Attention Deficit Disorder and Nonverbal Learning Disability

Argosy University, Chicago

COURSE SYLLABUS

PP8334

Attention Deficit Disorder and Nonverbal Learning Disability.

Summer 2011

Faculty Information:

Faculty Name: Eliezer Schwartz, Ph.D.

Campus:Chicago

Contact Information:

Office Phone Number: 312-777-7696

Email:

Office Hours: Thursday 9:00am to 11:00am

Course Catalogue Description:

The purpose of this course is to introduce students to mainstream theories and speculations regarding two specific syndromes, Attention Deficit Disorders and Nonverbal Learning Disabilities.This course will discuss “attention” as a cognitive/neuropsychological process and the possible etiological factors contributing toward ADHD.Nonverbal Learning Disability will be explored from a neuropsychological point of view by introducing research and theoretical speculations regarding its etiology and development.These syndromes and their educational and rehabilitation implications will be presented in both children and adults.

Course Pre-requisites:None

Required Texts: None

Technology: Pentium III CPU/ Windows 98; 128MB RAM printer; Microsoft Office: Acrobat (full version); Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 (PC), 5.0 (MAC), or Netscape Navigator 4.08; Norton Antivirus.

Course length: 7 weeks

Contact Hours: 21 hours

Credit Value: 1.5

Course Objectives

Course Objectives / Program Goal / Method of Assessment
Gain a basic understanding of Attention as a neuropsychological process. / Goal 4 and 1: Foundations of Science & Assessment / Final project
Understand the clinical syndrome of ADHD in both children and adults. / Goal 4 – and 1: Foundations of Science & Assessment / Final project
Gain a solid understanding of the clinical syndrome of NVLD. / Goal 4 and 1: Foundations of Science & Assessment / Final project
Recognize the various possible etiological factors involved in each of these syndromes. / Goal 4 and 1: Foundations of Scienece & Assessment / Final project
Learn about the multi-disciplinary nature of remedial efforts involved in the education and the treatment of ADHD and NVLD. / Goal 2 - Intervention / Class participation
This course will explore specifically the roles of the clinical neuropsychologist as both a diagnostician and a consultant. / Goal 1 and 2: Intervention and Assessment / Class participation

Course Assessment

Students are expected to attend all classes.Meaningful participation in classroom discussions is encouraged and expected.Students are invited to ask questions, express their thoughts regarding the material presented, and demonstrate respect and sensitivity to individual opinions and differences.
Individual meetings with the instructor will be available during designated office hours or by appointment.Students who must miss a class (regardless the reason) have to inform the instructor as early as possible.
Final course project – Students will be responsible to complete a final course project in a timely fashion.(See Appendix A).
The final project will provide the students with an opportunity to demonstrate their mastery of theory and relevant knowledge (Objectives 1, 2, 3 and 4).Classroom discussions will be directed toward an exploration of clinically relevant topics (fundamentals of assessment; conduct and ethics; individual and multicultural differences; treatment planning and IEPs) (Objectives5 and 6).

Course Schedule:

Week / Topic / Readings / Assignments
1
May 9 / Two Syndromes: Attention Deficit (Hyperactivity) Disorder; Nonverbal Learning Disability. / Barkley (2006) – Part I: the nature of ADHD
Pennigton (2009) – Ch. 13: Nonverbal Learning Disability
2
May 16 / Theories and Speculations: Developmental Neuropsychology; The Neuropsychology of Attention; Theories of Cerebral Lateralization. / Barkley (2006) – Part I: the nature of ADHD
Pennigton (2009) – Ch. 13: Nonverbal Learning Disability
3
May 23 / Principles of Neuropsychological Assessment. / None
4
June 6 / Clinical Neuropsychology:Assessment of ADHD; Assessment of NVLD / Barkley (2006) – Part II: Assessment
Pennington (2009) – Ch.13: Nonverbal Learning Disability
5
June 13 / Clinical Neuropsychology:Interventions in Developmental, Systemic and Educational Context; Clinical Cases / Coch et al (2007) – Ch. 10: CNS Substrates of Impulsivity
6
June 20 / Clinical Neuropsychology: The Diagnostician and the Consultant. / None
7
June 27 / Clinical cases / None / Final projects due

