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\"This book is dedicated to methods of preventing or overcoming learning disabilities based on the ideas of the great Russian psychologists Lev Vygotsky and Alexander Luria. The typical forms of learning disablities are described, and the effective methods of remediation of attention, executive functions (working memory and cognitive control), spatial and visual-verbal functions are discussed in details, The book has many illustrations of typical errors of children with learning disabilities and examples of remedial tasks. The book is useful for qualified psychologists and students, teachers and parents of children with learning disablities\"--Provided by publisher.

Background Although perceptual interventions focus on sensory and cognitive skills, they significantly enhance the effectiveness of motor interventions by improving coordination, decision-making, and overall engagement in physical activities. A comprehensive literature review has demonstrated that incorporating perceptual interventions into motor exercises is beneficial. While there are several treatment strategies for SLD-diagnosed children, the potential role of goal-directed perceptual-motor exercises has not been studied. This study examined the effectiveness of goal-directed perceptual-motor training on attention, motor skills, and quality of life in children with Specific Learning Disorder (SLD). Methods This was a randomized clinical study with 38 children diagnosed with SLD between September 2021 and April 2022. The control group ( n  = 19) received a standard intervention protocol, and the intervention group ( n  = 19) additionally received a perceptual-motor training program. Bourdon Attention Test, the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test 2–Short Form (BOT2- SF), and the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PEDSQL) were used as outcome measures. Results The intervention significantly improved attention, fine and gross motor skills, and life quality as evidenced by the within- and between-group comparisons at the end of therapy. Conclusions Goal-directed perceptual-motor physical training with cognitive aspects may enhance academic performance, social participation, and life quality for children with SLD by improving basic motor skills. Therefore, the inclusion of physical and task-specific perceptual-motor exercises in educational programs may offer several avenues for cognitive skill development in SLD children. Trial registration The protocol is retrospectively registered with http://clinicaltrials.gov/ (16/August/2023, Clinical Trial, NCT05998083).

Based on the ideas of Russian psychologists Lev Vygotsky and Alexander Luria, this book explores methods of preventing or overcoming learning disabilities. The authors discuss effective methods remediating issues with attention, executive functions and spatial and visual-verbal functions. The book is useful for psychologists and students, as well as teachers and parents of children with learning disabilities.

Competency with numbers is essential in today’s society; yet, up to 20% of children exhibit moderate to severe mathematical learning disabilities (MLD). Behavioural intervention can be effective, but the neurobiological mechanisms underlying successful intervention are unknown. Here we demonstrate that eight weeks of 1:1 cognitive tutoring not only remediates poor performance in children with MLD, but also induces widespread changes in brain activity. Neuroplasticity manifests as normalization of aberrant functional responses in a distributed network of parietal, prefrontal and ventral temporal–occipital areas that support successful numerical problem solving, and is correlated with performance gains. Remarkably, machine learning algorithms show that brain activity patterns in children with MLD are significantly discriminable from neurotypical peers before, but not after, tutoring, suggesting that behavioural gains are not due to compensatory mechanisms. Our study identifies functional brain mechanisms underlying effective intervention in children with MLD and provides novel metrics for assessing response to intervention. Mathematical learning disabilities (MLD) affect up to 20% of children and are linked to poorer socioeconomic and health outcomes in adulthood. Here, Iuculano et al . show that tutoring induced functional changes in multiple brain systems underlie remediation of poor maths skills in children with MLD.

Cognitive dysfunction and memory loss are common features of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Abnormalities in the expression profile of immediate early genes that play a critical role in memory formation, such as the cAMP-response element binding protein (CREB), have been reported in the brains of AD patients. Here we show that amyloid-β (Aβ) accumulation, which plays a primary role in the cognitive deficits of AD, interferes with CREB activity. We further show that restoring CREB function via brain viral delivery of the CREB-binding protein (CBP) improves learning and memory deficits in an animal model of AD. Notably, such improvements occur without changes in Aβ and tau pathology, and instead are linked to an increased level of brain-derived neurotrophic factor. The resulting data suggest that Aβ-induced learning and memory deficits are mediated by alterations in CREB function, based on the finding that restoring CREB activity by directly modulating CBP levels in the brains of adult mice is sufficient to ameliorate learning and memory. Therefore, increasing CBP expression in adult brains may be a valid therapeutic approach not only for AD, but also for various brain disorders characterized by alterations in immediate early genes, further supporting the concept that viral vector delivery may be a viable therapeutic approach in neurodegenerative diseases.

Developmental dyscalculia (DD) is a specific learning disability that affects the acquisition of mathematical skills in children with normal intelligence and age-appropriate school education (prevalence 3–6%). One essential step in the development of mathematical understanding is the formation and automated access to a spatial representation of numbers. Many children with DD show a deficient development of such a mental number line. The present study aimed to develop a computer-based training program to improve the construction and access to the mental number line. Sixteen children with DD aged 8–10years and 16 matched control children completed the 5-week computer training. All children played the game 15min a day for 5days a week. The efficiency of the training was evaluated by means of neuropsychological tests and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during a number line task. In general, children with and without DD showed a benefit from the training indicated by (a) improved spatial representation of numbers and (b) the number of correctly solved arithmetical problems. Regarding group differences in brain activation, children with DD showed less activation in bilateral parietal regions, which reflects neuronal dysfunction in pivotal regions for number processing. Both groups showed reduced recruitment of relevant brain regions for number processing after the training which can be attributed to automatization of cognitive processes necessary for mathematical reasoning. Moreover, results point to a partial remediation of deficient brain activation in dyscalculics after consolidation of acquired and refined number representation. To conclude, the present study represents the first attempt to evaluate a custom-designed training program in a group of dyscalculic children and results indicate that the training leads to an improved spatial representation of the mental number line and a modulation of neural activation, which both facilitate processing of numerical tasks. ► Evaluation of a training program for children with developmental dyscalculia. ► Training of spatial representation of numbers. ► Improved number processing after training. ► Modulation of brain activation after training.

