LATINOS\HISPANICS AND
DISABILITY:
An Annotated Resource Bibliography
Prepared by Jose O. Arrom, Research
Coordinator
Under a grant from the
National Institute of Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDDR)
to the
UIC Center on Emergent Disabilities-
Institute on Disabilities and Human Development
Edition: September 1997
Midwest Latino Health Research, Training, and Policy Center
Jane Addams College of Social Work
University of Illinois at Chicago
1640 W. Roosevelt Rd.
Suite 636 M/C 625
Chicago, IL 60608
312-413-1952
josarrom@uic.edu
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There is very little known or published about
disabilities and their trends among Latino (or Hispanic) populations in the
Definitions of Disability
Disability has many varying definitions. Cultural groups define disability differently.
The concept of disability has changed over time in response to advocacy by the
disabled, changing resource availability (economic development), concepts of
work and human productivity, perspectives on the disabled as deviants or
minorities, and social policy. For example, just within the
Some definitions are work-related or educationally-related and tend to be
global, focusing on a time-measure of inability to work or go to school. Others
are concerned with functional limitations or a person’s capacity and\or
independence to perform activities of daily living (ADL's
and IADL's). Some investigators view disability as a
consequence of certain chronic conditions and aging - which have predisposing
risk factors and which may or may not have an endpoint in death (mortality).
Others are concerned with their risk factors in term of how the disabilities
and their defining conditions or events may be prevented. Other recent
indicators of disability relate to the use of assistive (and communication)
technology, physical access and employment, the use of social and health
services and special education, and the receipt of social entitlements or
benefits (i.e., SSI). Very recently, disability has been approached from more
multidimensional "quality of life" (QOL) measures of health status.
These different definitions result in different estimates of disability, and
the need to have included various measures in the 1994-1995 National Health
Interview Survey (NHIS).
Organization
This bibliography is divided into ten major sections:
There is an overlap between the different sections. It was extremely
difficult to decide how to classify many items or which classifications to use.
There are dozens of disabling conditions, yet the literature and the
availability of data on Latinos and their specific disabilities is scarce. For
example, the literature on Latinos and diabetes mellitus is rapidly growing. In
the
Methodology
We compiled this bibliography from a wide variety of sources, including the
literature from aging, public health - chronic conditions, education, and
rehabilitation. To do so, we searched MEDLINE, PsychLIT,
CBIB, ERIC, CINAHL, CDC-WONDER, WSSI, and other electronic databases. In
addition, we searched servers related to National Institute on Disability and
Rehabilitation Research (http://dsc.ucsf.edu/indextxt.html) on the Internet.
Documents available from the Internet are marked @. Some databases have
limited time depth; others have some overlap. Key terms used were primarily
"Hispanic or Latino", "disability", "handicap",
"impairment", "functional limitation" and
"rehabilitation", "injury or trauma". In addition, items
have been included from our previous searches and bibliographies on the
aging\elderly, chronic conditions, pregnancy outcomes, and research
methodology. Most of the articles and items included have not been evaluated
for quality, that is, how they include, identify, collect, disaggregate, and
analyze data, particularly for Latino and other ethnic subgroups.
1. Latino Children and Disability
BIRTH DEFECTS
Canfield, MA. Annexes, JF. Brender,
JD. Cooper, SP. Greenberg, F. Hispanic Origin and Neural Tube
Defects in
Canfield, MA. Annexes, JF. Brender,
JD. Cooper, SP. & Greenberg, F. Hispanic Origin and
Neural Tube Defects in
Harris, JA. Shaw, GM. Neural Tube Defects - Why Are Rates High among
Populations of Mexican Descent. Environmental Health
Perspectives. 1995, 103(6),
163-164. [KW: Anencephaly. Birth-defects. Folate. Spina bifida.
Vitamins-prevalence.] (No abstract.)
Harris, J. Kallen, B. Robert, E. The Epidemiology of Anotia and Microtia. Journal of Medical
Genetics. 1996, 33(10), 809-813. We studied a large data set from
three registries of congenital malformations (central-east
Shaw, GM. Jensvold, NG. Wasserman, CR. Lammer, EJ. Epidemiologic Characteristics of Phenotypically Distinct Neural Tube Defects among 0.7
Million
Stierman, L. Birth Defects in Eleven California
Counties: 1990-1992.
SENSORY\COMMUNICATION IMPAIRMENTS
Bennett, AT. Gateways to powerlessness:
Incorporating Hispanic deaf children and families into formal schooling. Disability, Handicap & Society. 1988, 3(2),
119-151. Describes a 2-yr ethnographic field study of the
formal intake process (assessment, programming, placement, and evaluation)
involving 8 deaf Hispanic children (aged 3-6 yrs) in a private school for the
deaf. Practices of noninvolvement of Hispanic parents in educational
decision making are discussed, as well as the construction of particular
ideological and social relations between participants in the intake process.
The progress of one family through the intake is analyzed in detail to
demonstrate the social and cultural complexities of these relationships. (PsycINFO)
Christensen, KM. Conceptual sign language acquisition by
Spanish-speaking parents of hearing-impaired children. American Annals of the Deaf. 1986, 131(4), 285-287. Describes a trilingual (Spanish, English, and Sign Language)
approach to conceptual Sign Language acquisition for monolingual Spanish-
speaking parents of deaf children. Members of 58 families who were
Spanish speakers participated in a 2-year televised trilingual class.
