Learning Disabilities - Science topic

driven strategies can significantly enhance classroom learning for students with learning disabilities by providing personalized learning experiences tailored to individual needs. Adaptive learning platforms use AI to assess students' strengths and weaknesses, allowing for customized content delivery and pacing. Additionally, AI tools can offer real-time feedback, helping students understand concepts more effectively. Assistive technologies, such as speech-to-text and text-to-speech applications, facilitate communication and comprehension. By creating an inclusive environment with these tools, educators can better support diverse learners, ensuring all students have equal opportunities to succeed.

Thank you and yes I do agree with the majority of your point, such as the tests are not discriminatory perse but the way they are developed, applied and analysed is where discriminatory bias creeps in. And so my research question is focusing directly to find out what are the cons for applying mentioned tests and not considering that there will be applicants with LD.

LD diagnostic process is initiated by teachers or specialized educators who utilize the KUS-SI rating scale, a screening tool designed specifically for Thai children aged 6-12. This tool assesses symptoms of ADHD, autism, and learning disabilities. Completed by teachers of Thai and mathematics who have had at least three months of direct experience with the child, the screening results are subsequently referred to medical specialists for further diagnosis. Nevertheless, teachers and educators take a proactive approach by collaborating with parents to create IEPs that address the child's unique challenges.

However, many schools lack the resources to identify and diagnose these students. To tackle this issue, Thailand has been pushing for inclusive education in all schools and hiring more special education teachers.

There's a questionnaire called the RDQ, it measures how parents deal with their child's learning disability diagnosis. It's based on the RDI interview and has 42 questions. It's been tested with Israeli moms of kids with CP or DD, but more research is needed for other groups. Hope that helps! Check this out: https://doi.org/10.1037/t82271-000

First we need to identify individual needs of a prisoner, whether he is literate, did he obtain any formal education etc..,

A good second step is preparation of a holistic individual rehabilitation plan that will help him fulfill his educational needs and help him obtain the life skills he will need upon release. A good add on would also be getting him into social work system and making sure that he is assigned a case worker with experience in the field that would work with him starting at his imprisonment and continuously work with him even after his release.

men Innovatsion texnologiyalar asosida talabalarga maktabgacha logopediya fanini o‘qitish metodikasini takomillashtirish bo'yicha ilmiy izlnish olib borganman

The matter is complex. Kurt Kuban once said "Came as you are". For students and scientists the motto should be"Learn as you are", "Work as you are" and "Publish as you are". But we cannot take this attitude for granted. There is still a widespread exclusionary, normalizing mind set, which hinders an emancipatory, inclusive coexistence.

The European Agency for Special Needs and Inclusive Education (2013, 2015) emphasizes the importance of information and communication technologies (ICT) for the implementation of inclusive teaching/ learning settings. UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in Education and European Agency for Development in Special Needs Education (2011) identify four functions of ICT in the school context:

- Supporting opportunities for participation through access to digital media;

- Supporting teaching and learning situations;

- Support for educational administrative processes; and

- Support of personal communication and interaction.

In recent years, more and more stationary and mobile hardware and software solutions have been innovated in order to offer suitable assistive and rehabilitative media and tools (Assistive Technology, AT) to learners with different handicaps: Starting with the use of laptops or pen-based notebooks for mentally handicapped students, to working with talkers (speech computers) of communication-impaired children and adolescents, to blended learning, a combination of face-to-face instruction and distributed media-based learning (e-learning), for chronically ill students. Above all, the use of tablet PCs, touch pads or touch screens is considered particularly promising.This is because these small, very light devices are ideally suited for people with motor disabilities, who need to be able to work in a mobile environment:

But the crucial point is: We must not narrow the discussion instructionally or instrumentally. Ultimately, it depends on personal and institutional attitudes.

Alexander,

I would love to collaborate on some research with you regarding the spectrum of ADHD and the similarities of Autism. Due to the immensity of the topic, I was advised to leave Autism out of the current research topic.

I am in the phase of defending my prospectus before going to IRB. If I can add anything in Chapters four and five to cite your work, I will certainly do so.

Dawn

Good and interesting answer Dear Dr. @Francisco Javier Gala!

يجب ان ان يكون المعلم المختص على قدر كبير ودراية وافرة بالحالات التي يقدم لها التعلمات وخاصة اذا كانت تعاني من صعبوات في التعلم ضف الى ذلك المشكلات المتعلقة بالنطق .

