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Background: Growing attention has been paid to the possibility of supporting early numeracy in at-risk kindergartners. Furthermore, it is assumed that language proficiency is an important prerequisite in early maths skills., Aims: To examine whether remedial early numeracy education in kindergarten, which has been proven to be effective in general, is also beneficial for children with a language deficiency., Methods & Procedures: Based on intensive selection, four different conditions were included: two groups received remedial education, one consisting of children being language proficient (N = 86) and one of children with a language deficiency (N = 26), and two groups followed the regular curriculum, one consisting of children being language proficient (N = 51) and one of children with a language deficiency (N = 24). Remedial education was for 1.5 school years (90 sessions, 30 min per session, twice per week), following the programme 'The Road to Mathematics'. During this period, the children receiving remedial education did not attend the regular maths lessons in the classroom, which were offered for at least 1 h per week. Effects were assessed for early numeracy and mathematical skills (operationalized as basic calculation fluency) in kindergarten and first grade., Outcomes & Results: Three analyses of covariance (ANCOVAs) revealed that, when accounting for achievement at pre-test, children with a language deficiency who received remedial numeracy education performed better on early numeracy skills in kindergarten and first grade than kindergartners with a language deficiency that followed the regular curriculum. Furthermore, they were able to catch up with their language proficient peers in early numeracy. However, children with a language deficiency who received remedial numeracy education did not differ from children who followed the regular curriculum on mathematical skills, suggesting that benefits for numeracy did not generalize to more advanced skills of addition and subtraction., Conclusions & Implications: Since, in general, it can be concluded that early numeracy education is indeed effective for kindergartners with a language deficiency, this study finds evidence that intensive support is desirable for children with delayed or impaired language development., (© 2015 Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists.)

Research evidence for cognitive remediation therapy's (CRT) effectiveness for anorexia nervosa (AN) has been gathering. This approach is also increasingly being implemented in other disorders including major depressive disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder and autistic spectrum disorder that share commonalities with AN in neuropsychological profiles and clinical presentations. This systematic literature review identified and appraised the current evidence base to see whether evidence from related conditions could be integrated into the theoretical understanding of CRT for AN as well as future AN treatment developments and research. Overall, CRT studies in AN report promising findings, and CRT appears to be associated with improvements in set-shifting and in central coherence. Cognitive remediation approaches in other conditions also show promising evidence in associated improvements in areas of executive functioning and information processing; links are made between AN treatment and what future treatment developments could consider., (Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.)

Objective: Inefficient cognitive flexibility is considered a neurocognitive trait marker involved in the development and maintenance of anorexia nervosa (AN). Cognitive Remediation Therapy (CRT) is a specific treatment targeting this cognitive style. The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility and efficacy (by estimating the effect size) of specifically tailored CRT for AN, compared to non-specific cognitive training., Method: A prospective, randomized controlled, superiority pilot trial was conducted. Forty women with AN receiving treatment as usual (TAU) were randomized to receive either CRT or non-specific neurocognitive therapy (NNT) as an add-on. Both conditions comprised 30 sessions of computer-assisted (21 sessions) and face-to-face (9 sessions) training over a 3-week period. CRT focused specifically on cognitive flexibility. NNT was comprised of tasks designed to improve attention and memory. The primary outcome was performance on a neuropsychological post-treatment assessment of cognitive set-shifting., Results: Data available from 25 treatment completers were analyzed. Participants in the CRT condition outperformed participants in the NNT condition in cognitive set-shifting at the end of the treatment (p = 0.027; between-groups effect size d = 0.62). Participants in both conditions showed high treatment acceptance., Discussion: This study confirms the feasibility of CRT for AN, and provides a first estimate of the effect size that can be achieved using CRT for AN. Furthermore, the present findings corroborate that neurocognitive training for AN should be tailored to the specific cognitive inefficiencies of this patient group., (Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Remediation of residents is a common problem and requires organized, goal-directed efforts to solve. The Council of Emergency Medicine Residency Directors (CORD) has created a task force to identify best practices for remediation and to develop guidelines for resident remediation. Faculty members of CORD volunteered to participate in periodic meetings, organized discussions and literature reviews to develop overall guidelines for resident remediation and in a collaborative authorship of this article identifying best practices for remediation. The task force recommends that residency programs: 1. Make efforts to understand the challenges of remediation, and recognize that the goal is successful correction of deficits, but that some deficits are not remediable. 2. Make efforts aimed at early identification of residents requiring remediation. 3. Create objective, achievable goals for remediation and maintain strict adherence to the terms of those plans, including planning for resolution when setting goals for remediation. 4. Involve the institution's Graduate Medical Education Committee (GMEC) early in remediation to assist with planning, obtaining resources, and documentation. 5. Involve appropriate faculty and educate those faculty into the role and terms of the specific remediation plan. 6. Ensure appropriate documentation of all stages of remediation. Resident remediation is frequently necessary and specific steps may be taken to justify, document, facilitate, and objectify the remediation process. Best practices for each step are identified and reported by the task force., (© 2010 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine.)

There is a growing need for teachers and speech and language therapists (SLTs) to work together in the joint planning and implementation of lessons in the educational context to ensure successful differentiation of the national curriculum (NC) to students with special educational needs (SEN). This paper describes and evaluates the development and delivery of a language and social communication programme as part of the PSE subject from the NC to final year students at a special needs school for children with significant speech, language and communication impairment. The topics covered across a variety of common social settings are outlined as well as the controlled and progressive manner in which they were introduced.

Examined the effectiveness of specific psychoeducational tutoring methods on achievement in reading, self-esteem, auding, and verbal language, Ss (N = 132) were youths and adults reading below fifth level who volunteered to participate in an adult tutorial project. After the assessment of entry level achievement, Ss received psychoeducational tutoring. Comparison of pre- with posttest scores scores indicated that Ss made significant improvement in reading, self-esteem, auding, and verbal language. Pretest scores were related most strongly to posttest scores. Initial verbal language scores were related significantly to posttest reading and auding scores. The study also tested the adequacy of a developmental reading model for adult illiterates. Auding and verbal language scores exceeded reading scores, as theorized. Further research is needed to determine whether gains in achievement continue and whether low intellectual levels or specific language disabilities are contributing to the low levels of reading, auding, and verbal language.

Investigated the efficacy of teaching students at-risk for academic failure to deal more adaptively with school-related stress. Forty-eight beginning high school students previously identified by their grade six teachers as likely to fail in grade seven were assigned randomly to one of three groups: A coping skills training group, a counselor intervention group and a control group. After a 9-week, twice-weekly intervention program, the students given coping skills training showed significantly improved social problem-solving ability and a trend toward heightened self-concept when compared with the group that received standard school counseling and an untreated control group.

Two case reports illustrate the application of mnemonic techniques for the remediation of memory problems common to brain-damaged patients. A clinical paradigm for such work that includes general and specific assessment; laboratory evaluation of intervention strategies, and finally in-vitro application is described.