Competence in conceptual Sign Language communication was achieved by Ss who
viewed the program regularly. Positive attitudinal changes among Ss involved
feelings about communication with their deaf child and about the school setting
in general. (PsycINFO)
Correa, VI. Working with Hispanic parents of visually
impaired children: Cultural implications. Journal of Visual
Impairment & Blindness, 1987, 81(6), 260-264. Discusses
2 types of problems faced by teachers working with visually impaired Hispanic
children and their families: difficulties associated with accepting the
impairment and cultural and linguistic differences. A frame-work is
provided for understanding the cultural differences in the Hispanic population
so that teachers can be more sensitive to the needs of these families. (PsycINFO)
Ferullo, RJ. Objectivity in the assessment of
preschool hearing impaired bilingual- Hispanic children. Journal
of School Health. 1983, 53(2), 131-135. Public Law 94-142, the
Education for All Handicapped Children Act, mandates the development of an
individualized education plan for school-aged children with special needs. The
development of such a plan requires a team meeting of various specialists who
have conducted assessments of the children being "cored." Often such meetings
become an arena for the enunciation of favored philosophical and methodological
positions that tend to obstruct the development of scientifically based goals
and objectives. The author stresses the importance of avoiding one's favored
philosophy in the evaluation and assessment of preschool hearing-impaired
Hispanic bilingual children. A case illustration is presented to demonstrate
the need for objectivity in the team-evaluation process. Some guidelines for
use in working with Hispanic families are offered. (PsycINFO)
Lee, DJ. Gomez Marin, O. Lee, HM. Prevalence of Childhood Hearing Loss - The
Hispanic Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and the National Health and
Nutrition Examination Survey II. American Journal of
Epidemiology. 1996, 144(5), 442-449. Comparative analysis of the
epidemiology of childhood hearing loss was undertaken among African-American,
Hispanic- American, and non-Hispanic white children. Audiometric data on
children aged 6-19 years were obtained from 688 African Americans, 330 Cuban
Americans, 2,602 Mexican Americans, 1,025 Puerto Ricans, and 3,243 non-Hispanic
whites who participated in either the National Health and Nutrition Examination
Survey II, 1976-1980, or the Hispanic Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1982-1984,
Hearing loss was defined as a pure-tone decibel hearing threshold level
(averaged over 500, 1,000, and 2,000 Hz) greater than 15 in the ear with the
best response. The prevalence (per 1,000) of bilateral hearing loss was 17.0
for African-American, 68.3 for Cuban-American, 27.6 for Mexican-American, 57.7
for Puerto Rican, and 15.5 for non-Hispanic white children. Differences in
prevalence by ethnicity/race diminished when a more stringent definition of
hearing loss (i.e., moderate or greater than 30 dB hearing threshold level) was
used. There were no adolescent African-American males aged 16-19 years who had
a hearing loss, After adjustment for age, the odds of hearing loss was
significantly greater in males than in females only in non-Hispanic whites
(odds ratio = 2.2; 95% confidence interval 1.6-3.3). On the basis of 1993
census population estimates in the
PARENTAL ADAPTATION TO DISABILITY
Espinosa, Maria E. Attitude of Hispanic and Anglo parents toward children
with epilepsy in relation to selected variables of knowledge, demography, and
epilepsy experience in six elementary schools in
Gary, SD. Perceived levels of stress of Black, White and Hispanic mothers of
infants with disabilities. Dissertation Abstracts
International. 1992, 52(7-A), 2499.
Hanline, MF. Daley, SE. Family
coping strategies and strengths in Hispanic, African-American, and Caucasian
families of young children. Topics in Early
Childhood Special Education. 1992, 12(3), 351-366. Examined the
relationship between maternal perceptions of family coping strategies and
family strengths in 59 Hispanic, 66 African-American, and 81 Caucasian families
of young children (aged <3 yrs) with and without disabilities. The use of
internal family coping strategies tended to be more predictive of family
strengths than was the use of social supports outside the family within all 3
ethnic groups. Analysis revealed no differences in family coping strategies and
family strengths between Hispanic families of children with and without
disabilities, one difference related to social support among the 2 types of
African-American families, and multiple differences among the 2 types of
Caucasian families. (PsycINFO) [Care
giving, Parents.]
Lequerica, M. Stress in immigrant families with
handicapped children: A child advocacy approach. American
Journal of Orthopsychiatry. 1993, 63(4), 545-552. Discusses
factors affecting the adjustment of Latinos who have immigrated to the
Mardiros, M. Conception of childhood disability
among Mexican- American parents. Medical Anthropologist, 1989, 12(1), 55-68.
[No abstract.]
Mary, NL. Reactions of Black, Hispanic, and White mothers
to having a child with handicaps. Mental
Retardation. 1990, 28(1), 1-5. Interviewed 20 Black, 20 Hispanic,
and 20 White mothers of disabled children (DCs) aged
<6 yrs to explore their feelings and reactions toward DCs.
Trends revealed that Hispanic Ss reported an attitude of self-sacrifice toward DCs and greater spousal denial of disabilities more often
than Black or White Ss. Stages of reaction from strong negative feelings to later
periods of adjustment were most often reported by Hispanic and White Ss, and by
75% of Ss with DCs with Down's syndrome. Although
severity of retardation was not predictive of parental reporting of stages, Ss
who received diagnoses within 1 mo of the DCs' births
were more likely to report subsequent adjustment stages. (PsycINFO)
Mary, NL. A cross-cultural study of mothers of young
developmentally disabled children. Dissertation
Abstracts International. 1986, 47(4-A), 1486.
Shapiro, J. Tittle, K. Maternal adaptation to
child disability in a Hispanic population. Family
Relations. 1990, 39(Apr.), 179-85.
SERVICE DELIVERY
Brookins, GK. Culture,
Ethnicity, and Bicultural Competence - Implications for Children with Chronic
Illness and Disability. Pediatrics.
1993, 91(5), 1056-1062. [No abstract.]
Eyman, RK. Boroskin, A. Hostetter, S. Use of alternative living plans for
developmentally disabled children by minority parents. Mental
Retardation. 1977, 15(1), 21-23. Investigated the
current use of alternative living plans for developmentally disabled children
by various groups of clients eligible for services. The sample consisted
of 8,009 Ss, most of whom were mentally retarded, receiving developmental
disabilities services in
Geber, G. Race and Ethnicity - Issues for
Adolescents with Chronic Illnesses And Disabilities -
An Annotated Bibliography. Pediatrics. 1993,
91(5), 1071-1081. (No abstract)
Kasper, MJ. Robbins, L. Root, L. Peterson, MG. Allegrante,
JP. A musculoskeletal outreach screening, treatment, and education program for
urban minority children. Arthritis Care Research,
1993, 6(3), 126-33. Purpose: A hospital-based outreach program was
initiated to screen minority children in medically underserved areas of
Rueda, RS.
2. Learning and Language Disabilities
& Mental Retardation
This is one of the largest sections. There is a large amount of literature
in this area specifically relating to Latinos. We have tried to include the
literature on assessment/ identification/diagnosis, etiology, and epidemiology
as well as the those relating to service delivery.
There are major concerns about the misdiagnosis of learning disorders for
Latino and minority populations. Some area related to the fact English is the
second language of these children. Others to possible
cultural bias of testing tools. On the other hand, there may be underdiagnosis because the evaluators may assume the
problem may be related to language learning. However, these conditions may be
increasing since more Latino children are surviving beyond infancy, are
increasingly at risk of being exposed to environmental hazards (lead,
pollutants, agricultural sprays), and receive less primary care.
Ambert, AN. Identifying language disorders in
Spanish-speakers. Journal of
Argulewicz, EN. Effects of ethnic
membership, socioeconomic status, and home language on LD, EMR, and EH
placements. Learning Disability Quarterly.
1983, 6(2), 195-200. Proportions of special education placements for Anglos,
Blacks, and Hispanics were compiled for a large elementary school district in
the Southwest. The data pool consisted of all students (N=9,950) in each of the
3 ethnic groups enrolled in kindergarten through 6th grade. Types of placements
were also examined for each group within the context of SES (low or mid-high)
and home language (Spanish or English). Results show significant Ethnicity *
SES interaction effects, with mid-high Spanish-speaking Hispanics being placed
at the highest rate and mid-high Blacks being placed least frequently. Data
also revealed that the learning-disability category was by far the most
frequently assigned placement. Factors that may have influenced the results and
implications for placement decision making are discussed. (PsycINFO)
[Service Delivery; Placement.]
