basicinformationChildren assume that they are ‘dumb’and lose confidenceChildren often develop significant behavior problems because they don’t understand why they are in ‘trouble’
Since children do not develop auditory processing capacity at the assumed rate, many are ‘gulping for air’ in a sea of classroom- & teacher-generated blah, blah, blah
This blah impacts negatively on their literacy and general achievement progress, and on their behaviors
(Edwards, 2000; Rowe et al., 2000, 2001, 2002)
Since children do not develop auditory processing capacity at the assumed rate, many are ‘gulping for air’ in a sea of classroom- & teacher-generated blah, blah, blah
This blah impacts negatively on their literacy and general achievement progress, and on their behaviors
(Edwards, 2000; Rowe et al., 2000, 2001, 2002)
AP implications for pedagogy 2AP implications for pedagogy 2
7-Word: I heard him talking to the driver8-Word: The old lady made some tea for everyone8-Word: Some boys are playing games in the library9-Word: The green bus is late and he is worried 9-Word: My class is making banana cake for the party
7-Word: I heard him talking to the driver8-Word: The old lady made some tea for everyone8-Word: Some boys are playing games in the library9-Word: The green bus is late and he is worried 9-Word: My class is making banana cake for the party
10-Word: Put your rubbish in the black box behind the table11-Word: Her brother wrote on the card but forgot to post it12-Word: After the train driver blows his whistle he drives off very fast 14-Word: My best friend lost her new watch while she was walking down the street
10-Word: Put your rubbish in the black box behind the table11-Word: Her brother wrote on the card but forgot to post it12-Word: After the train driver blows his whistle he drives off very fast 14-Word: My best friend lost her new watch while she was walking down the street
AP screening at School Entry identifies nearly 50% of those children with poor literacy at the end of their first year of school (TEXTL ≤ 3 and/or CAP < 12)61% of children at School Entry with poor AP (<3 digits and/or <8 word sentences) have poor literacy in 3rd year, even in schools with good first-wave teachingOf those ESL children with poor literacy outcomes at the end of 1st Year, 90% are identified by AP screening. 66% of those with poor outcomes in their 3rd year of school were identified by screening at School EntryPrep & Grade 1 children identified with poor AP have 3 times the risk of poor literacy progress
AP screening at School Entry identifies nearly 50% of those children with poor literacy at the end of their first year of school (TEXTL ≤ 3 and/or CAP < 12)61% of children at School Entry with poor AP (<3 digits and/or <8 word sentences) have poor literacy in 3rd year, even in schools with good first-wave teachingOf those ESL children with poor literacy outcomes at the end of 1st Year, 90% are identified by AP screening. 66% of those with poor outcomes in their 3rd year of school were identified by screening at School EntryPrep & Grade 1 children identified with poor AP have 3 times the risk of poor literacy progress
Predictive validity of AP 3(AP screening at School Entry & 3rd year of school)Predictive validity of AP 3
(AP screening at School Entry & 3rd year of school)
Effect of AP PD intervention 1Effect of AP PD intervention 1
Significant difference in the improvement of literacy and attentive behaviours for both ESL and ESB children in trial schools cf. reference schoolsVariation in literacy achievements for children in trial schools decreased over time cf. the achievements of children in reference schools
Significant difference in the improvement of literacy and attentive behaviours for both ESL and ESB children in trial schools cf. reference schoolsVariation in literacy achievements for children in trial schools decreased over time cf. the achievements of children in reference schools
Value-addedValue-addedAfter adjusting for children’s intake factors (age, gender, ESB/ESL & initial achievement), the effect on achievement progress of being in a Trial school (cf. being in a Reference school) was a significant + 0.31 SDs. 20.3% of the residual variance was due to between-school/ class differences
These findings indicate that the PD and AP screening procedures undertaken by teachers in the Trial schools had significant value-addedeffects on children’s literacy progress
After adjusting for children’s intake factors (age, gender, ESB/ESL & initial achievement), the effect on achievement progress of being in a Trial school (cf. being in a Reference school) was a significant + 0.31 SDs. 20.3% of the residual variance was due to between-school/ class differences
These findings indicate that the PD and AP screening procedures undertaken by teachers in the Trial schools had significant value-addedeffects on children’s literacy progress
Teacher Feedback 2Teacher Feedback 2If auditory processing was not the problem, further assessment could be organized for children who were inattentive
Classroom strategies not only helped those with difficulty but all other children in the class
Useful information for parents at home
If auditory processing was not the problem, further assessment could be organized for children who were inattentive
Classroom strategies not only helped those with difficulty but all other children in the class
AcknowledgementsThe contributions of the following collaborators are gratefully acknowledged: Eddie Keir, Jenny Michael, Jan Pollard and Lesley Tan (Audiologists); John Fisher (Speech Pathologist); Joy Birrell, Glenice Cook, Elizabeth Fear, Judith Moon, Heather Robinson, Heather Somerville and Louise Tomlinson (Research Assistants), as is the willing support and participation of educational administrators, principals and teachers in Victorian government schools since 1999.
Thanks is also due to the valued administrative and financial support provided by: the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute; the Australian Council for Educational Research; the Department of Education and Training, Victoria; the Helen McPherson Smith Foundation; the Departments of General Medicine and Audiology, Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne
Web site informationWeb site informationAn Order Form for the Auditory Processing Assessment Kit can be downloaded from:http://www.auditoryprocessingkit.com.au
Recent information about Auditory Processing is available from the ABC Radio National web site: http://www.abc.net.au/rn/talks/lm/stories/s820704.htm andhttp://www.acer.edu.au/learning_processes/
The Rowe & Rowe invited submission “What Matters Most…” to the House of Reps. ‘Inquiry Into the Education of Boys’ can be downloaded from http://www.acer.edu.au/learning_processes/
An Order Form for the Auditory Processing Assessment Kit can be downloaded from:http://www.auditoryprocessingkit.com.au
Recent information about Auditory Processing is available from the ABC Radio National web site: http://www.abc.net.au/rn/talks/lm/stories/s820704.htm andhttp://www.acer.edu.au/learning_processes/
The Rowe & Rowe invited submission “What Matters Most…” to the House of Reps. ‘Inquiry Into the Education of Boys’ can be downloaded from http://www.acer.edu.au/learning_processes/
