Donna Macomber - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Donna Macomber

Research paper thumbnail of Education in Juvenile Detention Facilities in the State of Connecticut: A Glance at the System

Journal of correctional education (Glen Mills, Pa.), 2010

The state of Connecticut detained 7,444 children and youth and committed approximately 270 to the... more The state of Connecticut detained 7,444 children and youth and committed approximately 270 to the Department of Children and Families for out of home placement in the 2007-2008 calendar year. A significant number of children and youth have special education needs that are often unidentified by home school districts. State and federal law mandate the provision of special education and related services to this population. In addition, education of these individuals is imperative as research indicates educational success is a key component for decreasing recidivism (relapse into unlawful activity) rates and providing opportunities toward productive adulthood. The cost of recidivism to detention is not only monetary; criminal misconduct also threatens the safety of society members as well. The Yale University Child Study Center under the auspices of the Connecticut Judicial Branch, Court Support Services Division (CSSD) conducted a situational analysis of the juvenile detention centers ...

Research paper thumbnail of Language development of internationally adopted children: Adverse early experiences outweigh the age of acquisition effect

Journal of Communication Disorders, 2015

We compared English language and cognitive skills between internationally adopted children (IA; m... more We compared English language and cognitive skills between internationally adopted children (IA; mean age at adoption=2.24, SD=1.8) and their non-adopted peers from the US reared in biological families (BF) at two time points. We also examined the relationships between outcome measures and age at initial institutionalization, length of institutionalization, and age at adoption. On measures of general language, early literacy, and non-verbal IQ, the IA group performed significantly below their age-peers reared in biological families at both time points, but the group differences disappeared on receptive vocabulary and kindergarten concept knowledge at the second time point. Furthermore, the majority of children reached normative age expectations between 1 and 2 years post-adoption on all standardized measures. Although the age at adoption, age of institutionalization, length of institutionalization, and time in the adoptive family all demonstrated significant correlations with one or more outcome measures, the negative relationship between length of institutionalization and child outcomes remained most robust after controlling for the other variables. Results point to much flexibility and resilience in children's capacity for language acquisition as well as the potential primacy of length of institutionalization in explaining individual variation in IA children's outcomes. (1) Readers will be able to understand the importance of pre-adoption environment on language and early literacy development in internationally adopted children. (2) Readers will be able to compare the strength of the association between the length of institutionalization and language outcomes with the strength of the association between the latter and the age at adoption. (3) Readers will be able to understand that internationally adopted children are able to reach age expectations on expressive and receptive language measures despite adverse early experiences and a replacement of their first language with an adoptive language.

Research paper thumbnail of Delinquency Reduction Outcome Profile

Research paper thumbnail of Development and validation of the Delinquency Reduction Outcome Profile (DROP) in a sample of incarcerated juveniles: A multiconstruct/multisituational scoring approach

Psychological Assessment, 2012

Research paper thumbnail of Academic Achievement Among Juvenile Detainees

Journal of Learning Disabilities, 2013

The literature has long pointed to heightened frequencies of learning disabilities (LD) within th... more The literature has long pointed to heightened frequencies of learning disabilities (LD) within the population of law offenders; however, a systematic appraisal of these observations, careful estimation of these frequencies, and investigation of their correlates and causes have been lacking. Here we present data collected from all youth (1,337 unique admissions, mean age 14.81, 20.3% females) placed in detention in Connecticut (January 1, 2010-July 1, 2011). All youth completed a computerized educational screener designed to test a range of performance in reading (word and text levels) and mathematics. A subsample (n = 410) received the Wide Range Achievement Test, in addition to the educational screener. Quantitative (scale-based) and qualitative (grade-equivalence-based) indicators were then analyzed for both assessments. Results established the range of LD in this sample from 13% to 40%, averaging 24.9%. This work provides a systematic exploration of the type and severity of word and text reading and mathematics skill deficiencies among juvenile detainees and builds the foundation for subsequent efforts that may link these deficiencies to both more formal, structured, and variable definitions and classifications of LD, and to other types of disabilities (e.g., intellectual disability) and developmental disorders (e.g., ADHD) that need to be conducted in future research.

Research paper thumbnail of Hyperlexia in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 2007

Research paper thumbnail of The Leonardo Laboratory: Developing Targeted Programs for Academic Underachievers with Visual-Spatial Gifts

Talent Development & Excellence, Jul 1, 2009

Abstract: This article presents a short-term program, The Leonardo Laboratory, for children with ... more Abstract: This article presents a short-term program, The Leonardo Laboratory, for children with coexisting learning disabilities and spatial gifts. The program was developed in collaboration with a museum and administered as an after-school program to a group of elementary-school children (20 boys and 5 girls) so that its effectiveness could be evaluated preliminarily. Although the students in the program did not demonstrate statistically significant gains in academic skills, they demonstrated gains in self-efficacy and ...