حيث يجب ان يكون له برنامج مكيف على حسب الحالات كما يجب ان يكون لهذه الفئة المستهدفة حجم ساعيمدروس وفق الوتيرة المدرسية المخصصة لهم والتي تتوافق مع مشكلاتهم المدرسية (صعوبات التعلم )ومشكلاتهم النطقية

Sally Lamb Thanks. I posted the request to some contacts.

Sure!

You are welcome. We published some results here, in case you are interested:

Patricia

Academic skills training

Hi once again,

Here you have another link, just in case:

https://www.frank-timme.de/fileadmin/docs/Easy_Language_Research_Text_and_User_Perspectives.pdf

Best regards!

Check https://www.pearsonclinical.co.uk/Psychology/ChildCognitionNeuropsychologyandLanguage/ChildAchievementMeasures/wrat4/wide-range-achievement-test-fourth-edition-wrat4.aspx

This paper highlights the two machine learning approaches, viz. Rough Sets and Decision Trees (DT), for the prediction of Learning Disabilities (LD) in school-age children, with an emphasis on applications of data mining. Learning disability prediction is a very complicated task. By using these two approaches, we can easily and accurately predict LD in any child and also we can determine the best classification method. In this study, in rough sets the attribute reduction and classification are performed using Johnson’s reduction algorithm and Naive Bayes algorithm respectively for rule mining and in construction of decision trees, J48 algorithm is used. From this study, it is concluded that, the performance of decision trees are considerably poorer in several important aspects compared to rough sets. It is found that, for selection of attributes, rough sets is very useful especially in the case of inconsistent data and it also gives the information about the attribute correlation which is very important in the case of learning disability.

هو جزء من منظومة تعليمية مكملة للتعليم بالتاكيد يساعد

@ Anjali Chayal

Please see the following RG links

I agree with answer of Dr. Marie Dontfraid .

Some Neurocognitive Strategies, to improve math abilities are

1- Thinking Hypothetica Strategy

2- Application of Systems Symbol strategy

3- Analysis of Point View strategy

4- Web Analysis Strategy

We mostly use WAIS. I think as long as you’re consistent in using one tool, you should be ok.

Dear all,

The intellect could be defined as ability to interact effectively with Universe as creator/builder.

The only reliable measure is evaluation of results of activity.

We think in so many different ways that it's impossible to compare them by any tests. How would be compared ability of Mozart to write beautiful music in one night to ability to write beautiful book for many years?

Best regards,

Konstantin

In my opinion mobile phones must be kept on silent/switched off mode during the classes. If the students need to learn anything from mobile phones, they may use after the class hours.

Here is an instrument that was developed for self reported stigma in people with intellectual disabilities:

Ali, A., Strydom, A., Hassiotis, A., Williams, R., & King, M. (2008). A measure of perceived stigma in people with intellectual disability. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 193(5), 410-415.

There are a large number of studies that support the use of explicit instruction that is targeted to particular discrete skills is beneficial in preventing dyslexia for younger students (K-2) and slowing the decline or remediating for older students. I would suggest that you take a look at the work done by Kate Cain, one of the more prolific researchers in the area of dyslexia.

Look at my: Teach Like the Mind Learns (2017)

Dear Colleague,

I tink te same , the best website is the OXFORD LibGuide.

Best Regards.

Many thanks Sarah.

I'm sorry, I don't know anyone.

Regards!

Pablo,

Thanks so much for following up with me. I teach Algebra to boys, ages 12 to 14, at an all-boys Catholic school in a small town outside of Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

At this age, the boys are going through all sorts of physical, emotional and neurological changes. Some of them do not have a very good background in basic math, some of them have diagnosed learning disabilities, a number of them have trouble concentrating for more than 15 minutes at a time, and most of them play video games. I don't have any data on number of hours per week or day, or what time of day, or what games specifically.

What I am looking to learn is how to adapt and structure my lessons to fit how these boys learn best, knowing that their cognition and attention spans might be affected by their gaming habits.

Any help or insight you might be able to offer would be appreciated!

Glenn

Dear Ms Xenia Kaimara,

I am recently read one interesting book about your topic

Serious Games Analytics edit by Christian Sebastian Loh, Yanyan Sheng and Dirk Ifenthaler.

I hope you find assessment tools in it.

