Outcomes

Initial Course Case Studies of Various Populations

To determine the outcome effects of a variety of special needs and average populations, applying an innovative cognitive skills program, designed by Jan Kuyper Erland, forty individuals were pre- and post-tested to determine their functioning ability and whether it could be improved to higher levels. This initial 1980s data set of forty students had 1 - 3 year longitudinal maintenance gains that transferred to higher academic achievement and life skills.

These case studies were published following initial program treatments. (Journal of Accelerative Learning and Teaching. Case Studies. Summer 1989, 14, 1, 113-141).The students were within a spectrum range from gifted, to high average, learning disabled, average, low average, to developmentally disabled, ages 13 – 22.

The longitudinal data findings of the one-to-three-year research of the initial forty subjects were published in Journal of Accelerative Learning and Teaching: Research Report, Part II: Retraining Cognitive Abilities, A Longitudinal Study. Summer 1989, 14, 2, 113-141.

Aptitude assessment data effect sizes were calculated for the diverse populations, and appear in the unpublished summarization article: http://www.memexspan.com/abstract.pdf .

 

Valid and Reliable Aptitude Assessment Tools:

Widely accepted cognitive skills testing was administered and evaluated in the years of 1981 - 1985 with the DTLA-1, Leland Baker, 1967, Hammill, 1985, before the revised DTLA-2, DTLA-3, and DTLA-4 (Pro-Ed). Four DTLA subtests were administered to each student pre-test, and post-test. These were: DTLA Letter Sequences, Visual Closure, Word Series, and Following Oral Directions. During this early period, the DTLA-1 computed scores in mental ages (M.A.) as compared to the student’s chronological age (C.A.).

The Short Form Test of Academic Aptitude SFTAA, Sullivan, E., Clark, W., & Tiegs, E., 1970, based upon the California Mental Maturity Scales, and later was revised to the Test of Cognitive Skills, TCS, and TCS/2, CTB – McGraw Hill.

Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-Educational Cognitive Skills Battery (WJ), 1977; subtests spatial designs, letter matching, number reversals, and sentence repetition.

Other corroborative intelligence testing, the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children – Revised (WISC-R, Wechsler, 1989; 1974) was administered by the student's school.

 

Training Regimen:

Fifteen-Day (24 hours of intensive training) classes were taught in small homogeneous groupings by age and ability, according to their pre-course cognitive skills assessments.  The summaries have been updated to reveal the current status of each participant. They all attended college and are now successfully employed.

 

Gifted program: public school qualification

B. D. At age 12, he enrolled in the cognitive skills acceleration training course. He was in the public elementary school gifted program. His pre- course median mental age score on the DTLA-1 in four combined subtests (letter sequences, word series, was 13.6. His post median mental age was 15.9, and one year post-test was 16.0. At ninth grade graduation, he was recognized as the student having received the most A's during junior high school. He majored in business at a university with a 3.4 GPA during his first semester, while carrying 16 hours, which included statistics and calculus. He is now a successful real estate developer.

Additionally qualified in the elementary school Gifted program was C. L. She took the treatment at age 14.11, with a median mental age of 15.0 on the DTLA-1 measured on four subtests. Her post-test score three weeks later was 17.8 median mental age. Her one year post-test score was held at 17.0. Following the treatment, she was classified as gifted in public high school, scoring an IQ of 151 on the WISC-R (Wechsler, D., 1989, 1974).

School officials, being skeptical of this exceptionally high score, retested her on two other measures, including the WISC-R, to verify this IQ score. In a three year post-test with the SFTAA (Sullivan, Clark & Tiegs, 1970), she scored a 160 IQ. While in high school she was elected as International Key Club Governor by Kiwanians sponsored national student Key Club.

She graduated from a university in 3 1/2 years in political science and languages. Receiving several presidential appointments during the two Bush Administrations, she held a top administrative position in the U.S. Department of Education developing and implementing national educational policy.

 

Learning Disabled and ADHD:

L. N. Although initially assessed and qualified by the public schools as developmentally disabled, with a pre-test intelligence score (IQ) of 67, on the WISC-R (Wechsler, 1989; 1974), her parents sought a training solution, and sought a second opinion.

Several DTLA-1 and SFTAA subtests were administered by Mem-ExSpan, confirming this earlier diagnosis with a pre-test IQ of 71, then on the low end of the learning disability qualification spectrum. Later before Mem-ExSpan training, with her parents’ insistence, she qualified as severely learning disabled within the same IQ range.

L. N. took the treatment twice, the first time at age 13, and again at 16. Her pre-test median mental age score was 10.0, and following the treatment, the post-test score was a median mental age of 14.6. Her pre scores on the DTLA-1 at the age of 13 ranged from median mental age 9.0 for auditory span for unrelated words, 9.3 for memory for design objects, 7.0 for verbal fluency, and 8.0 for spatial designs.

