Dr. Marcia Barnes of the University of Texas shares the latest research on children with learning difficulties plus how (and when!) to intervene.

1. Math & Reading Difficulties in Young Children:
Risk Factors and Intervention Approaches
November 14, 2013
Marcia Barnes, Ph.D.
The University of Texas at Austin
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6. Today’s Speaker
Math and Reading Difficulties in
Young Children: Early Risk Factors
and Intervention Approaches
Marcia Barnes, Ph.D.
The University of Texas
at Austin
#HatchExperts | www.HatchEarlyLearning.com

7. HATCH November 14, 2013
Marcia A. Barnes, Ph.D.
MarM
Math & Reading Difficulties in
Young Children: Early Risk
Factors and Intervention
Approaches

8. Outline
• Importance
of
a
strong
early
start
in
math
and
literacy
• Useful
things
to
know
about
learning
difficul:es
• Sources
of
ability
and
difficulty
in
early
literacy
and
early
math
• Longitudinal
studies
can
iden:fy
developmental
precursors
of
later
math
and
reading
difficul:es
• Implica:ons
for
early
assessment
and
interven:on
• Guiding
instruc:onal
principles
for
learning
difficul:es
• What’s
new
in
interven:on
research

9. Consequences of getting off to a
slow start in reading
Mean words
read by
each child in
reading
sessions at
three points
in 1st grade
Biemiller, 1977-78
90
Good
Average
Poor
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
October
January
April

10. Consequences of getting off to a slow start in math
B
Lower SES
J
Higher SES
0.7
J
Mean Proportion Correct on the CMA
0.6
J
0.5
J
B
0.4
B
J
0.3
0.2
B
B
0.1
0
3,0
3,9
4,0
Age
Courtesy of Starkey & Klein NSF Grant
4,9

11. Math
and
Reading:
Similari:es
&
Differences
• Both
strongly
predict
school
readiness
at
the
end
of
pre-­‐kindergarten
(Duncan
et
al.,
2007)
• Reading
is
more
studied
than
math
(20:1)
and
reading
programs
outnumber
math
programs
6:1
• Children’s
math
learning
exquisitely
sensi:ve
to
teacher
knowledge
of
and
aRtudes
towards
math
(Ramirez
et
al.
2013
-­‐
transmission
of
a<tudes
and
math
anxiety
from
adults
affect
young
children’s
achievement)
• Math
and
reading
comprehension
at
the
end
of
secondary
school
are
strong
predictors
of
post-­‐
secondary
reten:on
and
employment

13.
Useful
Things
to
Know
about
Learning
Difficul:es

14. What
do
we
know
about
learning
difficul:es?
• Reading
and
math
difficul:es
are
equally
common
• 40-­‐50%
of
children
with
reading
difficul:es
also
have
math
difficul:es
(good
to
know)
• Learning
disabili:es
are
life-­‐long
condi:ons
if
not
treated
(based
on
longitudinal
studies
of
reading
and
math
from
childhood
into
adulthood)
• A
significant
propor:on
(but
not
all)
of
learning
difficul:es
can
be
prevented
with
EARLY
interven:on

15. What
do
we
know
about
learning
difficul:es?
• Best
prac:ces
for
preven:on
include
mass
screening,
use
of
evidence
based
interven:ons,
frequent
monitoring
of
progress
and
adjustments
to
instruc:on
as
needed
(more
later)
• General
risk
factors
include
poverty*,
language
learning
status*,
neurodevelopmental
disorder,
difficul:es
in
a`en:on
and
behavior
• Let’s
talk
about
early
child-­‐specific
risk
factors

16. Early Skills Implicated in Reading
Development and Difficulties
Code
Focused
Skills
Meaning
Focused
Skills
• Print & Letter
Knowledge
• Phonological
Awareness
• Emergent Writing
• Vocabulary
Knowledge
• Listening
Comprehension
• Narrative Skills
Adapted from Whitehurst & Lonigan (1998)
Reading