I hope I have been of some help.

Best wishes,

Andrija

Marie Lynn Miranda did some work on this issue about 10 years ago.

Bruce Lamphear has also conducted some research on this issue and was a co-author on this recent paper

you can read this file

Yes, many years ago students with learning disability or mentally challenged were segregated and denied equal access to the curriculum. After numerous court cases of unfair assessment, ie, Brown v. Board of Education, Lau v Nichols, the Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, these children are to be taught in a regular classroom setting with least restrictive environment.  I am teaching about six special ed students in my classroom and they receive a 30 minutes push in services from a special ed teacher .

What is the age of the respondents? Susan Harter has a range of different measures, mostly self-report, such as the Self-Perception Profile for Children and Self-Perception Profile for Adolescents. I think there are adult versions as well.

Students with disability should be taken through the same curriculum like other "regular students" but defers in term of the degree and depth.The curriculum should be modified slightly to suit their purpose. The teaching pedagogy here plays key role in impacting the curriculum too.The teacher in-charge must be aware of the various characteristics of these special ones and bring the curriculum down to their level. 

The severity of the disability dictates the quantity of what to dish out to the special students and the expertise of the special teacher is needed to know how appropriate each method is in taking the special students to promised land.

please find the following article 

The Royal College in Canada recently added a forensic specialization in psychiatry

See the following for further information: https://blogs.uoregon.edu/intldept/files/2012/12/INTL-UG-Thesis-Kohama.pdf

Consider Abacus if some one knows how to utilize it then it will become mental exercise for them to develop mathematical abilities. 

Secondly use vending machines where we put coins and we get candies it will also enhance their mathematical ability.

There are lots of example (beispiel)  in the present world i mentioned few.

Dear Merisa, 

Given 40+ years as an academic with a background in educational psychology, I would state, based upon extensive reflective observation, that "gullibility is NOT a component of intellectual disability", but rather a component of "laziness". I hope that this is of some assistance.

Sincerely,

Lou Pagliaro

PS One could, of course, define "intellectual laziness" as a component or factor involved in intellectual disability, BUT this is a different question that you will have to answer from your own theoretical perspective or vantage point

!!

You may need to have it translated, but you could consider using the M-CHAT. It is a free Autism screening tool for children 16-30 months old. It has a high false positive rate to make sure kids don't fall through the cracks (to make sure they then receive a comprehensive evaluation). It's available at: https://m-chat.org/print.php

I think yes, this tests are very good and have a high grade of confiability and validity

Thank you all

Dear Ali, i never used the scale, however, after reading somepapers i have get the impression that this is a psychometric sound instrument that is well defined and constructed and matches the current understanding of ID perfectly, so it could fit. Take into account that it is like the vabs an interview based procedure, probably a scale is easier to use in research context 

IN the DSM5 Dyslexia is not named; it's subsumed in Specific Learning Disorder (SLD) The deficits are: problems in word recognition, accurate & fluent word reading, poor spelling, a deficit in phonological language component. To understand the entire spectrum of reading disabilities, one must think of the two continua of reading: the Phonological component that underlies word decoding/recognition and Comprehension of what is read. Any reader can be anywhere on these continua. The goal of ALL reading is READING COMPREHENSION.  Dyslexia lies at the end of poor decoding skills continuum with OK range of comprehension continuum; Hyperlexia is on the poor comprehension end with unusually good decoding skills (often seen in children with Autism); Garden Variety types have deficits in both decoding and comprehension (these constitute the majority in any classroom). The severity of the deficit in each of the continua must be taken into account. Besides the learner variables that produce a Specific Learning Disorder and any of the subtypes, there are environmental variables that further impact the problem: some increase risk (poverty; poor instruction), and some lower risk, i.e. protective variables that impact on severity (excellent instruction, middle and high Socio-Economic Status, and above all parental involvement). The simple View of Reading (although it is far from simple) is a great explanation of how Reading Comprehension materializes and it allows for tracking where the mechanism breaks down in each child/adult evaluated (see Sebastian Wren 2001-Cognitive Foundations of Reading). Hope this helps. 

The whole series of questions about "individuals" and "people" "sharing" or "having similar" disorders/diagnoses, and the attachment ('similarities' chart) uses a lot of terms that I find too imprecise to lead to good conclusions. There is a significant mathematical/statistical component to some of the questions you seem to have, but I am not sure exactly what you are asking and whether you are asking about probabilities or population rates. All of the answers that get to specific reasons for similarities and differences (genetics, environment, epi-genetics, etc.) aren't going to help without knowing what level of study you are interested in.  