Arrigo, HR. Language learning disabilities among
Hispanic students: A statistical search for discriminants.
Dissertation Abstracts International. 1990, 50(11-B), 5342.
Barona,
A. Santos de Barona, M. Faykus,
SP. The simultaneous effects of sociocultural
variables and WISC--R factors on MR, LD, and non placement of ethnic minorities
in special education. Education & Training in Mental
Retardation. 1993, 28(1), 66-74. 300 students referred for
consideration of special education placement and found to be either learning
disabled, mentally retarded (MR), or not eligible (NE) were examined to
determine the differential contribution of sociocultural
variables on special education eligibility decisions when examined in the
context of Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children--Revised (WISC--R) factors.
Mean ages were 117.76, 128.66, and 118.56 mo for the learning-disabled, NE, and
MR groups, respectively. Analyses were conducted using WISC--R factors (Verbal
Comprehension, Perceptual Organization, Freedom from
Distractibility) and sociocultural variables (e.g.,
SES, ethnicity, family size, and father absence). Ethnicity made differential
significant contributions to the prediction of the MR and NE groups when
adjusted for WISC--R factors. SES accounted for a significant amount of the
variance in MR eligibility with the exception of when Verbal Comprehension was
adjusted for independently. (PsycINFO)
Barona, A. Faykus, SP.
Differential effects of sociocultural variables on
special education eligibility categories. Psychology
in the Schools. 1992, 29(4), 313-320. Examined the
influence of sociocultural factors (ethnicity, SES,
father absence, and family size) on special education eligibility (SEDE) for 3
ethnic groups: White, Black, or Mexican-American. A multiple regression
procedure was used to analyze the data on 300 students (aged 8-13.5 yrs)
referred as mentally retarded or learning disabled. Only SES and ethnicity made
a significant contribution to the prediction of SEDE for all 3 groups. Results
suggest that legislative mandates to control for sociocultural
factors in the determination of SEDE have been only partially successful. (PsycINFO)
Bauermeister, JJ. Vargas, I. Colberg,
C. Gonzalez, LE., et al. Development of the Inventario de Comportamiento Escolar (IDCE) for Puerto Rican children. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences. 1987, 9(1),
49-67. Developed the Inventario de Comportamiento Escolar, a teacher
rating inventory for the assessment of Puerto Rican children with attention
deficit disorder, learning disabilities, or academic underachievement.
Factor analysis of classroom behavior ratings of 961 Puerto Rican students
(kindergarten to 6th grade) yielded 5 scales as did factor analysis of school
performance ratings. (PsycINFO)
Bebout, L. Arthur, B. Cross-cultural attitudes
toward speech disorders. Journal of Speech & Hearing
Research. 1992, 35(1), 45-52.
Used a questionnaire to look at attitudes toward 4 disorders (cleft palate,
stuttering, hearing impairment, and misarticulations)
among 166 university students (aged 17-48 yrs) representing English-speaking
North American culture and other cultures (e.g., Chinese, Southeast Asian,
Hispanic). Results show significant group differences on items involving Ss'
beliefs about the emotional health of persons with speech disorders and about
the potential ability of speech-disordered persons to improve their speech.
Also: "On cultural sensitivity in assessing cross-cultural
attitudes": Reply. Journal of Speech & Hearing
Research. 1994, 37(2) 343. Replies
to criticisms by A. Martinez et al of L. Bebout and
B. Arthur's study on cross-cultural attitudes toward speech disorders.
The questionnaire was not intended to assess into the attitudes of non-North
American cultures, while the 'deficit' focus was on cultural misunderstanding
or naivete that might impede treatment. (PsycINFO)
Beltran, D. Rafael, D. A comparative investigation of two adaptive behavior
scales (CABS-SV and ABS-SE Part One): Across three educational program
classifications (regular, learning disabled, and mildly retarded) using a
sample of Hispanic children. Dissertation Abstracts
International. 1984, 45(3-A), 820.
Benson, BA. Behavior disorders and mental retardation: Associations with
age, sex, and level of functioning in an outpatient clinic sample. Applied Research in Mental Retardation. 1985, 6(1)
79-85. Expanded an earlier survey by
Brosnan, FL. Overrepresentation of
low-socioeconomic minority students in special education programs in
Cardoza,
D. Rueda, R. Educational and occupational outcomes of
Hispanic learning-disabled high school students. Journal of Special
Education, 1986, 20(1), 111-126. Examined educational characteristics of 6
subgroups (N=2,656) in the High School and Beyond (National Opinion Research
Center, 1980) data set. These included senior learning disabled Hispanic
students, senior learning disabled Anglo students, and a randomly selected
Anglo senior nonhandicapped subsample.
In addition, 3 parallel sophomore groups were included. The groups were
compared in terms of their course-taking behavior, educational aspirations, and
educational/occupational outcomes. Results indicate significant differences
between the handicapped and nonhandicapped groups.
However, in general, differences between the Anglo and Hispanic handicapped
groups were not significant. (PsycINFO)
Collier, C. Hoover, JJ. Sociocultural considerations when referring minority children for learning
disabilities. Learning Disabilities Focus, 1987, 3(1), 39-45. Discusses sociocultural considerations in
dealing with culturally and linguistically different children referred for
specific learning disabilities (LDs). In some instances behaviors that
educators may believe to indicate LDs may be typical and normal for a specific
cultural/linguistic background or a by-product of the acculturative process,
including second-language acquisition. When a minority child is referred for
suspected LDs, the child's native culture and language, as well as stage of
acculturation, must be considered. Such considerations may help educators
reduce unnecessary referrals and bias in decisions about special education
placement. (PsycINFO) [Assessment.]
Coppock, BA. A comparison of suspension rates of
secondary handicapped students by race, gender, handicap
and school level. Dissertation Abstracts International.
1984, 45(2-A) 488-489. [ID: race & sex & handicap & school level,
suspension rates, mainstreamed mildly handicapped vs
emotionally disturbed vs mentally retarded vs learning disabled junior vs
senior high school students.]
Correa, VI. Tulbert, B. Collaboration between school personnel in special education
and Hispanic families. Journal of Educational &
Psychological Consultation.
1993, 4(3), 253-265. Discusses the building of collaborative
relationships between school personnel in special education and Hispanic
families, focusing on issues paramount in understanding the values and beliefs
of the Hispanic family. A 4-step collaboration action plan is proposed
that includes (1) promoting a positive attitude toward school personnel, (2)
assisting school personnel by providing training, (3) gathering information on
the family, and (4) developing a culturally sensitive program based on need.
School personnel who take the time to understand the unique values and beliefs
of the Hispanic culture will more adequately provide culturally sensitive
services to Hispanic families and their children with disabilities. (PsycINFO)
Collier, C. Hoover, JJ. Sociocultural considerations when referring minority children for learning
disabilities. Learning Disabilities Focus.