17. Early
skills
implicated
in
math
development
and
difficul:es?
• We
know
less
for
math
than
for
reading
but
math
research
is
burgeoning
• Early
number
sense
might
be
important

18. Can
5
month
olds
add
and
subtract?
(K.
Wynn,
1992)

19. Large Number Acuity – Number sense
at a glance (Mazzocco et al., 2011)

20. Early
skills
implicated
in
math
development
and
difficul:es?
• Early
number
sense
might
be
important
• Domain
general
cogni-ve
abili-es
might
also
be
important

21. What general cognitive abilities might
support math development and why?
• Visual-­‐spa:al
working
memory?
• Mental
models
–
manipula:ng
quan::es
• Phonological
skills?
• Quality
of
language
representa:ons
and
overlap
with
reading
• A`en:on?
• Ability
to
focus
on
task-­‐relevant
info,
sustain
a`en:on
throughout
problem
solving
&
ignore
irrelevant
info

22. Longitudinal
studies
help
us
figure
out
which
child
risk
factors
are
important
for
later
math
• What
are
they?
• Measure
change
over
:me
in
the
same
individuals
rather
than
a
snapshot
at
single
point
in
:me
• What
can
they
tell
us?
• Not
causal,
but
tell
us
something
about
temporal
order
of
events
–
important
for
skill
development
• Longitudinal
studies
of
math
&
reading
in
high
risk
samples
• Disadvantaged
preschoolers*
• Neurodevelopmental
Disorder
compared
to
TD

23. Knowing
something
about
early
developmental
risk
factors
for
later
reading
and
math
informs:
1. Earlier
assessment
for
risk
2. Preven:on
and
early
interven:on

24. Early Risk Factors for Math (Barnes &
et al., in preparation)
Beginning
of
Pre-­‐
kindergarten
Kindergarten
1st
grade

25. At the end of kindergarten
Low/No
Risk
Group
=
130
At
Risk
Group
=
97
Highest
Risk
Group
=
81

26. Three
Risk
Groups
(based
on
TEMA-­‐3
percen:le
score
at
end
of
kindergarten)

27. What
did
we
measure
at
the
beginning
of
pre-­‐k?
•
•
•
•
Number
sense
Working
memory
Phonological
awareness
Many
other
poten:al
risk
factors
that
did
not
predict
math
difficul:es
in
kindergarten
or
1st
grade

28.
Quan:ty
Comparison
Example
of
2:
1
Ra:o

29. Quan:ty
Comparison
Number
constant
but
length
is
different

30.
Quan:ty
Comparison

31. Object-­‐Based
Arithme:c
Step
1:
Child
observes
tester
place
lambs
on
mat

32. Object-­‐Based
Arithme:c
Step
2:
Screen
goes
up
and
child
observes
tester
slide
in
a
lamb

33. Object-­‐Based
Arithme:c
Step
3:
Child
uses
lambs
to
create
what
is
behind
the
tester’s
screen

34. Visual-­‐Spa7al
Working
Memory

35. Phonological
Awareness
• Look at these pictures: Pig – Ball – Sun – Car
My word is: Sunshine. Say “Sunshine”. Now point
to “Sunshine” without “shine”
• Say: “Sunflower”. Now say “sunflower” without
“flower”
• Say: “Feet”. Now say “feet” without /t/

36. What
skills
at
4
years
of
age
predict
group
risk
status
at
6
years?
Phonological
Awareness
Visual-­‐
spa:al
WM
Early
Number
Sense
Correct
Classifica:on
of
81%
of
Highest
Risk
and
Lowest
Risk
Groups

37. Children
at
Risk
in
kindergarten
remain
at
risk
in
1st
grade

38. Longitudinal
Study
of
Math
in
Typical
and
Atypical
Development
(Barnes
et
al.,
in
press)
• Spina
Bifida
• Typical
Development
Birth
36
&
60
months
• Visual-­‐spa:al
working
memory
• Phonological
Skills
• Math
Calcula:ons
• Math
Fluency
• Quan:ta:ve
Problem
Solving
8-­‐9
years

