The impact of a holistic residential intervention on students with learning disabilities on social and emotional factors

This study assesses the perceived impact of a holistic residential intervention on levels of social and emotional factors for students with learning disabilities. Students experienced a holistic residential intervention and were assessed four times during the school year by their parents, dorm parents, and themselves. Social and emotional factors were measured using the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and Youth Self-Report form (YSR) total problems score, and the Children Depression Inventory (CDI) total score. A repeated measures and mixed-design analysis of variance methodology was used to address the research questions. A significant positive linear trend was found to occur as perceived by parents and students, and a positive cubic trend was found to occur as perceived by dorm parents across the school year. This indicated that parents, dorm parents, and students perceived students improving on social and emotional factors across the course of the school year. In addition, younger students (12- to 15-year-olds) rated more significant change associated with social and emotional factors than did the older grouping of students (16- to 18-year-olds. Also, students with ADHD had significantly higher CBCL total t scores than the non-ADHD grouping as rated by parents and dorm parents. Students who were identified as having receptive/expressive language issues had significantly lower CBCL total t scores on social and emotional factors than students without language issues as rated by parents and dorm parents. These findings serve as an initial step of exploring social and emotional factors with students with learning disabilities and provide possible direction for future research. Limitations of the study and recommendations for future research are also discussed.