1987, 3(1), 39-45. Discusses sociocultural
considerations in dealing with culturally and linguistically different children
referred for specific learning disabilities (LDs). In some instances
behaviors that educators may believe to indicate LDs may be typical and normal
for a specific cultural/linguistic background or a by-product of the
acculturative process, including second-language acquisition. When a minority
child is referred for suspected LDs, the child's native culture and language,
as well as stage of acculturation, must be considered. Such considerations may
help educators reduce unnecessary referrals and bias in decisions about special
education placement. (PsycINFO) [Assessment, Bias.]
Echevarria, J. Interactive Reading Instruction - A
Comparison of Proximal and Distal Effects of Instructional Conversations. Exceptional Children. 1995, 61(6), 536-552. This
study examined the effects of an interactive approach, instructional
conversations (IC), on the language and concept development of Hispanic
students with learning disabilities. This study compared traditional
instruction (basal approach) with instructional conversations. Results of
proximal measures indicated higher levels of discourse and greater
participation with IC than with a basal approach. The distal indexes yielded
uneven results: evidence of greater understanding of the concept following IC
but no differences in literal comprehension or post-lesson narrative results.
The overall results suggest that IC may provide linguistically rich learning
opportunities for culturally diverse students with learning disabilities. [Instructional Methods, Communication.]
Elliott, SN. Argulewicz, EN. The influence of
student ethnicity on teachers' behavior ratings of normal and learning disabled
children. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences. 1983, 5(3), 337-345. Behavioral
rating scores on the Devereux Elementary School Behavior Rating Scale (DESBRS)
for 64 learning disabled (LD) or non-LD Anglo and Mexican-American second-6th
graders were analyzed to explore the influence of ethnicity and diagnostic
label on behavior ratings by Anglo teachers and the relationship between the
behavior ratings of a sample of Mexican-American children and the normative
sample of the DESBRS. Significant multivariate F 's
were observed for the main effects of ethnicity and diagnostic label. Univariate analyses of ethnicity revealed that
Mexican-American and Anglo Ss were rated as being significantly different on 3
factors: Comprehension, Creative initiative, and Closeness to the Teacher. The
LD and non-LD Ss differed significantly on such DESBRS factors as Classroom
Disturbance, Inattentive-Withdrawn, and Slow Worker. (PsycINFO)
Fourqurean, JM. A K-ABC and
WISC--R comparison for Latino learning-disabled children of limited English
proficiency. Journal of School Psychology.
1987, 25(1), 15-21. Examined the performance of 42 Mexican-American
learning-disabled children (aged 6-12.5 yrs) of limited English proficiency on
the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children (K-ABC) and the Wechsler
Intelligence Scale for Children--Revised (WISC--R), using correlational
procedures and direct comparisons. Results show that (1) the WISC-R Full Scale
IQ was significantly lower than the K-ABC Mental Processing Composite; (2) the
Full Scale IQ and the Mental Processing Composite standard scores correlated
.63; and (3) all subscales of the WISC-R and the K-ABC correlated significantly
except the K-ABC Sequential scale, which failed to correlate significantly with
any WISC-R scales. Ss had particular difficulty with the WISC-R Verbal scale
and the K-ABC Achievement scale (means = 68.14 and 67.67, respectively). It is
concluded that claims of construct validity for the K-ABC are upheld. Subjects difficulty with sequential processing is discussed.
(PsycINFO)
Garcia, SB. Yates, JR. Policy issues associated with serving bilingual
exceptional children. Journal of
Garcia, SB. Effects of student characteristics, school programs and organization
on decision making for the placement of Hispanic students in classes for the
learning disabled. Dissertation Abstracts International.
1985, 46(4-A), 855.
Goldstein, BSC. Critical pedagogy in a bilingual special
education classroom. Journal of Learning
Disabilities. 1995, 28(8), 463-475. Describes a program in which the
author attempted to apply critical pedagogical principles, including language
acquisition theory, holistic and constructivist learning, and bicultural
development, in a first- and second grade bilingual day class. Participants
were 11 Latino children with limited English proficiency and learning
disabilities. The program illustrates the dialogical process between and among
students and teacher and the students' subsequent recognition of their own
abilities to name their world, engage with and critique existing knowledge, and
create new forms of knowledge that will enable them to actively change their
world. Recommendations for translating critical pedagogy to classroom practice
are given. Children's awareness of economic and social barriers that education
cannot bridge are discussed. (PsycINFO)
[Instructional Methods.]
Goody, MH. A comparative study of cross-cultural patterns of intellectual
abilities on WISC and WISC-R among Anglo, Chinese, and Hispanic educationally
handicapped boys with reading disabilities. Dissertation
Abstracts International. 1981, 42(1-A), 141.
[ID: intellectual abilities as measured by WISC & WISC-R, 7.5-12.9 yr old
monolingual Anglo vs bilingual Hispanic vs Chinese males with reading disabilities.]
Gottlieb, J. Gottlieb, BW. Trongone, S. Parent and teacher referrals for a psychoeducational
evaluation. Journal of Special Education, 1991, 25(2), 155-167. Studied the school records of 439 first-8th graders who had been
referred for special education evaluation: 5% were Asian, 21.2% were White,
38.3% were Black, and 40.5% were Hispanic. 328 Ss were referred by
teachers and 111 by parents. Both parents and teachers referred Ss primarily
for academic reasons, but parents did so more often. Parents referred higher
functioning Ss than teachers referred. White parents were more likely than
minority parents to refer Ss, whereas teachers referred more minority Ss. Seven
Ss were eventually classified as neurologically impaired and emotionally
handicapped and 72 as emotionally handicapped. 141 were classified as learning
disabled and placed in self-contained classes, 154 were classified as learning
disabled and placed in resource rooms, and 65 were ineligible for special
education services. There were too few purely behavioral reasons for referral.
(PsycINFO)
Gregory, JF. Shanahan, T. Walberg, HJ. Learning disabled 10th graders in
mainstreamed settings: A descriptive analysis. RASE: Remedial and Special
Education. 1985, 6(4), 25-33. Of the 30,030 10th graders for whom survey
data from the national High School and Beyond study
(J. Coleman et al, 1982; E. Page and T. Keith, 1981; S. Peng
et al, 1981 and 1982) were complete, 810 identified themselves as having
specific learning disabilities. Various comparisons between these learning
disabled (LD) Ss and their non-LD (NLD) peers were made. The LD group was
older, had a disproportionately high representation of Blacks and Hispanics and
an underrepresentation of Whites, and reported more
secondary handicapping conditions than did the NLD cohort. In all areas of
academic achievement tested, the LD Ss showed significant deficits. The LD Ss
also had lower indices of motivation, adjustment, locus
of control, independence, self-perception of attractiveness and popularity, and
scholastic orientation of close friends. They also evidenced more legal and
school-related problems. However, the 2 groups acknowledged spending equal
amounts of time in extracurricular activities. (PsycINFO)
Harry, B. These Families, Those Families - The Impact of Researcher
Identities on the Research Act. Exceptional Children.
