This paper examines the influence of school counseling interventions on the academic and emotional success of students with learning disabilities (LD). Through a review of relevant literature, the paper addresses how social skills deficits and low self-concept affect LD students, and how interventions such as Response to Intervention (RTI), Comprehensive Developmental Guidance (CDG) programs, and group counseling can improve academic achievement and self-esteem. The paper also considers school counselor preparation, the role of evidence-based practice, and the importance of extending support networks beyond the classroom. Recommendations for future research focus on multidisciplinary team formation and best practices for collaborative support systems.
The academic success of students with learning disabilities is influenced by both social and emotional factors. Social skills are defined as "the specific reactions, responses, techniques, and strategies that a student uses in social situations" (Horowitz, 2007), while social competence is "the term used to describe how well a student performs in social situations" (Horowitz, 2007). Students with learning disabilities often seek attention in inappropriate ways and generally need assistance developing emotional intelligence. The objective of this paper is to answer that central question through a review of literature relating to counseling interventions and their influence on the academic and emotional success of students with learning disabilities.
A 2006 collaborative publication, New Roles in Response to Intervention: Creating Success for Schools and Children, produced jointly by thirteen professional organizations — including the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC), the International Dyslexia Association (IDA), the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP), and the National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD), among others — reports that the Response to Intervention (RTI) process is "a multi-tiered approach to providing services and interventions to struggling learners at increasing levels of intensity. RTI can be used for making decisions about compensatory and special education, creating a well-integrated and seamless system of instruction and intervention guided by child outcome data" (2006).
RTI is described as calling for "early identification of learning and behavioral needs, close collaboration among teachers, special education personnel, and parents, and a systemic commitment to locating and employing the necessary resources to ensure that students make progress in the general education curriculum" (Problem Solving and RTI: New Roles for School Psychologists, 2006). School personnel can play important roles in utilizing RTI to identify children with disabilities and to provide the special instruction that struggling students need. Professional development is highlighted as a key component of supporting academic achievement for students with disabilities. Specifically, the report identifies "training (as needed) in evidence-based intervention approaches, progress monitoring methods, evaluation of instructional and program outcomes and contextually based assessment procedures, and the implications for both preservice and in-service training" (Problem Solving and RTI: New Roles for School Psychologists, 2006).
McGannon, Carey, and Dimmitt (2005), in their work The Current Status of School Counseling Outcome Research, observe that an ongoing problem in the field of school counseling is "a general lack of understanding by critical stakeholders about what school counselors do that impacts student outcomes" (2005). Historically, school counselor training has followed a mental health provider model rather than one that prepares counselors "as student advocates, school leaders, and empirical researchers" (McGannon, Carey, and Dimmitt, 2005). The traditional student services model focused counselor activity on "career planning and placement, problem solving, and class scheduling" (McGannon, Carey, and Dimmitt, 2005), with the bulk of counselor time devoted to individual counseling for the highest-need students — a reactive, rather than proactive, approach.
Proactive services are also needed, particularly for students with disabilities. Counseling models based on the Comprehensive Developmental Guidance (CDG) program place an "increased focus on both accountability and the use of data to make decisions and to increase student achievement" (McGannon, Carey, and Dimmitt, 2005). This model "encourages counselors to complete yearly results reports with data about student change, to develop school counselor performance standards for constructing job descriptions and annual performance evaluations, and to conduct periodic program audits to ensure that the school counseling program is targeted at the right goals and implementing interventions effectively" (McGannon, Carey, and Dimmitt, 2005). McGannon, Carey, and Dimmitt (2005) warn that failure to make these changes will result in school counselors being excluded from school reform efforts and risking their professional roles. CDG programs that have already been implemented "have been shown to positively impact student outcomes and educational experiences" (McGannon, Carey, and Dimmitt, 2005), with two large-scale evaluations producing positive findings.
Wilson (1986), whose work primarily focused on counselor interventions with low-achieving students, reviewed 19 studies over a twenty-five-year period and found that "counseling interventions can have positive effects on academic achievement" (McGannon, Carey, and Dimmitt, 2005). Additionally, Brigman and Campbell (2003) conducted a quasi-experimental, pre-post-test study to evaluate the impact of a school-counselor-led intervention on student academic achievement and school success behaviors. Academic improvement was measured using Math and Reading scores from the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT). The study included 185 randomly selected experimental (treatment) group students and 185 comparison group students, all of whom had scored between the 25th and 50th percentile on the FCAT. Findings indicated "a significant difference between treatment and comparison groups on reading and math scores," with results providing "very strong support for the conclusion that school counseling interventions that focus on the development of cognitive, social, and self-management skills can result in sizable gains in student academic achievement" (McGannon, Carey, and Dimmitt, 2005).
Research has also shown that social skills training can "increase the social attractiveness of gifted and special needs students, but did not impact student self-esteem or school behaviors" (McGannon, Carey, and Dimmitt, 2005). Studies on children with learning disabilities found that "LD students who participated in group counseling had higher levels of self-esteem," and that the STEP intervention improved parental attitudes and the locus of control of their learning-disabled children (McGannon, Carey, and Dimmitt, 2005). Wilson (1986) additionally found that "directive counseling and behavioral counseling had positive effects on academic achievement with underachieving students" (McGannon, Carey, and Dimmitt, 2005).
McGannon, Carey, and Dimmitt (2005) report that the Center for School Counseling Outcome Research (CSCOR) aims to improve the practice of school counseling "by developing the research base that is necessary for responsible and effective practice," providing "national leadership in the measurement and evaluation of the outcomes of school counseling interventions and programs." Other relevant institutional bodies include: (1) a university-based Center for Student Support Systems, established in December 2002 to improve guidance and counseling quality in California and beyond; (2) the Washington School Research Center (WSRC), an independent research center at Seattle Pacific University funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which conducts objective research on student learning in public schools; (3) the National School Counseling Research Center (NSCRC), a joint endeavor between the American School Counseling Association (ASCA) and the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (ACES), whose mission is to enhance school counseling through the collection and dissemination of accountability-focused information; and (4) the National Panel for School Counseling Evidence-Based Practice, developed by CSCOR to evaluate existing methods of evidence-based practice in the field.
Panel members are currently reviewing the research literature to establish rules of evidence for determining whether a practice qualifies as evidence-based. The panel identifies standards for judging strong evidence, identifies needed research, and communicates findings to practitioners and researchers (McGannon, Carey, and Dimmitt, 2005).
"Self-concept research and group counseling benefits"
"Counselor training gaps and community network importance"
"Key findings and future research directions"
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