GRANT FOR $8.5M HELPS UH PROFS ESTABLISH
LEARNING DISABILITIES RESEARCH CENTER
Texas Researchers to Study Methods of Helping
Students Overcome Classroom Obstacles
HOUSTON, Aug. 24, 2006 – Learning disabilities often present
challenges that extend beyond the classroom. If unrecognized during
a student’s formative years, they can hinder self-esteem and
ultimately deter the potential to lead a successful life. Recently,
University of Houston researchers received a significant boost in
their efforts to understand and overcome such obstacles.
Thanks to an $8.5 million grant from the National Institute of Child
Health and Human Development (NICHD), researchers from the University
of Houston’s Department of Psychology, the Texas Institute
for Measurement Evaluation and Statistics (TIMES) and other institutions
have created the Texas Center for Learning Disabilities (TCLD).
Located at the UH Texas Medical Center Annex at 2151 W. Holcombe
Blvd., it is one of only four NICHD-funded research centers in the
country dedicated exclusively to learning disabilities. The others
are based at Florida State University, Johns Hopkins/University
of Maryland and the University of Colorado.
“Historically, learning disabilities haven’t had a real
firm research base,” said Jack Fletcher, UH distinguished
professor of psychology and the center’s principal investigator.
“This center is intended to help fill this gap. It allows
for concentrated research on learning disabilities and the development
of an evidence base to identify and treat them.”
Previous research has suggested that the number of students identified
as learning disabled could be reduced through more effective classroom
instruction. Researchers at TCLD are working with school districts
in Austin and Houston to implement reading instruction methods that
systematically intensify as students show progress.
Students’ responses to this instruction method will be documented
and then evaluated at TIMES. During this evaluation, researchers
also will examine the process involved with identifying learning
disabled students considering factors such as accuracy (the ability
to correctly name a word on a page) fluency (the ability to read
text with speed, accuracy and proper expression) and comprehension
(understanding text).
Students who respond inadequately to this reading instruction can
then participate in TCLD’s neuroimaging studies, which are
conducted at the University of Texas – Health Science Center.
“We’re trying to understand what areas of the brain
are involved in reading and whether these areas change in response
to intervention,” Fletcher said.
Working alongside Fletcher at TCLD is David Francis, chair of the
UH psychology department and director of TIMES. They are joined
by researchers with backgrounds in neuropsychology, cognitive neuroscience,
reading intervention, special education and methodology. They include
Sharon Vaughn and Carolyn Denton from the University of Texas at
Austin and Andrew Papanicolaou and Shirin Sarkari from the UT Health
Science Center.
“Research in this area requires people from multiple disciplines
and samples that are large and diverse,” Fletcher said. “We’re
involving people with different perspectives and from different
areas of Texas to provide broad insight into the dynamics surrounding
learning disabilities.”
The funds from NIHCD add to the list of research grants received
by the UH Department of Psychology and TIMES to observe and enhance
learning outcomes for students.
Last year, TIMES received more than $11 million from the U.S. Department
of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences (IES) to create
the National Research and Development Center for English Language
Learners and to continue its earlier work on the development of
the Diagnostic Assessment of Reading Comprehension for English Language
Learners. In 2003, TIMES received $8 million from IES to develop,
implement and evaluate two models of instruction for Spanish-speaking
English language learners in elementary school. Also in 2003, TIMES
and Fletcher received $4.7 million to examine the factors that account
for individual differences in the development of mathematical proficiencies
in children with different types of learning disabilities in math.
Earlier this year, Fletcher and Francis received the Albert J. Harris
Award, which recognizes a recently published journal article or
monograph that makes an outstanding contribution to the understanding
of prevention or assessment of reading or learning disabilities.
They were honored for the paper “An Evaluation of Two Reading
Interventions Derived from Diverse Models,” which was published
in Reading Research Quarterly.
TIMES was founded in 2001 by Francis and colleagues as a multi-disciplinary
research center to consolidate the methodological and statistical
expertise on the UH campus. It is a university-wide institute that
conducts independent research while offering UH researchers a variety
of statistical support services. Fletcher, who was on the faculty
at UH in the late 80’s, was recruited back to the university
last year. He and Francis have collaborated on research on early
reading and developmental disabilities for over 20 years. For more
details on TIMES, visit http://www.tlc2.uh.edu/times.
NICHD is part of the National Institutes of Health. Its mission
is promoting family health and to ensuring the health, productivity,
independence, and well-being of all people through optimal rehabilitation.
For more information on NICHD, visit http://www.nichd.nih.gov/.
About the University of Houston
The University of Houston, Texas’ premier metropolitan research
and teaching institution, is home to more than 40 research centers
and institutes and sponsors more than 300 partnerships with corporate,
civic and governmental entities. UH, the most diverse research university
in the country, stands at the forefront of education, research and
service with more than 35,000 students.
For more information about UH visit
the universitys Newsroom at www.uh.edu/admin/media/newsroom.
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