1996, 62(4), 292-300. This article discusses the various, sometimes competing,
self-identities of the qualitative researcher and the impact of these
identities on decision making in the research process. The author proposes that
while culture provides the backdrop to identity, various aspects of the microcultures to which a researcher belongs may result in
varying ''personas'' that influence decision making about the research process.
The author illustrates these points with examples from her ethnographic
research with African- American/Latino, low- to middle-income families of
children with disabilities. [Methodology.]
Harry, B. An ethnographic study of cross-cultural
communication with Puerto Rican-American families in the special education
system. American Educational Research Journal.
1992, 29(3), 471-494. Addresses the challenge of parent-professional
(PP) interaction in a cross-cultural context with 12 Spanish-speaking, Puerto
Rican-American families whose children were classified as learning disabled or
mildly mentally retarded. Parents' views and experiences were sought
through ethnographic interviewing, review of students' documents, and
participant observation of PP conferences and community events. The data
revealed that inadequate provision of information on the meaning of events and
the school district's reliance on formalized, written communi-cation
led to mistrust and withdrawal on the part of parents. Deference to authority
disguised parents' real opinions. Changes implemented in the school district
were beginning to have a beneficial effect on PP relationships and to result in
exemplary parent conferences. (PsycINFO)
Harry, B. Making sense of disability: low-income, Puerto Rican parents'
theories of the problem. Exceptional Children, 1992, 59(1), 27-40. This
article reports findings from an ethnographic study of the views of 12 low-income
Puerto Rican parents whose children were classified as learning disabled or
mildly mentally retarded. Different cultural meanings of disability and
normalcy led parents to reject the notion of disability and focus on the impact
of family identity, language confusion, and detrimental educational practices
on children's school performance. Parents' views were in line with current
arguments against labeling and English-only instruction. (Parental
Perceptions.]
Heller, T. Markwardt, R. Rowitz,
L. Farber, B. Adaptation of Hispanic families to a member with mental
retardation. American Journal on Mental Retardation.
1994, 99(3), 289-300. Examined the adaptation of 51 Hispanic
and 195 non-Hispanic White families to having a family member with mental
retardation (MR). Primary caregivers completed surveys and interviews
about the characteristics of the family and the member with MR, their religious
values, support resources, and caregiver burden. Hispanic Ss had younger
children with MR and a lower socioeconomic level than did non-Hispanic Ss. More
Hispanic than non-Hispanic Ss reported that having a family member with MR
increased their religiosity, and more Hispanic Ss
believed that taking care of a family member with MR was a religious duty.
Hispanic Ss viewed caring for a family member with MR as less of a burden than
non-Hispanic Ss did. (PsycINFO)
Inglis, J. Lawson, JS. The cross-cultural validity
of the Learning Disability Index: A reanalysis of Mishra's
data. Journal of Clinical Psychology. 1985, 41(5), 680-5.
This study investigated the nature of a learning disability index (LDI) for the
objective assessment of verbal-nonverbal patterns of intellectual deficit on
the WISC-R. The Factor II score coefficients derived from an unrotated principal components analysis of the WISC-R
normative data, in combination with the individual's (or group's)
average scaled scores, are used for this purpose. The mean LDI of various
groups of learning disabled children, including Mishra's
(1984a; 1984b) Mexican-American and Papago groups,
are shown to be reliably different from the mean LDI of the normative
population and thus demonstrate its cross-cultural validity.
Langdon, HW. English Language Learning by Immigrant
Spanish Speakers - A
Leckart, B. A revised
dissimulation scale applicable to the MMPI-2. American
Journal of Forensic Psychology. 1994, 12(3), 5-15. Investigated the
score comparability of the 29 remaining items of the original 40 on the
Dissimulation Scale--Revised (Ds--R) included in the MMPI-2 (DSR-MMPI-2) to the
entire 40 item Ds--R. 120 disability claimants who completed the MMPI were
divided into 6 equal gender/ethnic groups: African- American, Hispanic, and
Caucasian and males and females. Pearson product moment correlations were
performed between the full Ds--R and the 29 items on the DSR-MMPI-2. Results
reveal a small correlation of +.914 among the 6 groups indicating little
difference between the 2 scores. (PsycINFO)
Maltzman, CM. Cross-cultural patterns of response
to the WISC/WISC-R and Bender Gestalt Test by Chinese-American,
Hispanic-American, and Occidental-American educationally handicapped boys. Dissertation Abstracts International. 1981, 42(2-A), 658. [ID: ethnicity, scores on WISC/WISC-R
& Bender Gestalt Test, Chinese American vs
Hispanic vs Occidental American 7.5-12 yr olds 1.5
yrs below grade level in reading, implications for remedial reading
strategies.]
Merino, BJ. Language development in normal and
language handicapped Spanish- speaking children. Hispanic
Journal of Behavioral Sciences. 1983, 5(4), 379-400. Examined the
language development of 22 5-8 yr old language-handicapped children who spoke
Spanish as a first language and who were classified as being of limited
English-speaking ability by comparing their language skills to those of a group
of controls matched for age, ethnicity, SES, first language, exposure to school
English, and language use patterns. The focus was on the differences and
similarities found in the Ss' first language, Spanish. A battery of
instruments, including measures of syntax, articulation, vocabulary, and
competence in pragmatics, was administered to 50 monolingual Spanish speakers
aged 3-8 yrs to establish baseline data. The language-delayed Ss were then
administered the same instruments and procedures and comparisons were made to
the control group. Handicapped Ss performed significantly worse than controls
in the production of syntactic features, but not in comprehension. Handicapped
Ss also exhibited a significantly higher number of articulation errors. It is
concluded that such procedures are necessary to ensure the adequate provision
of therapy for the bilingual handicapped child. (PsycINFO)
Meyers, CE. Borthwick, SA. Eyman,
RK. Place of residence by age, ethnicity, and level of retardation of the
mentally retarded/developmentally disabled population of
Miramontes, OB. Oral reading miscues of Hispanic
students: Implications for assessment of learning disabilities. Journal of Learning Disabilities. 1987, 20(10),
627-632. Assessed 20 Hispanic successful readers and 20 Hispanic students (all
4th-6th graders) identified as having learning disabilities in reading in
English and Spanish using the Reading Miscue Inventory. Oral reading miscues
were analyzed to determine similarities and differences between the groups in
their first and second reading languages. Data were analyzed for graphic similarity,
sound similarity, grammatical function, comprehension, and grammatical
relationships. Significant differences were found to exist in all these
categories when analyzed in the students' first reading language and in the
last 3 categories when analyzed for English reading. The data for students
classified as learning disabled suggest the need for more extensive
consideration of primary language reading in the determination of a learning
disability. (PsycINFO)
Morrison, GM. Laughlin, J. Smith, D. Ollansky,
E., et al. Preferences for sources of social support of Hispanic male
adolescents with mild learning handicaps. Education
& Training in Mental Retardation. 1992, 27(2), 132-144. Examined the preferences for social support of Hispanic male
adolescents with and without mild learning handicaps for various kinds of life
stressors. These junior high school students (22 with and 11 without
mild learning handicaps) responded to questions concerning whom they would talk
to about a variety of everyday stressors. Ss with mild learning handicaps in
resource room and special day class settings had higher rates of choosing the
category of "nobody" and lower rates of choosing siblings than their nonhandicapped peers. Differences existed between resource
room and special day class students in their preferences for parents, peers,
and teachers. Situational variations in these overall patterns are described. (PsycINFO)
Ochoa, AM. Pacheco, R. O'Mark,
DR. Addressing the learning disability needs of
limited-English proficient students: Beyond language and race issues. Learning Disability Quarterly. 1988, 11(3), 257-264. Argues that students with exceptional learning needs should not be
denied access to special education programs because of their language or race.