Pretty much all of what you seem to be interested in are various neuro-developmental disorders. By definition, there are brain differences between individuals with these disorders and those with  "normal" brain development. EVERY individual will have a unique combination of measurable symptoms and could be 'similar' to another with respect to some symptoms and not similar on others. An individual may or may not share enough similarities to both fit into the same diagnostic category. So please can you explain your chart and conclusion? I can't understand why you say "Yes" in many of the cells? What is the "question" to which you are answering "Yes"?

If the question is merely "can they co-exist" then you should change the one "NO" to a  "YES". And if the question is "are they similar?" then you need to define or at least quantify what you mean by "similar". Otherwise, just 'informally', if the question is "are they similar" I would say many of your "yes'" answers are incorrect.  

It looks to me as though the conclusion does not logically (or empirically) arise from data about these disorders and could lead to some very unfortunate decisions if used in a clinical or special education settings.  What do you mean by "a sufficient percentage" of children? (There may be some issues here with usage of that term, but I'm not clear about what you are saying. Sorry).  It seems to imply that ADHD is causing under-diagnosis of ASD? Is that what you mean? I am very concerned when special education people, without diagnostic expertise get confused by information that may apply to diagnostic categories, but not necessarily individuals, or vice verse. 

The original question can be answered with an opinion rather than a reference to research, I joined the discussion and have been following it in hopes of learning about evidence related to the question.  For that reason, I know that I have found the answers from Ibrahim Acar, Yvette Hus, and Beata Borowska-Beszta particularly helpful and how that others may also be able to contribute research-based answers.

Thanks, Charlie. A lot of work went into them. Hopefully they'll prove to be a useful addition to the world of mood assessment...

Through balanced play, required playful activity and manual labor itself should be aimed, that is, to integrate simultaneously both psycobody developments as cognitive development and mental learning.

Take a look at Disability and Society Journal.

Hello Janette. I am now a Professor at a Norwegian University. But about 18 years ago, when I was a senior researcher in England, I conducted field research for the National Health Service among young pupils, aged about 14-16, who had asthma. A surprising view (indeed, two opposite views) that emerged was the attitudes of these young people towards PE teachers. If my memory serves me correctly, those who expressed a view (during semi-structured focus group interviews) on PE teachers, either perceived these teachers as unsympathetic and lacking in necessary skills with regard to responding to asthmatic attacks, or, the very opposite: namely sympathetic human beings who were well trained in how to deal with emergencies. 

In my report, I proposed that teacher education providers (mainly, colleges and universities) should prepare future teachers for dealing professionally and competently with asthma-related problems. Regarding the teachers whom some pupils described as unsympathetic, the feeling is captured in statements that roughly add up to something like the following: ´I told the teacher I could´t do PE today because my asthma was bad, but he thought I was making excuses´.

I know that this does not directly address your specific question, but I hope it touches some of the issues regarding what you refer to as "groomed" disability. I must add that I have not come across this term before, and wonder if it might be interpreted as a derogatory judgement. Are there alternative ways of referring to some pupils who might mimic illness in order to avoid doing PE? Finally, it would be appropriate to consider why, for example, some obese children do not want to participate in PE through fear of being bullied.

Best wishes, Paul

Roy mcConkey's work highlighted having a key to the front door

The following link may be helpful:

http://theinnovativeeducator.blogspot.com.tr/2011/09/25-incredible-assistive-technologies.html 

I take it from your terminology, particularly 'statement' that you are referring to the English system. Although obviously your questions are applicable beyond that. Are you looking for anecdotal replies to your questions or something more research-based?