Grading Criteria:

Grading ScaleGrading Requirements:

A / 100 – 93
A- / 92 – 90
B+ / 89 – 88
B / 87 – 83
B- / 82 – 80
C+ / 79 – 78
C / 77 - 73
C- / 72 – 70
F / 69 and below
Class Participation / 5%
Final Project / 95%
100%

Recommended Readings:

Barkley, R.A.(2006).Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Handbook forDiagnosis

and Treatment, 3rdEdition.New-York:Guilford.

Barkley, R.A and Murphy, K.R.(2006).Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Clinical

Workbook, 2nd Ed.New-York:Guilford.

Bezchlibnyk-Butler, K.Z. and Vivani, A.S. (2005).Clinical Handbook forPsychotropic Drugs

for Children and Adolescents.Cambridge:Hogrefe and Huber Publishers

Butler, K.G. & Silliman, E.R. (2002).Speaking, Reading, and Writing in Children with

Language Learning Disabilities.LawrenceErlbaum: Mahwah, New Jersey.

Brown-Chidsey, R and Steege, M.W. (2005).Response to Intervention:Principles and Strategies for Effective Practice.New York: Guilford.

Coch, D., Dawson, G. & Fischer, K.W. (2007). Human Behavior, Learning, and the Developing

Brain. New York, NY: Guilford

Groth-Marnat, G. (Ed.) (2000).Neuropsychological Assessment in Clinical Practice:

A Guide to Test Interpretation and Integration.New-York: Wiley.

Dowling, J.E. (2004).The Great Brain Debate.Joseph Henry Press: Washington, D.C.

Hale, J.B. and Fiorello, C.A. (2004).School Neuropsychology:A Practitioner’sHandbook.

New-York: Guilford.

Hallowell, E.(1996).When You Worry About the Child You Love.New-York:Fireside.

Haber, J.S.(2003).ADHD:The Great Misdiagnosis (Revised Edition).Dallas:Taylor-Trade

Publishing.

Luria, A.R.(1970).The Working Brain.New-York:Basic Books.

Quinn, P.O. (1997).Attention Deficit Disorder:Diagnosis and Treatment fromInfancy to

Adulthood.New-York:Brunner/Mazel.

McCauley, R.J. (2001).Assessment of Language Disorders in Children.Lawrence Erlbaum:

Mahvah, New Jersey.

Mamen, M.(2002)Nonverbal Learning Disabilities and their Clinical Subtypes:Assessment,

Diagnosis and Management, 4th Ed.Ontarion, Canada:Centrepointe Professional Services.

Molenaar-Klumper, M.(2002).Non-Verbal Learning Disability:Characteristics,Diagnosis,

and Treatment within an Educational Setting.London: Jessica Kingsley.

National Institute of Mental Health (1999).Attention Deficit Disorder.

Nelson, C.A., de Haan, M. and Thomas, K.M.(2006).Neuroscienceof CognitiveDevelopment:

New Jersey: Wiley.

Palombo, J.(2006).Nonverbal Learning Disabilities:A clinical perspective.New York, NY:

Norton

Pennigton, B.F. (2009). Diagnosing Learning Disabilties: A Neuropsychological Framework,

2nd Ed. New York, NY: Guilford.

Preston, J., O’Neal, J.H. and Talaga, M.C.(2006).Child and Adolescent Clinical

Psychophramacology Made Simple.Oakland, CA:New Harbinger

Resnick, R.J.(2000).The Hidden Disorder:A Clinician’s Guide to Attention Deficit

Hyperactivity Disorder in Adults.Washington D.C.:APA.