39. What abilities at 36 and 60 months of age are
important for math at 8-9 years of age?
Phonological
Awareness
Math
Calcula:on
✔
Single
Digit
Math
Fluency
Visual-­‐Spa7al
Working
Memory
✔
Quan:ta:ve
Concepts
✔
✔
33
33

40. What do we know from these
studies?
• Early
abili:es
in
phonological
awareness,
visual-­‐
spa:al
working
memory,
and
number
sense
contribute
to
later
abili:es
or
difficul:es
in
math
(3
to
6
years
later)
• Phonological
awareness
predicts
both
math
(par:cularly
arithme:c)
and
reading
difficul:es
so
maybe
this
underlies
the
high
rates
of
co-­‐occurring
learning
difficul:es
in
math
and
reading

42. Longitudinal
Study
of
Reading
in
Typical
and
Atypical
Development
(Pike
et
al.,
2013)
• Spina
Bifida
• Typical
Development
Birth
36
months
• Visual-­‐spa:al
working
memory
• Listening
Comp
• Narra:ve
Skills
• Inference-­‐making
abili:es
9-­‐10
years
9-­‐10
years
• Reading
Comprehension

43. What
do
these
findings
mean?
• Phonological
awareness
is
a
cri:cal
early
precursor
of
later
word
reading
and
reading
fluency
(I
didn’t
show
you
this
study)
• Early
(36
month)
working
memory,
listening
comprehension
and
narra:ve
abili:es
influenced
inference
making
abili:es
6
years
later,
which
in
turn
was
related
to
reading
comprehension
• Difficul:es
in
reading
and
math
have
some
overlapping
but
also
some
different
early
risk
factors

44. Implica:ons
of
Research
for
Early
Iden:fica:on
of
Risk
• Risk
for
reading
and
math
difficul:es
can
be
discerned
in
the
preschool
years
• Co-­‐occuring
behavioral
(e.g.,
a`en:on)
and
learning
difficul:es
infer
greater
risk
• Children
in
early
grades
who
start
low
and
are
slow
to
grow
are
dispropor:onately
from
disadvantaged
backgrounds
(Jordan
et
al.,
2007)
-­‐
such
children
need
careful
monitoring
and
interven:on

45. Implica:ons
of
Research
for
Assessment
• important
to
mass
screen,
and
then
frequently
monitor
progress
for
children
who
do
not
show
progress
using
short
progress
monitoring
probes
www.studentprogress.org;
www.r74success.org
• Rhodes,
R.
L.,
Ochoa,
S.
H.,
&
Or:z,
S.
O.
(2005).
Assessing
culturally
and
linguisGcally
diverse
students:
A
pracGcal
guide.
New
York:
Guilford.

46. What
do
the
findings
mean?
• Without
addi:onal
interven:on
for
children
at
risk,
classifica:ons
of
risk
status
in
math
are
fairly
stable
from
kindergarten
to
1st
grade
(similar
to
findings
for
reading
in
other
studies).
• But
it
doesn’t
have
to
be
this
way!

47. What can we do?
1.
Privilege
Preven:on
&
Early
Interven:on
over
Diagnosis
because
early
iden:fica:on
of
“risk”+
evidence-­‐based
classroom
interven:ons
and
progress
monitoring
(star:ng
in
pre-­‐K)
reduces
later
LDs
2. Screen
for
risk
for
learning
and
behavioral
difficul:es
•
Screening
and
progress
monitoring
≠
diagnosis
or
iden:fica:on
of
a
learning
disability
•
Interven:on
without
assessment
might
lead
to
incorrect
instruc:onal
decisions
(blood
pressure
analogy)
•
Assessment
without
links
to
interven:on
is
not
useful
(blood
pressure
analogy)