This book provides an in-depth look at what a little-known clinician, the educational therapist, does and how they do it. It goes behind the clinician’s door to illustrate the unusual and broad range of interventions?both academic/vocational and social/emotional?that an educational therapist employs. This particular case study involves a young woman called Nora who had a severe but undiagnosed auditory processing disorder. She could not give meaning to the spoken language that came at her too rapidly, leaving her in a constant fog of words that she could not comprehend. This case discloses the problems, their causes, and the emotional toll that had to be considered when developing an effective educational/therapeutic plan for Nora. It vividly illustrates the dynamic exchanges and mutual learning that goes on between client and therapist. Parts One and Two illustrate how the psycho-educational interventions that addressed Nora’s academic and non-academic needs were gradually formulated over the first year. Part Three provides a series of vignettes from subsequent years that illustrate the ongoing applications of the therapist’s work. Distinguishing Features Explanatory Commentaries?—The rationale behind particular techniques and interventions is clarified through a system of explanatory commentaries that inform the reader without distracting from the story. This approach makes the book both an instructional tool and a compelling story. Organic Curriculum—The rationale for and application of an “Organic (personalized) Curriculum\" is explained and applied throughout the book as a model for others to use in working with this population. A Longitudinal Perspective?—The initial work with Nora began many years ago, so this book provides a long view of her life and tracks the influences that educational therapy exerted on her development into a fully functioning adult. Cognitive/Emotional Integration?—The core of educational therapy?the interdependence of cognitive skills and emotional response?is clearly documented throughout the book. In addition to educational therapy students and practitioners, this book is appropriate for those working in related fields such as special education, school psychology, school counselling, and social work in educational settings.

This study synthesizes 79 standardized mean-change differences between control and treatment groups from 17 independent studies, investigating the effect of morphological interventions on literacy outcomes for students with literacy difficulties. Average total sample size ranged from 15 to 261 from a wide range of grade levels. Overall, morphological instruction showed a significant improvement on literacy achievement (d̄=0.33). Specifically, its effect was significant on several literacy outcomes such as phonological awareness (d̄=0.49), morphological awareness (d̄=0.40), vocabulary (d̄=0.40), reading comprehension (d̄=0.24), and spelling (d̄=0.20). Morphological instruction was particularly effective for children with reading, learning, or speech and language disabilities, English language learners, and struggling readers, suggesting the possibility that morphological instruction can remediate phonological processing challenges. Other moderators were also explored to explain differences in morphological intervention effects. These findings suggest students with literacy difficulties would benefit from morphological instruction.

This study examined the prevalence of the use of different types of conventional, complementary and alternative therapies by children diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Of 112 families surveyed, 74% were using complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) for their child with ASD. CAM use was most strongly associated with parent report of child's diagnosis. Most CAM was reported by families to be either helpful or without effect, but not harmful. The main reasons for choosing CAM were related to concerns with the safety and side effects of prescribed medications. Conventional health care providers should be aware of the high prevalence of use among children with ASD and be prepared to discuss the use of CAM with families.

Vascular endothelial dysfunction plays a key role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Patients with AD have displayed decreased circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) which repair and maintain the endothelial function. Transplantation of EPCs has emerged as a promising approach for the management of cerebrovascular diseases including ischemic stroke, however, its impact on AD has been poorly described. Thus, the current study aimed at investigating the effects of bone marrow-derived (BM) EPCs transplantation in repeated scopolamine-induced cognitive impairment, an experimental model that replicates biomarkers of AD. Intravenously transplanted BM-EPCs migrated into the brain of rats and improved the learning and memory deficits. Meanwhile, they mitigated the deposition of amyloid plaques and associated histopathological alterations. At the molecular levels, BM-EPCs blunted the increase of hippocampal amyloid beta protein (Aβ), amyloid precursor protein (APP) and reinstated the Aβ-degrading neprilysin together with downregulation of p-tau and its upstream glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β). They also corrected the perturbations of neurotransmitter levels including restoration of acetylcholine and associated esterase along with dopamine, GABA, and the neuroexitatory glutamate. Furthermore, BM-EPCs induced behavioral recovery via boosting of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), nerve growth factor (NGF), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and its upstream cAMP response element binding (CREB), suppression of the proinflammatory tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β), and upregulation of interleukin-10 (IL-10). BM-EPCs also augmented Nrf2 and seladin-1. Generally, these actions were analogous to those exerted by adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells (AT-MSCs) and the reference anti-Alzheimer donepezil. For the first time, these findings highlight the beneficial actions of BM-EPCs against the memory deficits and AD-like pathological dysfunction.