However, such factors should not be ignored either. The issue of
disproportionate representation of limited-English proficient (LEP) Hispanic
students in classes for the learning disabled is discussed, based on 1981
statistics from
Ochoa, SH. Palmer, DJ. A sociometric
analysis of between-group differences and within-group status variability of
Hispanic learning disabled and nonhandicapped pupils
in academic and play contexts. Learning Disability
Quarterly. 1991, 14(3), 208-218. Assessed the sociometric status of mainstreamed Hispanic learning
disabled (LD) and nonhandicapped pupils. 733
4th- and 5th-graders from a small metropolitan school district in the Southwest
participated. Sociometric data were collected from 35
classrooms across 10 schools. Hispanic LD Ss received lower sociometric
peer ratings than their nonhandicapped peers.
However, a peer rating/nomination classification procedure resulted in
considerable variability in sociometric status for
both LD and nonhandicapped Ss. Although 30% of the LD
Ss were in the rejected status group, almost 50% of the LD Ss attained average sociometric status. Sociometric
context (i.e., academic and play) also influenced membership in status groups.
(PsycINFO)
Olivarez, A. Palmer, DJ. Guillemard, L. Predictive bias with referred and nonreferred
Black, Hispanic, and White pupils. Learning
Disability Quarterly. 1992,
15(3), 175-186. Predictive bias between IQ and achievement was examined using
data obtained from ethnically diverse referred and nonreferred
samples in an extension of a study by D. J. Palmer et al. Achievement and
intelligence measures included the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for
Children--Revised (WISC--R), Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children,
Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-Educational Battery, and the Woodcock Language
Proficiency Battery. The sample consisted of 94 second-, 74 third-, and 68
4th-grade students (58 White, 57 Black, and 121 Hispanic) from a large urban
district. Results revealed evidence of predictive bias in several sets of
intelligence-achievement measures. The achievement performance of Black and
Hispanic Ss was overpredicted. For the most part,
intercept bias was more evident than slope bias (differential validity). (PsycINFO)
Ortiz, AA. Wilkinson, CY. Adapting IEPs
for limited English proficient students. Academic
Therapy. 1989, 24(5), 555-568. Examined the content of
individualized education plans (IEPs) developed for
203 learning disabled and mentally handicapped Hispanic second-5th graders with
limited English proficiency (LP) to determine how Ss' LP influenced the
selection of IEP goals and objectives. Results suggest that Ss' degree of
bilingualism and LP exerted little influence on the IEP committee's selection
of instructional goals and objectives. Native language instruction and
instruction in English as a second language were infrequently incorporated into
special education services. (PsycINFO)
Ortiz, AA. Garcia, SB. Serving Hispanic Students with
Learning Disabilities - Recommended Policies and Practices. Urban Education. 1995, 29(4), 471-481. Educators
continue to have difficulty distinguishing learning disabilities from second
language differences among Hispanic students. This article identifies major
issues in the identification, assessment, and placement of Hispanic students in
programs for students with learning disabilities, with a focus on limited
English proficient Hispanic students. The authors recommend policies and
practices which can help safeguard these students against inappropriate special
education placement.
Ortiz, AA. Maldonado-Colon, E. Recognizing learning disabilities in
bilingual children: How to lessen inappropriate referrals of language minority
students to special education. Journal of
Palmer, DJ. Olivarez, A. Willson, Victor, L.
Fordyce, T. Ethnicity and language dominance: Influence on the prediction of
achievement based on intelligence test scores in nonreferred
and referred samples. Learning Disability Quarterly.
1989, 12(4), 261-274. Examined the influence of ethnicity on the prediction of
achievement on intelligence tests in 236 referred and nonreferred
Black, Hispanic, and Anglo second, third, and 4th grade pupils who were assessed
with the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children--Revised (WISC--R) and
Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children (K-ABC) cognitive and achievement
scales. Approximately 38% of the Hispanic Ss were identified as limited-English
proficient (LEP). Analysis of various procedures revealed differences in
cognitive and achievement performance due to pupils' ethnicity, referral
status, and LEP status. For both WISC-R and K-ABC IQ measures, a number of
regressions on the K-ABC Total and Arithmetic achievement measures evidenced
bias across ethnic groups for both referred and nonreferred
Ss. Bias due to language dominance also was found for WISC-R and K-ABC
composite scales. Implications of predictive bias are discussed for assessment
and placement of minority and LEP children in special education classes. (PsycINFO)
Palmer, DJ. Hughes, JN.
Payette, KA. Clarizio, HF. Discrepant team
decisions: The effects of race, gender, achievement, and IQ on LD eligibility. Psychology in the Schools. 1994, 31(1), 40-48. Examined the racial, gender, intellectual, achievement, and
grade-level status of 344 students (aged 5 yrs 6 mo to 18 yrs) who had been
referred for learning disability (LD) diagnosis to determine whether student
characteristics might influence the misclassification of Ss with respect to LD
status. In one-fourth of the cases, Ss were declared either eligible
without a severe discrepancy or ineligible with a severe discrepancy regardless
of method used (standard score vs regressed standard
score) or cutoff value employed (15-point vs 22-point
discrepancy). Being White, older, and of higher intelligence and achievement
were characteristics of those found ineligible despite a severe discrepancy.
Being female and less academically able were characteristics of those declared
eligible without a severe discrepancy. (PsycINFO)
Plata, M. Using Spanish-Speaking Interpreters in Special Education. Remedial and Special Education. 1993, 14(5), 19-24.
An increasing Hispanic population, with its diverse academic needs, presents a
challenge for public schools. The lack of available bilingual and other
appropriately trained personnel who can effectively interact with
Spanish-speaking students and parents magnifies this challenge, especially when
students are considered for special education placement. In such situations,
interpreters are needed to communicate with parents. This article proposes
criteria for selecting interpreters, discusses responsibilities of, and
potential problems in using, interpreters, and suggests elements of a
management system and training program for interpreters and those who rely on
their services. [Service Delivery. Cultural
Competence.]