Dear Sarah

In our college those doing research were not permitted to interview children due to the high level of ethical issues surrounding the exercise both for the researcher and the child. The risk of one having an accusation made about inappropriate behaviour along with the ability of the individual to answer the questions posed also would make it difficult. Their is also the capacity of the individual to consent to being interviewed and their ability to understand what you are hoping to achieve would make this a difficult although not an impossible area to research. Depending on the result you hope to achieve you might be able to do observational studies within the learning environment of the group you are researching. If they are able to vocalise the violence experienced then their is also the added risk of re traumatisation if one of those interviewed has had a personal experience of violence. Also as one of the previous persons answered the capacity to read, listen and understand the questions would vary considerably between the different disabilities so how you chose to formulate your questions would be dependant on the capacity to understand what it is you are asking. Your ability then to understand the answers you get will mean you would need to be able to decide if the person is giving you an honest answer or just telling you what they think you want to hear. The questions would need to be worded in such a way that the individual would be lead through lack of understanding to give you they answer they think you want to hear. I would recommend that you research prior material based around researching disabled children but you will also need to remember the same ethical issues that apply to disabled children also apply to able bodied children whose understanding may be even sharper again the questions cannot be of a leading nature as this will taint the nature of the research work and damage the findings which if you are successful could prove very valuable within the realms of social care.

Ganesh:

Here's  a link to related studies in RG that used Eye-Tracker software:

I express best wishes for every success with your worthy research

Debra

Hi Maria,

As Krishnan mentioned, technology is definitely being used more frequently to support struggling readers.  Scientific Learning Corporation might be one of several tech-based interventions to explore and direct an inquiry regarding rubrics. They offer "progress reports" for those assisting readers with their products. Also, I'm certain that all students undergo the usual testing within their schools on a continuum.  Best wishes on your journey.

Victoria

Hello Anil, a bit late to answer, but I only discovered your question right now. Go to https://www.dynaread.com/scientific-library, and scroll down to Dyslexia - Vulnerabilities and you will find several research papers on the topic of Dyslexia and Prison Population, as well as Crime. You very likely already completed your papers, so you may want to answer your own question as well, by providing a link to your research. Hope this helps, Anil.

Not sure, but maybe these are interesting for you:

Best

Thank you for your answer. I'll give you my e-mail address: katarzyna2710@wp.pl in case you or your MSc student would like to get in touch.

Best regards,

Katarzyna

Thank You very much for your advice. 

ARC scale made by Michael L. Wehmeyer looks good.

Here's something in Ireland based on engaging in the arts

Spatial awareness is a large part of learning for people with Dyslexia.  Starting from the basics as Jim mentioned to the more complex may help.  There is a program here in NY called the Children's Dyslexia  Center of Central New York.  They have a great success rate in working with students.  Phone: 315-736-0576 •Fax: 315-736-0575• Email: reception@cnyclc.org. You can also check out their web page at

I have known a few students who used this program..

When you think of disorders of attention and executive function interacting with dementia it logically follows to ask if there is an association with the severity of frontal dementia.  

That said, you may want to look at these papers by Ivanchak et al:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3718885/ 

While we haven't done any formal research on this, we have found that in our work with large classes of young learners who are underperforming according to grade expectations, a one minute mindfulness focused activity at the start of our introductory number talks does wonders to focus the learners on the mathematical activity. In SA I know the work of Taddy Blecher has used mindful meditation as a technique for use in higher education with good results. Perhaps google Taddy Blecher - Cida City free university campus for further info - it was a very exciting initiative.

Erik's last sentence tells it all.

 "I think because it takes so much time and resources to establish equivalence in text and question difficulty, there simply are not a ton of options." So if you're using standardized test as a requirement, you have no options. If you choose to use an informal reading inventory, which would allow you to go up a level, the passages aren't equivalent, although there are some data that suggest some are close (i.e., students show no differences in comprehension on them). So part of it depends upon the rules of the system you need to adhere to.  

Will you have time for interviews? If you do, you could have a group interview to discuss concepts of who counts as learning disabled and ways in which you might assist/approach those teachers/students. Good luck!

Yes, unfortunately this is one of the areas that simply needs more work within China. Best of luck with it Annie.

There is quite a bit of research in this area now. Please see this website maintained by my supervisor Dr Regi Alexander: http://personalitydisordersinlearningdisability.com/page4.html; a recent systematic review in this area: http://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/abs/10.1108/AMHID-04-2014-0007; and an older review article: http://bjp.rcpsych.org/content/182/44/s28

I would assume it would depend on the age of the child. What neuropsych characteristics are you interested in measuring? Depending up on your interests, age of children, etc., you could develop your own battery via a collection of measures to suit your needs...

At the preschool level, ASD-specific curriculum are often focused on the fundamentals of communication, basic social skills, task persistence, and developing functional independence. There are existing curricula available, but most have been for Western populations and may need to be tailored somewhat to be culturally appropriate for non-Western populations. That said, if it would be useful to you, I would be happy to suggest a couple of my favorites.

