A CASE STUDY OF THE LEARNING DISABILITIES ASSOCIATION OF SASKATCHEWAN (LDAS) ARROWSMITH PROGRAM A Thesis submitted to the College of Graduate Studies and Research in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Educational Psychology & Special Education University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon by Debra Kemp-Koo © Debra Kemp-Koo, November 2013. All rights reserved. Permission to Use In presenting this thesis in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a Postgraduate degree from the University of Saskatchewan, I agree that the libraries of this university may make it freely available for inspection. I further agree that permissions for copying of this thesis in a manner, in whole or in part, for scholarly purposes may be granted by the professor who supervised my thesis work, or in his absence, by the Dean of the College in which the work was done. It is understood that any copying, publication, or use of this thesis, or parts thereof, for financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission. It is also understood that due recognition shall be given to me and to the University of Saskatchewan in any scholarly use that may be made of any material in my thesis. Request for permission to copy or to make other use of materials in this thesis in whole or in part should be addressed to: Department Head, Educational Psychology and Special Education, College of Education, University of Saskatchewan 28 Campus Drive Saskatoon, SK, S&N 0X1 i Acknowledgements This completed dissertation is the culmination of a long held but greatly delayed goal. It was accomplished with the support and encouragement of many individuals that I wish to thank. First, I am very grateful to my supervisor Tim Claypool for his guidance and support along this journey. His kindness and encouragement are unparalleled and he has my respect and admiration forever. I am also very grateful to my committee members for their varied contributions to my research experience. Thank you to Stephanie Martin for your warmth, assistance with understanding qualitative research, and your focus on the human stories in my research. Thank you to Debbie Pushor for your focus on social justice and your insight with parents and the educational system. Thank you to Brian Chartier for your humour, attention to detail, and focus on the analysis of all potential explanations. I am grateful for the warm smile of my external examiner Jacqueline Pei that translated over Skype and calmed my opening nerves. I appreciate the questions you asked and how they made me think about my research. I owe a debt of gratitude to Barbara Arrowsmith-Young for allowing me to work independently in my research related to her program. The passion she has for assisting individuals with learning disabilities is obvious and admirable. I also wish to acknowledge the Learning Disabilities Association of Saskatchewan (LDAS) for supporting my research and the work this organization does for individuals with learning disabilities and their parents. All of the participants in my research emphasized the safe, supportive atmosphere of the Arrowsmith program at LDAS. In particular, I wish to thank Dale Rempel and Eldeen Kabatoff who were so generous with their time and expertise. To my supervisors and colleagues at SIAST, I have enjoyed all the years working with adults returning to school, many of whom had learning disabilities. I appreciate the support I received to return to school to finally attain a Ph.D. I never would have waited so long but for the fun, laughs, and meaningful work I experienced in the Basic Education program. I will always remember all of you and my time at SIAST very fondly. To the parents of the LDAS Arrowsmith students who volunteered their time to tell their stories of struggle and hope, I have the utmost respect and admiration for your journeys and the strong advocacy role you have played for your children. To the students who also volunteered their time and provided an important perspective on the LDAS Arrowsmith program, I wish the best for you and hope that your lives are full of happiness and success. ii To my husband, Paul Koo, I appreciate all the things you did over the last few years to make my ongoing studies a possibility. You never wavered in your support and never doubted that I would be successful. You know more than anyone how stubborn and determined I can be. To my children, Kristin, Stefan, Kellen, and Keegan, I am proud to be your mother and of the amazing adults you have all become. To my parents, Wayne and Marj Kemp, I gained the qualities of determination, value for education, and hard work from your example and I thank you for being such great parents. To my sister, friends, colleagues, and other individuals along the way who cheered me on, thank you for your support. I dedicate this dissertation to the many individuals with learning disabilities I have worked with through the years, who despite the challenges they have faced, maintain their humanity and hope. iii Abstract Case Study research was conducted to investigate how participation in the Learning Disabilities Association of Saskatchewan (LDAS) Arrowsmith program affected the cognitive, academic, emotional, and interpersonal functioning of five students who attended this program for two to three years. Learning disabilities involve consistent cognitive processing and academic difficulties that are present in individuals who have average or higher functioning in other cognitive processing areas. The average adult with a learning disability has less education, lower employment success, and higher rates of emotional and interpersonal difficulties. The Arrowsmith program is a cognitive training program based on neuroplasticity that claims to reduce or remove cognitive functioning deficits in persons with learning disabilities. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with five students and one or both of their parents. Standardized test results and information from the school cumulative folders of the students were also reviewed. Four of the five students experienced large and significant increases in cognitive, academic, emotional, and/or interpersonal functioning following their participation in the LDAS Arrowsmith program. One of the five students had much smaller gains in cognitive and academic functioning and experienced difficulties with emotional and interpersonal functioning following participation in the program. Several themes related to participation in the LDAS Arrowsmith program are identified for the student, parent, school record perspectives and themes common to these perspectives are also identified. Possible reasons why the students had different outcomes following their participation in the LDAS Arrowsmith program are discussed. Recommendations for parents, school psychologists, teachers, schools/school divisions, the Arrowsmith program, and future research are given. iv Table of Contents Permission to Use ............................................................................................................................................... i Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................................................ ii Abstract ............................................................................................................................................................. iv List of Tables ..................................................................................................................................................... x List of Figures ................................................................................................................................................... xi Chapter 1: Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 1 Purpose .................................................................................................................................................. 7 Research Questions ............................................................................................................................... 8 Research question 1. .................................................................................................................................. 8 Research question 2. .................................................................................................................................. 8 Research question 3. .................................................................................................................................. 8 Research question 4. .................................................................................................................................. 8 Definitions ............................................................................................................................................ 8 Learning disabilities. .................................................................................................................................. 8 Neuroplasticity. .......................................................................................................................................... 9 Arrowsmith program. ................................................................................................................................. 9 Chapter 2: Review of the Relevant Literature ................................................................................................