Poppe, RL. A study of the WISC-R scores of
Hispanic and non-Hispanic gifted/learning disabled students. Dissertation
Abstracts International: Section A: The Humanities & Social Sciences. 1994, 54(7-A), 2537.
Ratleff, J Echevarria.
The effects of instructional conversations on the language and concept
development of learning handicapped students. Dissertation
Abstracts International. 1993, 54(3-A), 892.
ID: instructional conversations, language & concept development, bilingual
Hispanic learning disabled students.
Reschly, DJ. Identification and
Assessment of Students with Disabilities. The
Future of Children. 1996,
6(1), 40-53. Students with disabilities or suspected disabilities are evaluated
by schools to determine whether they are eligible for special education
services and, if eligible, to determine what services will be provided. In many
states, the results of this evaluation also affect how much funding assistance
the school will receive to meet the students' special needs. Special education
classification is not uniform across states or regions. Students with identical
characteristics can be diagnosed as disabled in one state but not in another
and may be reclassified when they move across state or school district lines.
Most disabilities with a clear medical basis are recognized by the child's
physician or parents soon after birth or during the preschool years. In
contrast, the majority of students with disabilities are initially referred for
evaluation by their classroom teacher (or parents) because of severe and
chronic achievement or behavioral problems. There is evidence that the
prevalence of some disabilities varies by age. The high-incidence disabilities
such as learning disabilities and speech-language disabilities occur primarily
at the mild level. The mild disabilities exist on broad continua in which there
are no clear demarcations between those who have and those who do not have the disability, and even "mild" disabilities may
constitute formidable barriers to academic progress and significantly limit
career opportunities. Problems with the current classification system include
stigma to the child, low reliability, poor correlation between categorization
and treatment, obsolete assumptions still in use in treatment, and
disproportionate representation of minority students. Both African-American and
Hispanic students are disproportionately represented in special education but
in opposite directions. The disproportionately high number of African Americans
in special education reflects the fact that more African-American students than
white students are diagnosed with mild mental retardation. Though poverty,
cultural bias, and inherent differences have been suggested as reasons for this
disproportionate representation, there are no compelling data that fully
explain the phenomenon. In most states, classification of a student as disabled
leads to increased funding from the state to the school district. This article
suggests a revised funding system that weights four factors (number of
deficits, degree of discrepancy, complexity of intervention, and intensity of
intervention) in a regression equation that would yield a total amount of
dollars available to support the special education of a particular student.
Ruiz NT. The social construction of ability and disability: I. Profile types
of Latino children identified as language learning disabled. Journal
of Learning Disabilities. 1995, 28(8), 476-490. During the course of
an ethnographic study of a bilingual special education classroom, three profile
types of students emerged, ranging from students with severe language learning
disabilities to students with normal abilities. The study points out the
inadequacy of a medical model view of student abilities and disabilities --a
view that underestimates the communicative and academic competence of bilingual
students. Concurrently, the results support a contextual performance view --a
view that acknowledges the role of instructional context in revealing the upper
or lower range of students' communicative and academic competence. The study
further suggests some contextual features of instruction that are associated
with students from all profile types showing their best in terms of language
and literacy skills. (MEDLINE)
Sacristan, Jaime R. Mental health in Spanish-speaking mentally retarded
people: The state of the art.
Shapiro, J. Simonsen, D. Educational Support Group
for Latino Families of Children with Down Syndrome. Mental Retardation. 1994, 32(6), 403-415. Experiences
and observations based on an ongoing parent education-support group for
Mexican-origin Latino parents of children with Down syndrome were described.
Culturally mediated concepts were discussed in terms of their relevance to
specific aspects of group functioning, including group structure, membership,
and leadership. Problems of particular concern to this population that might
adversely affect maintenance and growth of the group were also examined.
Finally, the potential value of such support groups for this
parent population were considered as were guidelines for enhancing the
group experience.
Sluzki, CE. The sounds of silence: Two cases of
elective mutism in bilingual families. Family Therapy Collections. 1983, 6, 68-77. Compares the case histories of 2 families, each presenting with
elective mutism in a 9-yr-old girl. One family
was Mexican- American, and the other was Salvadorian and living in the
Sontag, JC. Schacht, R. An Ethnic Comparison of
Parent Participation and Information Needs in Early Intervention. Exceptional Children. 1994, 60(5), 422-433. This
study investigated ethnic differences in (a) parent perceptions of their
information needs and their sources of information, and (b) the nature of
parent participation in early intervention and participation preferences.
Interviews were conducted with 536 families with infants and toddlers who had
developmental problems. Comparative analyses were conducted on white, Hispanic,
and American Indian groups. Results suggested the need to provide more and
better information to all parents and the importance of medical doctors as a
source of information, individualizing the type and source of information to
different ethnic groups, and identifying unique strategies to support the
participation of parents from different ethnic groups.
Stein, RC. Hispanic parents' perspectives and participation in their
children's special education program: Comparisons by program and race. Learning Disability Quarterly. 1983, l 6(4), 432-439.
Interviewed 62 Hispanic families with children receiving
special education (SE) services in kindergarten to Grade 12. Results,
which were compared to previous findings by E. W. Lynch and the present author,
suggest few differences between Hispanic parents of learning handicapped and
other program children in terms of attitudes, satisfaction, or participation in
the children's educational programs. However, Ss were significantly less
actively involved than White parents in their children's SE. Possible
cultural/ethnic reasons for this are discussed. (PsycINFO)
Valentin, S. Motivation in second language learning in Hispanic
learning-disabled students. Dissertation Abstracts
International. 1993, 54(6-A), 2049.
Vaughn, S. Hogan, A. Kouzekanani, K. Shapiro, S.
Peer acceptance, self-perceptions, and social skills of learning disabled
students prior to identification. Journal of Educational
Psychology. 1990, 82(1), 101-106. This study addressed how learning
disabled students prior to identification (LDPI), low-
achieving (LA), average-achieving (AA), and
high-achieving (HA) students compare on peer, teacher, and self assessments of
social status and social skills in the fall and spring of kindergarten. Two
hundred thirty-nine Black, Hispanic, and White students, 78% of a kindergarten population,
participated. Controlling for age, sex, and achievement levels, four groups
were identified:
Westby, CE. Rouse, GR. Culture in education and the instruction of language
learning-disabled students. Topics in Language Disorders. 1985, 5(4) 15-28. Describes the
organization of activities in an elementary classroom of eight 6-9 yr old
language- learning-disabled Hispanic children and demonstrates how the use of
ethnographic research methods can contribute to understanding the culture of
the school. An ethnographic paradigm developed by E.T. Hall is used to describe
the way in which cultures vary along a continuum in the degree to which their
communication messages are contextualized. In high-context (HC) cultures most
of the communicative information is either in the physical context or
internalized in the person while very little is contained in the verbally
transmitted part of the message. Low-context cultures, however, are highly
individualized with relatively little mutual involvement among people. Cultural
conflicts that arise in schools from the different values that HC and LC
cultures place on the role of their members (the group vs
the individual, language structure and function, and use of time) are
discussed. Activity characteristics and teacher-child interactions designed to
facilitate either HC or LC cultures within the learning program are presented.