48. What can we do?
3. Monitor
progress
for
children
at
risk
frequently
with
differen:a:on
of
instruc:on
as
needed
4. Provide
considerable
PD
and
support
to
teachers
for
screening,
progress
monitoring
&
evidence-­‐based
instruc:onal
strategies
5. Use
a
:ered
approach
to
general
educa:on
prac:ce
in
the
early
primary
grades

49. Assessments and tiered instruction in
Response to Intervention (RTI) models
formal,
norm-­‐
referenced
diagnos:c
tests
formal/informal
curriculum
based
tests
Tier
3
Special
educa:on
services
for
iden:fied
students
Tier
2
Small-­‐group
instruc:on
for
at
risk
students
formal/informal
screening
and
progress
monitoring
Tier
1
Evidence-­‐based
instruc:on
for
all
students
in
whole-­‐
or
small-­‐group
seRngs
Assessments
Tiered Instruction

50. Randomized
Control
Trials
for
Tier
1
JK
Math
50
45
40
35
30
25
Building Blocks
Pre-K Math
Tools of the Mind
20
15
10
5
0
Improvement

51. Why use a tiered approach?
• Some
students
will
not
show
adequate
growth
despite
“best
classroom
prac:ces”
and
so
will
need
addi:onal
instruc:onal
support
to
prevent
or
reduce
the
impact
of
learning
difficul:es
• Current
knowledge
base
exists
to
guide
early
iden:fica:on
and
interven:ons
for
these
at-­‐risk
students
–
What
about
in
pre-­‐K??
• Promotes
early
iden:fica:on
and
treatment
of
children
at-­‐risk
for
learning
problems
–
PREVENTION
model
• Direct
link
between
teacher
assessment
and
interven:on
• Approach
needs
to
be
supported
by
teacher
PD
• Despite
using
a
:ered
approach
some
children
will
s:ll
experience
significant
learning
difficul:es.

52. More on Tiered Model in pdf of
slides that will be posted

53.
General
Principles
for
Instruc:ng
Children
with
Learning
Difficul:es
or
Disabili:es
Based
on
Fletcher,
Lyon,
Fuchs,
&
Barnes,
2007
Learning
DisabiliGes:
From
IdenGficaGon
to
IntervenGon

54. General
Instruc:onal
Principles
1. Increase
:me
on
task
-­‐
supplement
(not
supplant)
instruc:onal
opportuni:es
2. Provide
explicit
and
well-­‐organized
or
systema:c
instruc:on
with
opportuni:es
for
prac:ce
and
cumula:ve
review
of
both
founda:onal
&
higher-­‐order
skills

55. What is meant by “explicit instruction”?
"
“Explicit instruction is instruction that
does not leave anything to chance, and
it does not make assumptions about
skills and knowledge that children will
acquire ‘on their own’ ”(Torgesen, 2004)
•
•
•
Directly teaching letter-sound associations
Explaining and showing students how to use
visual imagery to enhance comprehension
Directly teaching number facts using
manipulatives, number lines etc.

56. What is meant by “systematic
instruction”?
•
•
•
Instruction guided by a comprehensive
scope and sequence
Instruction in all critical skills and
knowledge
Careful and systematic review to insure
mastery and retention

57. General
Instruc:onal
Principles
3. Skills
based
instruc:on
(phonological
awareness,
decoding,
arithme:c)
needs
integra:on
with
instruc:on
in
higher
level
skills
(vocabulary
and
listening
comprehension,
math
problem
solving).
Weak
founda:onal
skills
should
not
stop
teaching
of
higher-­‐level
skills.
4. Gains
in
reading
and
math
are
specific
to
instruc:on
in
reading
and
math

58. General
Instruc:onal
Principles
5. Frequent
monitoring
of
progress
to
inform
instruc:on
is
key
-­‐
privileges
:mely
interven:on
over
wai:ng
for
a
diagnosis
(wait
to
fail
model)
6. Special
educa:on
and
general
educa:on
need
be`er
integra:on.
The
:ered
model
is
an
example
of
such
integra:on.

