Life Success
For Children With Learning Disabilities

Our Research

Life Success For Children With Learning Disabilities: A Parent Guide is based on over 20 years of research conducted by the Frostig Center in Pasadena, California. The research traced the lives of individuals with learning disabilities in an attempt to identify factors that predicted successful life outcomes.

Several journal articles have been published that document the research findings. We are pleased to make some of those articles available here.

Learning Disabilities Research & Practice, 18(4) 2003

Predictors of Success in Individuals with Learning Disabilities: A Qualitative Analysis of a 20-Year Longitudinal Study

Roberta J. Goldberg, Eleanor L. Higgins, Marshall H. Raskind, and Kenneth Herman
Frostig Center, Pasadena, CA

Abstract: The research described here is part of a larger longitudinal project tracing the lives of a group of individuals with learning disabilities who attended the Frostig Center more than 20 years ago.  The purpose of the larger project has been to identify variables that predict successful outcomes for adults with learning disabilities.  This article focuses on the qualitative findings obtained using an ethnographic approach to analyzing in-depth interviews with participants.  Six previously identified “success attributes” (self-awareness, proactivity, perseverance, appropriate goal setting, effective use of social support systems, and emotional stability/emotional coping strategies) were further defined.  Using qualitative analysis, significant components of the success attributes that differentiated the successful from unsuccessful groups were identified, and changes over time were revealed.  In addition, the following new themes were identified: (1) the learning disability exerted a critical influence across the entire lifespan; (2) there were differences in participants’ family functioning; and (3) there were differences in participants’ social relationships.  Support for the salience of the success attributes and the additional themes to the participants is given in the form of direct quotations from the corpus of interview transcripts.  Qualitative methodologies are stressed throughout the study for the purpose of obtaining an “insider’s view” of LD.

15 pgs, 212 KB

Learning Disabilities Research & Practice, 14 (1) 1999

Patterns of Change and Predictors of Success in Individuals With Learning Disabilities: Results From a Twenty-Year Longitudinal Study

Marshall H. Raskind, Roberta J. Goldberg, Eleanor L. Higgins, and Kenneth L. Herman
Frostig Center, Pasadena, CA

Abstract. The research described in this article is part of a larger longitudinal project tracing the lives of a group of individuals with learning disabilities who attended the Frostig Center 20 years ago; this article focuses on the quantitative results of the follow-up study. Data were gathered through case records, public records, current testing, and in-depth interviews. First, changes in independent variables (e.g., socioeconomic status, IQ, life stressors, academic achievement) and dependent variables (e.g., employment status, educational attainment, living arrangements) across data points are described. Second, comparisons between successful and unsuccessful individuals on independent and dependent variables are discussed. Last, three possible predictors of success are identified: IQ, achievement, and “success attributes” (e.g., self-awareness, perseverance, proactivity, emotional stability, goal setting, and social support systems). The composite score on the six success attributes best predicted success at year 20, explaining 49 to 75% of variance, with either IQ or achievement making a minor contribution (0-5%), depending on the outcome measure employed. Implications for intervention and research are also discussed.

19 pgs, 310 KB

Learning Disability Quarterly
Winter 2002

Stages Of Acceptance Of A Learning Disability: The Impact Of Labeling

Eleanor L. Higgins, Marshall H. Raskind, Roberta J. Goldberg, and Kenneth L. Herman
Frostig Center, Pasadena, CA

Abstract. The research described here is part of a 20-year longitudinal project tracing the lives of a group of 41 individuals with learning disabilities. The article enumerates a small piece of the qualitative findings obtained using an ethnographic approach that emphasized the “emic,” or insider’s, perspective. Since several of the research questions addressed patterns of change over time, portions of the interview focused on changes in past and present attitudes, emotions, conceptions and meanings related to the learning disability. A salient notion emerged from participants’ narratives, which they described as “acceptance of the learning disability.” Further analysis revealed a shared set of understandings concerning distinct stages of “coming to terms” with the technical realities of their disability and with the social/emotional impact of being labeled. These included (a) awareness of their “differentness”; (b) the labeling event; (c) understanding/negotiating the label; (d) compartmentalization; and (e) transformation.

16 pgs 91KB

Intervention in School and Clinic
March 2002

Teaching “Life Success” to Students with LD: Lessons Learned From a 20-Year Study

Marshall H. Raskind, Roberta J. Goldberg, Eleanor L. Higgins, and Kenneth L. Herman
Frostig Center, Pasadena, CA

Abstract. Children with learning disabilities (LD) grow up, and although some find the road to successful, satisfying, and rewarding lives, others continue to struggle and “fail” into and through adulthood. Research has indicated that successful individuals with LD possess a set of “success attributes” (personal characteristics, behaviors, attitudes, and conditions) that lead them to positive life outcomes. This article presents a conceptual framework for fostering success attributes in students with LD and provides suggestions for classroom activities.

8 pgs 241KB