The program allowed the Ss to acquire, then maintain and use, aspects of HC
culture in the LC environment of the school. It is suggested that such programs
should not be evaluated solely on quantitative data regarding the students'
performance on selected variables. (PsycINFO)
Wheeler, DS. Simultaneous-sequential processing in the
analysis of limited English proficient learning disabled students. Dissertation Abstracts International. 1993, 54(4-A), 1299.
Whitworth, RH. Comparison of Anglo and Mexican American male high school
students classified as learning disabilities. Hispanic
Journal of Behavioral Sciences. 1988, 10(2), 127-137. Two groups of
80 Mexican American and Anglo male high school students were administered the
Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) and the Wide Range Achievement Test.
Half of each group was classified as learning disabled (LD), and half attended
regular classes and were included as normal controls. Analyses revealed
significant ethnic differences for WAIS Verbal and Full-Scale IQS for both the
LD and normal Ss. No significant differences in either Performance IQ or
academic performance between Anglo and Mexican-American LD Ss were noted,
suggesting that differences are due to limited-English proficiency or sociocultural factors rather than true learning
disabilities. (PsycINFO)
Widaman, KF. MacMillan,
DL. Hemsley, RE. Little, TD. et al. Differences in adolescents' self-concept as a
function of academic level, ethnicity, and gender. Special Issue: Social
skills. American Journal on Mental Retardation.
1992, 96(4), 387-403. A self-concept inventory assessing 11 aspects of
self-concept was administered to 680 male and 454 female 8th graders stratified
with regard to academic level (regular class, educationally marginal, learning
handicapped), ethnicity (White, Black, and Hispanic), and gender. Regular class
students had significantly higher levels of self-concept on most scales than
did students who were educationally marginal or learning handicapped. The 190
Black students had significantly higher self-concept ratings than did the 803
White and the 341 Hispanic students on most scales. Gender did not moderate the
effects of academic level on self-concept scores. Whites who were educationally
marginal had the lowest level of academic and verbal self-concept. (PsycINFO)
Wright, P. Santa-Cruz, R. Ethnic composition of special education programs
in
Zavala, J. Mims, J. Identification of learning disabled
bilingual Hispanic students. Learning Disability
Quarterly. 1983, 6(4),
479-488. Compared 10 limited-English proficient (LEP) bilingual Hispanic
students in Grades 1-6 who had been identified as learning disabled (LD) with
10 age-, sex-, and SES-matched LEP bilingual students who were not identified
as LD (NLD) based on standardized measures of achievement and potential.
Behavioral surveys of both groups were conducted. The following tests predicted
learning disabilities: Prueba de Lectura
y Lenguaje Escrito, Test of
Nonverbal Intelligence, Test of Reading Comprehension, Prueba
de Desarrollo Inicial de Lenguaje, Test of Early Language Development, and the Perfil de Evaluacion del Comportamiento/Teacher Survey. Significant differences were
found between the LD and NLD groups in 75% of the measures administered.
Additional results indicate that the LD Ss scored poorly on the nonverbal IQ
test and the language achievement tests, suggesting that the LD Ss would have
been identified as LD based on the instruments used in the present study. (PsycINFO)
Zetlin, AG. Everyday stressors
in the lives of Anglo and Hispanic learning handicapped adolescents. Journal
of Youth & Adolescence, 1993, 22(3), 327-335. The sociocultural
context of the lives of 10 learning handicapped adolescents (aged 16-18 yrs)
was closely monitored over an entire school year using participant observation
techniques. Everyday stressors and coping strategies of 5 Hispanic and 5 Anglo
adolescents matched on age, sex, SES, class placement, and family intactness
were documented in lengthy field notes. In addition to concerns typical of all
adolescents (i.e., family, work, recreation, appearance), cross pressure from
cultural conflicts and the learning handicapped status were major sources of
stress for these adolescent subgroups. (PsycINFO)
3. Disability Among
Working Age Latinos
This section focuses on disability issues of working age Latinos. The
conditions emerging in the age group can be largely attributed to
behaviorally-related issues such as mental health, alcohol, tobacco, and other
drug abuse, injury related to violence, motor vehicle crashes, and work. In the
past 15 years, the most important emerging condition for this age group is AIDS
or HIV-related disease (AIDS). HIV disease is now the fourth leading cause of
death among all Latinos, and the leading cause of death among Latinos aged 25
to 44 years. As better strategies emerge for controlling HIV emerge, life
expectancy will increase. However, certain disabling conditions also are
emerging, including blindness and dementia, etc.
Angel, RJ. The costs of disability for Hispanic males.
Social Science Quarterly. 1984,
65(June), 426-43. [Physically handicapped:
Employment.]
Avolio, BJ. Waldman, DA. Variations in cognitive,
perceptual, and psychomotor abilities across the working life span: Examining
the effects of race, sex, experience, education, and occupational type. Psychology & Aging. 1994, 9(3), 430-442. Cognitive,
perceptual, and psychomotor abilities were examined across the working life
span for different racial groups, taking into consideration sex, job
experience, education, and occupational type. Data included scores on all
subtests of the General Aptitude Test Battery for White, Black, and Hispanic
employees. Age and sex generally accounted for a relatively small percentage of
the variance in ability test scores when experience, education, and
occupational type were controlled. Race accounted for a substantial amount of
variance in test performance, even after controlling for education, experience,
occupational type, and age. Findings are discussed in terms of the potential
for specific experiences and continuing education to affect the maintenance of
abilities at later points in the life span for all racial groups. (PsycINFO).
Centers for Disease Control. Firearm-related
deaths--
Fifield, J. Reisine, S. Sheehan, TJ. McQuillan, J. Gender, Paid Work, and Symptoms of Emotional Distress in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients. Arthritis and Rheumatism. 1996, 39(3), 427-435. Objective. To evaluate the relative contribution of gender-related work conditions, gender-related socialization practices, and disease characteristics to the explanation of emotional distress in men and women with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods. Three hundred sixty-nine RA patients who were employed outside the home were recruited from a national randomized sample of rheumatology practices. Data on paid work and disease characteristics were obtained by telephone interview. Emotional distress was measured by the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression (CES-D) scale. Hierarchical ordinary least-squares regression was used to assess the relationship of sex, class, work characteristics, and disease characteristics to both the CES-D summary scale and the CES-D factor structure. Results. Differences in emotional distress were explained best by functional ability and pain and secondarily by the characteristics of paid work, with no independent effect for sex. Distress increased with decreasing functional ability, increasing pain, and exposure to such work characteristics as low autonomy, low income, and high demands. No sex differences in any of the CES-D subscales remained after controlling for disease and work variables. Conclusion. Among employed RA patients with high levels of