Research paper thumbnail of Education in Juvenile Detention Facilities in the State of Connecticut: A Glance at the System

Journal of correctional education (Glen Mills, Pa.), 2010

The state of Connecticut detained 7,444 children and youth and committed approximately 270 to the... more The state of Connecticut detained 7,444 children and youth and committed approximately 270 to the Department of Children and Families for out of home placement in the 2007-2008 calendar year. A significant number of children and youth have special education needs that are often unidentified by home school districts. State and federal law mandate the provision of special education and related services to this population. In addition, education of these individuals is imperative as research indicates educational success is a key component for decreasing recidivism (relapse into unlawful activity) rates and providing opportunities toward productive adulthood. The cost of recidivism to detention is not only monetary; criminal misconduct also threatens the safety of society members as well. The Yale University Child Study Center under the auspices of the Connecticut Judicial Branch, Court Support Services Division (CSSD) conducted a situational analysis of the juvenile detention centers ...

Research paper thumbnail of Language development of internationally adopted children: Adverse early experiences outweigh the age of acquisition effect

Journal of Communication Disorders, 2015

We compared English language and cognitive skills between internationally adopted children (IA; m... more We compared English language and cognitive skills between internationally adopted children (IA; mean age at adoption=2.24, SD=1.8) and their non-adopted peers from the US reared in biological families (BF) at two time points. We also examined the relationships between outcome measures and age at initial institutionalization, length of institutionalization, and age at adoption. On measures of general language, early literacy, and non-verbal IQ, the IA group performed significantly below their age-peers reared in biological families at both time points, but the group differences disappeared on receptive vocabulary and kindergarten concept knowledge at the second time point. Furthermore, the majority of children reached normative age expectations between 1 and 2 years post-adoption on all standardized measures. Although the age at adoption, age of institutionalization, length of institutionalization, and time in the adoptive family all demonstrated significant correlations with one or more outcome measures, the negative relationship between length of institutionalization and child outcomes remained most robust after controlling for the other variables. Results point to much flexibility and resilience in children's capacity for language acquisition as well as the potential primacy of length of institutionalization in explaining individual variation in IA children's outcomes. (1) Readers will be able to understand the importance of pre-adoption environment on language and early literacy development in internationally adopted children. (2) Readers will be able to compare the strength of the association between the length of institutionalization and language outcomes with the strength of the association between the latter and the age at adoption. (3) Readers will be able to understand that internationally adopted children are able to reach age expectations on expressive and receptive language measures despite adverse early experiences and a replacement of their first language with an adoptive language.

Research paper thumbnail of Delinquency Reduction Outcome Profile

Research paper thumbnail of Development and validation of the Delinquency Reduction Outcome Profile (DROP) in a sample of incarcerated juveniles: A multiconstruct/multisituational scoring approach

Psychological Assessment, 2012

Research paper thumbnail of Academic Achievement Among Juvenile Detainees

Journal of Learning Disabilities, 2013

The literature has long pointed to heightened frequencies of learning disabilities (LD) within th... more The literature has long pointed to heightened frequencies of learning disabilities (LD) within the population of law offenders; however, a systematic appraisal of these observations, careful estimation of these frequencies, and investigation of their correlates and causes have been lacking. Here we present data collected from all youth (1,337 unique admissions, mean age 14.81, 20.3% females) placed in detention in Connecticut (January 1, 2010-July 1, 2011). All youth completed a computerized educational screener designed to test a range of performance in reading (word and text levels) and mathematics. A subsample (n = 410) received the Wide Range Achievement Test, in addition to the educational screener. Quantitative (scale-based) and qualitative (grade-equivalence-based) indicators were then analyzed for both assessments. Results established the range of LD in this sample from 13% to 40%, averaging 24.9%. This work provides a systematic exploration of the type and severity of word and text reading and mathematics skill deficiencies among juvenile detainees and builds the foundation for subsequent efforts that may link these deficiencies to both more formal, structured, and variable definitions and classifications of LD, and to other types of disabilities (e.g., intellectual disability) and developmental disorders (e.g., ADHD) that need to be conducted in future research.

Research paper thumbnail of Hyperlexia in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 2007

Research paper thumbnail of The Leonardo Laboratory: Developing Targeted Programs for Academic Underachievers with Visual-Spatial Gifts

Talent Development & Excellence, Jul 1, 2009

Abstract: This article presents a short-term program, The Leonardo Laboratory, for children with ... more Abstract: This article presents a short-term program, The Leonardo Laboratory, for children with coexisting learning disabilities and spatial gifts. The program was developed in collaboration with a museum and administered as an after-school program to a group of elementary-school children (20 boys and 5 girls) so that its effectiveness could be evaluated preliminarily. Although the students in the program did not demonstrate statistically significant gains in academic skills, they demonstrated gains in self-efficacy and ...