Rickel, A.U. and Brown, R.T.(2007).Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder inChildren and

Adults.Cambridge, MA:Hogrefe

Romm, A. & Romm, T.(2000).ADHD Alternatives:A Natural Approach to Treating

Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.Pownal, Vermont:Schoolhouse Road.

Rourke, B.P.(1985).Neuropsychology of Learning Disabilities:Essentials of Subtype

Analysis.New-York:Guilford.

Rourke, B.P.(1989). Nonverbal Learning Disability:The Syndrome and the Model.New-

York:Guilford.

Rourke, B.P.(1995).Syndrome of Nonverbal Learning Disability:Neurodevelopmental

Manifestations.New-York:Guilford.

Rourke, B.P. & Fuerst, D.R.(1991).Learning Disabilities and PsychosocialFunctioning:A

Neuropsychological Perspective.New-York:Guilford.

Rourke, B.P., van der Vlugt, H. & Rourke, S.B.(2002).Practice of Child-Clinical

Neuropsychology:An Introduction.Lisse, Netherlands:Swets and Zeitlinger Publishers.

Safren, S.A., Perlman, C.A., Sprich, S. and Otto, M.W.(2005).Mastering YourAdult ADHD:A

cognitive-behavioral treatment program;Therapist Guide.New York:Oxford.

Safren, S.A., Perlman, C.A., Sprich, S. and Otto, M.W.(2005).Mastering YourAdult ADHD:A

cognitive-behavioral treatment program;Client Workbook.New York:Oxford.

Sprean, O., Risse, A.H. & Edgell, D.(1995).Developmental Neuropsychology.New-York:

Oxford U. Press.

Tanguay, P.B.(2001).Nonverbal Learning Disability at Home:A Parent’s Guide.London:

Jessica Kingsley.

Tanguay, P.B.(2002).Nonverbal Learning Disability at School:Educating StudentsWith

NLD, Asperger Syndrome, and Related Conditions.London:Jessica Kingsley.

Teeter, P.A.(1998).Interventions for ADHD:Treatment in Developmental Context.New-

York:Guilford.

Thompson, S.(1997).The Source for Nonverbal Learning Disorders.East Moline, Illinois:

LinguiSystems

Weiss, G. & Hechtman, L.T.(1993).Hyperactive Children Grown Up, 2nd Edition.New-York:

Guilford.

Wender, P.H.(1995).Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in Adults.New-York:Oxford U.

Press.

Verhoeven, L. & van Balkom, H. (2004).Classification of Developmental LanguageDisorders:

Theoretical issues and clinical implications.Lawrene Erlbaum: Mahvah, New Jersey.

Wodrich, D.L.(2000).Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder:What Every ParentWants to

Know, 2nd Edition, Baltimore: Paul H., Brooker.

Zager, D. (2005).Autism Spectrum Disorders.New-York: Guilford.

Extra Readings:

de Saint-Exupery, A. (1943).The Little Prince.Harcourt, Inc.: New York.

DiCamillo, K.(2003).The Tale of Despereaux.Candlewick Press:Cambridge, MA.

Nichols, M.P.(1995).The Lost Art of Listening.Guilford Press:New York, NY.

Library

All resources in Argosy University’s online collection are available through the Internet. The campus librarian will provide students with links, user IDs, and passwords.

Library Resources: Argosy University’s core online collection features nearly 21,000 full-text journals and 23,000 electronic books and other content covering all academic subject areas including Business & Economics, Career & General Education, Computers, Engineering & Applied Science, Humanities, Science, Medicine & Allied Health, and Social & Behavior Sciences. Many titles are directly accessible through the Online Public Access Catalog at Detailed descriptions of online resources are located at

In addition to online resources, Argosy University’s onsite collections contain a wealth of subject-specific research materials searchable in the Online Public Access Catalog. Catalog searching is easily limited to individual campus collections. Alternatively, students can search combined collections of all Argosy University Libraries. Students are encouraged to seek research and reference assistance from campus librarians.