59. Implica:ons
of
Research
for
Preven:on/Interven:on
• Some
reading
and
math
curricula
for
pre-­‐k
children
have
undergone
RCTs
and
some
are
effec:ve
• Effec:ve
Tier
1
programs
help
children
with
learning
difficul:es
h`p://www.srcd.org/policy-­‐media/policy-­‐updates/
mee:ngs-­‐briefings/inves:ng-­‐our-­‐future-­‐evidence-­‐base-­‐preschool
• But
they
are
not
enough
for
some
children
with
learning
difficul:es
• Take
into
account
weaknesses
in
cogni:ve
abili:es
in
interven:ons
-­‐supports
for
these
weaknesses
is
some:mes
built
into
effec:ve
interven:ons
• What
else
can
we
do
for
young
struggling
learners?

60. Our
new
study:
Barnes,
Klein,
Starkey
• Randomized Control Trial of an Intervention for
4 year-olds at High Risk for Math Difficulties
• Tier 1 + Tier 2 supplemental math instruction
4 days per week
• OR Tier 1 + Tier 2 supplemental math
instruction 4 days per week + cognitive
(attention/memory) training 1 day per week
• OR Regular Tier 1 math program in classroom
• Trial in its second year in TX and CA

62.
Vigilance
and
Execu:ve
A`en:on
Games:
McCandliss

63. What
we
DON’T
know
about
cogni:ve
interven:ons
for
academic
skill
learning
• Whether
combined
neurocogni:ve
and
skill
specific
(i.e.,
math)
interven:ons
might
be
helpful
for
some
children
with
learning
difficul:es
(Melby-­‐Lervag
&
Hulme,
2012)
• Whether
the
age
of
the
child
might
make
a
difference
in
terms
of
the
effec:veness
of
cogni:ve
interven:ons
(Wass,
Scerif
&
Johnson,
2012)

64. Where
are
we
at
with
combined
skills-­‐specific
+
cogni:ve
interven:ons
for
young
children
at
risk
for
learning
difficul:es?
Combined
academic
and
cogni:ve
Interven:ons
for
Learning
Difficul:es
Open-­‐
Minded
Skep:cs
Educa:on
Researchers
Educators

65. Thank you!

66. Tiered Approach to Assessment &
Instruction
• Tiered models sequentially increase the intensity of the
instructional interventions
• Children who do not meet progress in one layer are
then provided with the next tier of support
• Prevention model rather than a “wait to fail model”
also called Response to Intervention Model or RTI

67. Tier 1: The Foundation
• Core instructional program taught by classroom
teacher
• Provides evidence-based instruction to all students
• Progress monitoring of all students to identify those
students who are not displaying adequate progress
(3 x yr)
• On-going Professional Development to support
teacher knowledge of assessment and evidencebased practice

68. Tier 2 Supplemental Instruction
• Students who do not make progress in response to
regular classroom instruction are provided with the
next layer of support
• Classroom teacher works with school team to develop
Tier 2 interventions
• Tier 2 interventions may include:
• Additional instruction time, small group instruction
• Instruction that is more structured, explicit, and systematic
with increased opportunities to respond
• More frequent progress monitoring probes

69. Tier 3
• For students who do not exhibit growth in response to
Tier I and II instructional layers
• Referred for more extensive educational or psychoeducational assessment
• Information from assessment + information from
teacher/school team is used to guide intervention
efforts
• More extensive, more individualized interventions

70. Questions?
Marcia Barnes, Ph.D.
The University of Texas
at Austin
#HatchExperts | www.HatchEarlyLearning.com

71. Next Month
What’s REALLY Happening with
Technology in Early Childhood Programs?
Thursday December 5th, 2-3:30 ET
Dale McManis, M.Ed., Ph.D.
Karen Nemeth, Ed.M.
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74. The Winner is...
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