Linda Siegel, Ph.D.

B.A. (Queens), M.S. & Ph.D. (Yale). Professor and Dorothy Lam Chair in Special Education.
(on leave from July 1, 2004 - June 30, 2005)

Office information:

AREAS OF INTEREST

• Cognitive aspects of learning disabilities
• early detection and remediation of learning disabilities
• identification of children at risk for school failure
• bilingual and multicultural education
• children with English as a Second Language (ESL)
• reading
• arithmetic.

DESCRIPTION OF RESEARCH ACTIVITIES

One research project is a longitudinal study in North Vancouver to examine the early identification and intervention of native English-speaking and ESL speaking children at-risk for reading failure. An early literacy program was implemented in kindergarten for at-risk children for reading failure.  The participants are all of the children in the school district and who are assessed annually in the areas of reading, language, and memory to examine development of these skills. The study began in the participants kindergarten year (1997) and will continue through to grade 4 (2002).  This school-based research in dyslexia and reading failure is also in the preliminary stages in other districts in B.C.

The other study underway is to examine the development of reading, language, and memory skills in children and adults with learning disabilities. An assessment of reading, language, spelling, memory and arithmetic is conducted with each participant. Suggestions for remediation and appropriate accommodations in school and the workplace, and/or further education are made for each individual, based on their individual learning difficulties.

RECENTLY PUBLISHED WORK

Chiappe, P., Siegel, L. S., & Gottardo, A. (2002). Reading-related skills of kindergartners from diverse linguistic backgrounds. Applied Psycholinguistics, 23, 95-116.

Chiappe, P., Stringer, R., Siegel, L. S., & Stanovich, K. E. (2002). Why the timing deficit hypothesis does not explain reading disability in adults. Reading and Writing: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 15, 73-107.

D'Anguilli, A., Siegel, L. S., & Serra, E. (2002). The development of reading in English and Italian in bilingual children. Applied Psycholinguistics, 22, 479-507.

Gang, M. & Siegel, L.S. (2002). Sound-symbol learning in children with dyslexia. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 35, 137-157.

Molfese, V., Karp, K., and Siegel, L. (2002) Recommendations For Writing Successful Proposals From The Reviewer s Perspective. SRA Journal, 33, 21-24.

Bredberg, E., & Siegel, L. S. (2001). Learning disabilities and behavior therapy: A review of practice and a view to the future. Behavior Therapy, 32, 651-666.

Chan, C.K.K. & Siegel, L. S. (2001). Phonological processing in reading Chinese among normally achieving and poor readers. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 80, 23-43.

Chiappe, P., Chiappe, D.L., & Siegel, L. S. (2001). Speech perception, lexicality and reading skill. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 80, 58-74.

Gottardo, A., Yan, B., Siegel, L. S., Wade-Woolley, L. (2001). Factors related to English reading performance in children with Chinese as a first language: More evidence of cross-language transfer of phonological processing. Journal of Educational Psychology, 93, 530-542.

Passolunghi, M. & Siegel, L. S. (2001). Short-term memory, working memory, and inhibitory control in children with difficulties in arithmetic problem solving. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 80, 44-57.

Siegel, L.S. (1999). Issues in the definition and diagnosis of learning disabilities: A Perspective on Guckenberger v. Boston University. Journal of Learning Disabilites, 32, 304-319.

Siegel, L.S., and Himel, N. (1998). Socioeconomic status, age and the classification of dyslexics and poor readers: the dangers of using IQ scores in the definition of reading disability. Dyslexia, 4, 90-104.

Sprenger-Charolles, L., Siegel, L.S., and Bonnet, P. (1998). Reading and spelling acquisition in French: The role of phonological mediation and orthographic factors. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 68, 134-165.

Biemiller, A. & Siegel, L.S. (1997). A longitudinal study of the effects of the Bridge Reading Program for children at risk for reading failure. Learning Disabilities Quarterly, 20, 83-92.

Gottardo, A., Siegel, L.S. and Stonovich. K.E. (1997). The assessment of adults with reading disabilities: What can we learn from experimental tasks? Journal of Research in Reading, 20, 42-54.

McBride, H., & Siegel, L. S. (1997). Learning disabilities and suicide: A causal connection. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 30, 652-659.

So, D. & Siegel, L. S. (1997). Learning to read Chinese: Semantic, syntactic, phonological and short-term memory skills in normally achieving and poor Chinese readers. Reading and Writing: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 9, 1-21.

Vandervelden, M.C. & Siegel, L.S. (1997). Teaching phonological processing skills in early literacy: A developmental approach. Learning Disabilities Quarterly, 20, 63-81.

Wade-Woolley, L. and Siegel, L.S. (1997). The spelling performance of ESL and Native speakers of English as a function of reading skill. Reading and Writing: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 9, 387-406.

Barwick, M. A., & Siegel, L. S. (in press). The incidence and nature of learning disabilities in homeless, runaway youths. Journal of Research on Adolescence.

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Department of Educational and Counselling
Psychology, and Special Education
UBC Faculty of Education
The University of British Columbia
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