Information Literacy: Argosy University’s Information Literacy Tutorial was developed to teach students fundamental and transferable research skills. The tutorial consists of five modules where students learn to select sources appropriate for academic-level research, search periodical indexes and search engines, and evaluate and cite information. In the tutorial, students study concepts and practice them through interactions. At the conclusion of each module, they can test their comprehension and receive immediate feedback. Each module takes less than 20 minutes to complete. Please view the tutorial at

Academic Policies

Academic Dishonesty/Plagiarism: In an effort to foster a spirit of honesty and integrity during the learning process, Argosy University requires that the submission of all course assignments represent the original work produced by that student. All sources must be documented through normal scholarly references/citations and all work must be submitted using the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 6th Edition (2009). Washington DC: American Psychological Association (APA) format. Please refer to Chapter 2 (for manuscript structure and content) and Chapter 6 (for crediting sources) in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 6th Edition. Students are encouraged to purchase this manual (required in some courses) and become familiar with its content as well as consult the Argosy University catalog for further information regarding academic dishonesty and plagiarism.

Scholarly writing: The faculty at Argosy University is dedicated to providing a learning environment that supports scholarly and ethical writing, free from academic dishonesty and plagiarism. This includes the proper and appropriate referencing of all sources. You may be asked to submit your course assignments through ―Turnitin, ( an online resource established to help educators develop writing/research skills and detect potential cases of academic dishonesty. Turnitin compares submitted papers to billions of pages of content and provides a comparison report to your instructor. This comparison detects papers that share common information and duplicative language.

Americans with Disabilities Act Policy

It is the policy of Argosy University to make reasonable accommodations for qualified students with disabilities, in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). If a student with disabilities needs accommodations, the student must notify the Director of Student Services. Procedures for documenting student disability and the development of reasonable accommodations will be provided to the student upon request.

Students will be notified by the Director of Student Services when each request for accommodation is approved or denied in writing via a designated form. To receive accommodation in class, it is the student’s responsibility to present the form (at his or her discretion) to the instructor. In an effort to protect student privacy, the Department of Student Services will not discuss the accommodation needs of any student with instructors. Faculty may not make accommodations for individuals who have not been approved in this manner.

The Argosy University Statement Regarding Diversity

Argosy University prepares students to serve populations with diverse social, ethnic, economic, and educational experiences. Both the academic and training curricula are designed to provide an environment in which students can develop the skills and attitudes essential to working with people from a wide range of backgrounds.

Appendix A. - Final Course Project.

Comprehensive Assessment – the intent of this exercise is to provide you with the opportunity to evaluate the disability of a person and the handicapping consequences, as they are translated in levels of participation.Therefore, your evaluation needs to address all elements of a comprehensive assessment (see material presented in Week 3).

Write a Comprehensive Evaluation report on a child or an adult (preferably, a patient from your practicum site; if you cannot find one, you may use a volunteer, with the instructor’s approval) in need of a differential diagnosis involving possible questions regarding attention difficulties or right-hemispheric weaknesses.

Your report must be based on interview material, testing data, and information obtained through relevant observations.

The battery of tests administered by you has to include an intelligence test (e.g. WAIS-III or WISC-IV), a relevant set of neuropsychological tasks (e.g. selected scales from the NEPSY-II or D-KEFS), and one projective/objective test to address emotional/personality issues.

The clinical interview has to include a thorough exploration of your patient’s referral question and perceived disability/handicapping condition.

You have to make an effort to obtain collateral information from a significant person in your patient’s life (parent, spouse, teacher, etc.), and observe your patient in his/her natural habitation (home, classroom, etc.).

Your report has to address the six elements of a comprehensive evaluation;the conceptual analysis must integrate your understanding of the patient’s impairments and disabilities, and the handicapping translation of these disabilities in his/her participation in life situations.Recommendations for intervention need to be pragmatic and specific to any or all of the seven domains of participation, if found to be effected by patient’s handicapping condition.

Submit your final project in the last week of the course (last class meeting).