Her mother, an elementary school teacher, worked rigorously with the Bridge to Achievement training system following the treatment. Her one year post-test median mental age was 15.9, up from the post tested median mental age 14.6 on the DTLA-1. Following the second treatment, she had a 17.0 median mental age score.

Her post-test IQ measured by the WISC-R in 1986, was 113 (up 46 points from the WISC-R, Wechsler, 1989; 1974, and Pre-test score of 67), post-test on the SFTAA scale was 95, up 24 points from the pre-test score on the SFTAA of 71.

After L. N.'s teachers noticed her improvement in school, this researcher was asked to present training at a teacher's In-service Training. In her college freshman year she had a 2.2 GPA without any tutoring or outside assistance. She graduated from college with a 2.4 GPA, and is now a Home-Bound parent-teacher consultant for a large metropolitan public school district.

G. M. had the treatment twice, once at age 12, and again at age 15. G. M. was attending a school for severely learning disabled in Florida, and came to the Midwest for a month to receive the initial treatment. She was in seventh grade, reading at the fourth grade level.

Following the first treatment, she improved from low average, 17% on visual memory and perception, to high average, 73% on the Woodcock-Johnson (1977) Psycho-Educational Battery. She returned to the learning disabilities private school, where the gains were confirmed by the school's routine psychological intelligence testing on the WISC-R (Wechsler, 1989; 1974). The school asked this researcher to give a teachers' In-service regarding this treatment method. After the second treatment, G. M. left the learning disabilities private school and maintained a 2.4 GPA at a public high school. She entered and later graduated from college with a 2.5 GPA, and now works as an office supervisor for a large company.

 

Developmentally Disabled:

C. D. had qualified as Developmentally Disabled and was placed in a special education classroom in the public schools. She had the treatment three times, at ages 14, 15, and 16.

The first pre-test was when she was in eighth grade, and her median mental age scores on the DTLA-1 (Baker & Leland; 1935, 1967), ranged from 7.6 median mental age on spatial designs, to 8.0 median mental age on auditory attention span for unrelated words, and 9.0 median mental age for memory for alphabet letters. Her pre-test score of 10.9 mental age on oral directions was noted by the school as somewhat high for one classified as developmentally disabled, even at the age of 14.

Obtaining a second opinion, on the Mem-ExSpan evaluation, she scored 0% on both memory and perceptual speed clusters on the Woodcock-Johnson Psycho Educational Battery (1977). Her DTLA-1 pre-test IQ was 72.

Following the third Mem-ExSpan class, her IQ rose to 107. Her spatial design scores rose from 5% on the second course pre-test to 84% on the third post-test on the DTLA-2 (Hammill, 1985). The resource room also post-tested following the third Mem-ExSpan session, and the raw scores matched the three year post-test gains obtained with the treatment. The school psychologist confirmed her subsequent training IQ on the WISC-R (Wechsler, D., 1989, 1974) at 110, well within high average intelligence range, but did not change her special education status. C. D. graduated from high school, and works in a dental office as a receptionist.

S. K. was misclassified as developmentally disabled, but suffered from a hearing impairment. She was placed in the special education classes in the public school. She received the Mem-EexSpan treatment at age 22 while living at home and working as a hotel maid.

On pre-test auditory processing, she scored a mental age of 6.6 DTLA-1 (Baker & Leland; 1935, 1967) on memory for unrelated words, 9.0 median mental age on letter sequences, 9.0 on oral directions, and 12.3 on spatial designs. She received the Mem-ExSpan treatment for two subsequent years. Following a one year interim, her second set of pre-test scores maintained from taking the treatment.

Her IQ on the first pre-test on the SFTAA was 77, her first posttest 87, and her second post-test 99. These intelligence scores were verified by the school districts’ administered WISC-R scores (Wechsler, D. 1989, 1974). Subsequent to Mem-ExSpan training, she attended modeling school, and has been employed as an art finisher for a ceramics artist. She lives independently in an apartment, drives her own car, and her parents reported that she is self-supporting.

 

Average- to- low average achievers (B's to C's to D's) in high school:

R. L.'s Junior high school counselors told his parents that he did not have the capabilities necessary to attend college. He had difficulties with reading, spelling, and math with Dyslexic symptoms. He then received the Mem-ExSpan treatment twice, the first time when he was age 15.7, the second time at age 16.7.

His first pre-test DTLA-1 median mental age was 10.6; his post-test median mental age was 15.0. His second treatment pre-test at age 16.7 indicated a median mental age of 15.0, holding the previous gains. His second post-test median mental age was 18.3.

He attended a large university without any tutoring or special assistance, received two scholarships while managing a local retail store. He graduated from college with a 3.4 GPA in communications and is a national marketing director with a leading pharmaceutical company.

 

 

Evidence-Based instruction for high academic achievement