(McGannon, Carey and Dimmitt, 2005)
To address this need in the field of school counseling, the CSCOR has developed the National Panel for School Counseling Evidence-Based Practice, which is composed of school counseling educators and practitioners who have been identified as experts in the field. Panel members are currently evaluating existing methods of evidence-based practice by reviewing the research literature so that they may establish rules of evidence to determine whether a practice can be identified as evidence-based. The panel is identifying rules for judging strong evidence, identifying needed research, and communicating their findings to other practitioners and researchers. (McGannon, Carey, and Dimmitt, 2005)
The work of Jeremy M. Linton entitled: "Perceived Therapeutic Qualities of Counselor Trainees with Disabilities" states that a learning disability (LD) is present when the person's achievement in a specific academic area is significantly below the level expected for age, schooling, and level of intelligence. In general, individuals with learning disabilities tend to be viewed less positively than individuals without learning disabilities." (Linton, 1999) Children who have learning disabilities are stated by Linton to be "less popular in sociometric ratings than non-learning disabled peers, and social reject of LD children is common." (1999) the work entitled: "Can School-Based Interventions Enhance the Self-Concept of Students with Learning Disabilities?" states that school experiences "play an important role in the development of self-perceptions and can have powerful and long-term effects on a child's self-esteem. Individuals with learning disabilities (LD) are especially vulnerable to low self-concept." (Elbaum and Vaughn, 2008) LD has been found to be linked with poor self-concept making it clear "that students with LD often experience academic challenges that can drain self-esteem." (Elbaum and Vaughn, 2008)
Elbaum and Vaughn states that there is still much that is not understood completely about factors that affect the self-concept of children however, it is known that "students' self-concepts are related to their academic achievement. Students with lower levels of academic achievement have lower self-concepts than students with lower levels of academic achievement." (2008) Two approaches have been utilized in classroom interventions with a design for improvement of self-concepts of LD students: (1) the self-enhancement approach; and (2) the skill development approach. (Elbaum and Vaughn, 2008) Elbaum and Vaughn report a research study, which was a synthesis of the literature aimed at making identification of studies of "school-based nonclinical interventions conducted between 1975 and 1997 that included students with LD and used a quantitative measure of self-concept to assess the impact of the intervention." (2008) Findings of this study states that school-based interventions "can lead to beneficial changes in the self-perceptions of students with LD." (Elbaum and Vaughn, 2008) Findings additionally state that interventions involving group-counseling techniques "produced favorable outcomes for students of varying ages." (2008)
Stated as a "key component" of the interventions that are successful is an "emphasis on students working collaboratively with their classmates and receiving feedback from classmates on their progress." (Elbaum and Vaughn, 2008) in fact, Elbaum and Vaughn note that these type of interventions "appear to give students with LD a dual payoff" as follows: (1) They do better academically; and (2) self-concept is enhanced. (Elbaum and Vaughn, 2008) the duration of the intervention does not appear to be a factor in the success of the intervention. Noted as the most positive benefits were those observed "...when self-concept was defined globally or more narrowly in terms of academic self-concept."(2008) Conclusions stated by Elbaum and Vaughn include the fact that there is not a "single, most effective technique for improving students' self-concept." (2008)
The work of Higgins, Goldberg and Raskind (2005) entitled: "Life Success for Students with Learning Disabilities: A Teacher Guide" states the importance of expanding "the circle of support" beyond the classroom and even beyond the very school stating that "It is clear from research with many different at-risk populations of children, including children with learning disabilities, that growing up with wide school, community, and familial support systems increases the chance for success in adulthood. Furthermore, studies of curriculum designed to foster positive social skills and self-concept development in children with learning disabilities point to the increased effectiveness of programs that...
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