Research

Abstract:  Fifteen of Ontario’s 24 community colleges participated in a survey conducted during the 2009/10 academic year in which data was collected to determine the frequency of mental illness, mental health problems and academic challenges in students accessing campus-based counselling and disability centres. In this study, 3,536 completed surveys based on 1,964 individual students were received, representing each of the four geographic sectors of the province; the average age of the students was 28. Of all students accessing college counselling and disability services in this study, 60.9% reported having a diagnosis of one or more mental disorders. Mood (37.5%) and anxiety (24.6%) disorders were the most prevalent individual diagnoses, followed by comorbid diagnoses (24.4%). The number of sessions students attended appeared to be related to the number of diagnoses. The mental health problems of this sample were typically stress related or interpersonal in nature. College service providers reported that 67.7% of students exhibited academic challenges (most frequently difficulties maintaining concentration), although the academic challenges reported for students with diagnoses varied. In this final report, the implications for college staff training and practices are reviewed, and directions for future research are discussed.
Link to Full Report: http://www.heqco.ca/en-CA/Research/Research%20Publications/Pages/Summary.aspx?link=53&title=The
Dissemination and Funding:  Higher Education and Quality Council of Ontario (in press, April 2011)

Summary:  This study examined the employment experience of postsecondary graduates with learning disabilities (LD) in the province of Ontario focusing on employment success, job satisfaction, impact of LD within a job setting and experience with employment transition services.  The pool of participants for the study included graduates of postsecondary institutions who had received a diagnosis of LD (based on the LDAO definition) from either NOARC or RARC between the years 2004/05 and 2007/08 and who had entered the labour market.  Results from the survey indicated:  (i) for the most part, students with LD graduating from Ontario’s colleges and universities report obtaining employment they find satisfying, (ii) LD continues its impact in the lives of these students, with the majority of them stating that such traits as slower speed of information processing, spelling and reading impede their performance on the job, (iii) these graduates often choose not to disclose their disability within the workplace, primarily citing reasons of judgement and embarrassment as preventing them from making the disclosure, and (iv) this group of graduates with LD accessed the career services offered on the campuses of Ontario’s colleges and universities infrequently but at a rate similar to that of their nondisabled peers.  The present study highlights areas very much in need of further exploration, including factors underlying the disconnect between stated LD impact on the job and unwillingness to disclose a disability in the workplace. The limited use of career services is a new and surprising finding. In addition, the preference for low-technology strategies over technological accommodations in the workplace is in need of further analysis.
Link to Full Report:  http://www.heqco.ca/en-CA/Research
Dissemination and Funding: Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario (April, 2011)

Abstract:  A Canadian context for the accommodation and support of students with specific learning disabilities (LD) was investigated in the present literature review. Relevant data from peer reviewed journals, national organizations, post-secondary institutions and licensing bodies was reviewed to determine the current state of affairs and best practices in this field. Overall, no agreed upon definition of LD was identified, although core similarities in definitions were noted. Furthermore, it was found that many psychological assessments failed to adhere to any one definition when making this diagnosis, and as a result the diagnosis may or may not reflect the presence of a permanent disability. There is a lack of accountability or standards for professionals regarding diagnosis of LD in Canada. Furthermore, supports and technology are being recommended by professionals who often have no formal training or expertise in this area. Recommendations regarding best practices and appropriate criteria for diagnosis of LD are discussed, and for recommended technological supports in this group of students, including access to funded Psychoeducational assessments to determine if a student meets a set of defined criteria for documentation of a LD. Assessment of assistive technology needs is recommended to be undertaken by those with training in this area.
Prepared for and Funded by:  Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC), (March 2010)

Abstract:  This study was designed to collect normative data for brief measures of panic disorder, phobias, generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, and test anxiety in a postsecondary student population. Also examined was the relationship between symptoms of anxiety disorders and test anxiety. Normative data compiled for 233 college students on brief measures of anxiety differed from that of clinical populations. Gender differences across the different anxiety disorders as cited within traditional literature and studies were confirmed.  Tentative support was gained for a model of test anxiety in which cognitive factors show a more consistent relationship with test anxiety than physiological elements.  Further research is warranted to develop a more comprehensive normative database for postsecondary students.
Dissemination:  Canadian Psychological Association 71st Annual Conference, Winnipeg, Manitoba, (2010)

Summary:  The efficacy of text-to-voice technology on reading comprehension performance in an Aboriginal population with self-reported reading difficulties was examined in an attempt to identify the cognitive correlates associated with improved reading comprehension when utilizing reading technology.  The main findings were:  1) Self perception of reading history difficulty in elementary and secondary school, as distinguished by the Adult Reading History Questionnaire – Revised (ARHQ-R), accurately discriminated performance on standardized measures of reading, 2) Overall, participants provided more correct answers and attempted more questions on the reading comprehension measure when reading without assistive technology, however the number of incorrect answers remained constant when reading with and without assistive technology, and 3) students with a given set of cognitive characteristics, difficulties in phonological processing/memory and rapid naming tasks, demonstrated improvements in reading comprehension when using assistive technology. 
Dissemination: Canadian Psychological Association Annual Conference, Montreal, QC (June 2009)
Funding: Aboriginal Education Office / Ministry of Training, Colleges, and Universities

Summary:  Updated and more broad-based normative data for the Learning and Memory Battery (LAMB, Tombaugh and Schmidt, 1992) were developed.  The LAMB scores of 331 students between 16 and 30 years of age and enrolled in post-secondary institutions in Ontario, were co-normed with a brief measure of cognitive functioning.  Psychometric properties, such as standardized scores, cumulative percentile scores, and reliability measures were compiled. 
Dissemination: National Academy of Neuropsychology Annual Conference, New Orleans, LA (November 2009)

Summary:  Select scores on a broad measure of psychopathology (Personality Assessment Inventory, PAI) and a common measure of ADHD (Conners’ Adult ADHD Rating Scale: Self-Report, CAARS-S:L) from 136 post-secondary students referred for suspected learning disabilities were examined to determine the feasibility and utility of creating an ADHD Index for use with the PAI.   An ADHD Index for the PAI, capable of signalling the need for further investigation into problems of attention was developed.  This PAI ADHD Index has utility as a parsimonious screen for difficulties associated with ADHD when used with adults aged 18-24.
Dissemination:  Canadian Psychological Association Annual Conference, Halifax, NS (June 2008)

Description:  This collaborative research project is investigating the long term outcome of assistive technology (A.T.) use among adolescents with language based learning disabilities.  Specifically, the effectiveness of A.T. on reading comprehension, academic self-efficacy and selected educational, social and behavioural outcomes is being tracked.  Three consecutive years of Grade 8 students with language based learning disabilities will be followed to ascertain long-term academic benefits. 
Funded by:  Ministry of Training, Colleges, and Universities

Description:  This study aims to survey postsecondary faculty about their knowledge and beliefs pertaining to students with mental illnesses.  It also seeks to assess faculty experiences and approaches to working with students who have such challenges.  Findings will be used to inform potential training needs of post-secondary faculty for working with this growing population of students.