Sounds interesting. My e-mail: agnieszkazyta@wp.p

In the UK the transition to adult services for PMLD usually involves education, health and social care professionals who assess the young person and plan for their adult provision.  We have recently had a new Children and Families Act (Sept 2014) that entitles disabled young people to an Education, Health and Care plan until they are 25 and then they would transfer to adult services.  You may find the work of Dr Jean Ware at Bangor helpful on this and, on a more practical level, the website 'Preparing for Adulthood' as it has lots of useful information and practical resources on transition planning: 

Good luck!

Learning Disability was the term used for intellectual disability in the UK till very recently. It is more commonly used to mean specific learning problems (dyslexia, Math). It would help the readers if you are able to specify which definition of learning disabilities you are referring to.

Whichever construct you refer to it has an association with JD. Here are few older articles

Comorbidity of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder with conduct, depressive, anxiety, and other disorders

Thank you for your response Gordon ... I have looked at this source and, as you say, it is comprehensive and informative.  I have also shared it with his parents. Although there is a great deal of information about this condition,  I am always interested in learning more that may be helpful. When faced sometimes with disbelieving and untrained/prepared school faculty - especially when it concerns an otherwise highly able individual - I have found that the more perspectives I can offer the better. I tend to view situations from a holistic point of view (See: chandelierassessments.com).  An example - not with regard dysgraphia, but an issue supposedly associated with ASD.  

I had a young, highly able client (kindergartner reading at 3rd grade level, 140+ IQ) whose behavior and social interaction everyone in his school regarded as clearly indicative of some level of autism.  They were pushing for implementation of an individual educational plan for him based on their perceptions.  After some observations and research, I found he was hyperopic and this condition had only been detected during the later stages of development in the visual cortex - around three months. Although he received glasses at that time, it meant he was extremely far-sighted, had seen only very blurred images close-up and had not properly experienced his mother's facial expressions and body language. In other words the normal development of pragmatics  was compromised. Given other tests and measures used at the time of my evaluation suggested very high levels of ability, the alternative view led to the implementation of strategies based on his being a highly able, visually impaired individual and not autistic. (See for example:http://www.autisticvision.com/doctors.html)

Hi Shan, the European Commission and the OECD websites have lots of resources regarding social protection and welfare payments for individuals in the EU.  As far as I am aware, all countries in the EU offer some form of payment for either the child or the legal guardian.  In addition, there are carer payments for carers of children with high needs.  In Italy for example, there is the Indennita` di accompagnamento and an Invalidita civile.  These are social assistance payments that don't require contributions to be payable, but are means tested.  Broadly, if a payment is non contributive, it will be means tested.  Occasionally, (for example in Norway and Ireland), there are universal payments which are paid for the cost of raising a child (but not limited to a child with a disability).  Really the topic is very broad (I'm right now, sitting at my computer finishing a 23000 word 'summary' of social expenditure in English speaking countries within the OECD, which is a 'quick read' for the Australian government representative at the OECD meeting in Paris this year) so it's hard to sum up quickly.  I'd start with the OECD statistical website and perhaps check out the social assistance websites of the various EU countries.  In Italy, it's INPS, in the UK, it's the DWP, in Norway, NAV.  In Finland it's KELA. In Spain, it's INSS, in Greece, most commonly IKA.  I've included Norway in my comments by the way, because they are a great country to compare with if that's what you are doing.  Their levels of social protection are really very high, though to be honest, they could do with some work when it comes to assistance for uninsured people! You can find all the EU websites by just typing 'social assistance, country name' in a google search.

When it comes to Malaysia, I really have no idea, sorry.

If any of this didn't make sense, let me know and I will elaborate. 

I'll try to come back and add some example documents you might like to look at when I have a chance (my deadline is tomorrow and it's 10.30pm in Australia, where I'm typing from).

kind regards,

Brigette

For such a measure, any of the above mentioned scales will do. They are all inter correlated highly. The PDDBI is both reliable and valid ..it also correlates with the Conners.  It also includes a Teacher version.

If you want to compare the clustering performance. You can use the Davies Bouldin (DB) Index & Dunn Index. The smaller values of DB index indicate the better results; similarly higher value of Dunn Index indicates better solution.