Abstract:

This template in the last decades due to poor environmental conditions and social disadvantages there is an increase in the number of children with learning disabilities around the world. One of the tasks of educators and school psychologists is identifying children with the risk for learning disabilities in the first weeks of school, and providing them with timely correctional and developmental assistance. The purpose of this study was to identify children with learning disabilities among first-graders in 2006-2007 and 2016-2017 by screening diagnostics and to compare the diagnostic results. The study involved 525 Russian first-graders 7-8 years old.

Measurers: expert evaluation of successful in study of first-graders; M. Permyakova's method of screening diagnostic of risks for learning disability in first-graders, which includes 2 tests, that are sensitive to the level of development of visuospatial abilities and grammar understanding, as well as to the general level of cognitive development of the child: Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure test (J.H. Bernstein, D.P. Waber, 1996) and the test "Comprehension of grammatical structures" from the Luria neuropsychological battery for children.

The study found that the number of first-graders with the risk of learning disabilities had not increased significantly in 10 years (p<0.05), but there is an observable tendency of increase.

The research revealed the positive correlation between screening diagnostic results and expert evaluation of the first-grader's successful in study both in 2006-2007 and in 2016-2017. Children with difficulties in understanding grammar and difficulties in perceiving spatial relations are less successful in study.

First-graders of 2006-2007 were significantly more successful (p<0.05) in copying the Rey-Osterrieth figures. Comparison of the average levels of grammatical structures understanding did not reveal significant differences. At the same time significantly (p<0.05) higher number of first-graders in 2006-2007 had a high level of grammar understanding. These results indicate a slower development rate of the holistic information processing strategy in 2016-2017 first-graders.

Keywords:

First-graders, risks for learning disability, grammar understanding, visuospatial abilities, holistic strategy.