This study investigates verbal and visuospatial memory strategies used by individuals with perceptual or cognitive disabilities. The groups concentrated on in this study are deaf individuals who are native sign language users and individuals with dyslexia. The study comprises an experiment and an in-depth study in which a pre-test and a questionnaire were used. Nine deaf signers, two persons with dyslexia and 12 persons without any perceptual or cognitive constraints participated. Of these 23 persons, seven were selected to take part in the in-depth study.

The intention with my study is to examine how teachers in school relate to the concept of learning styles and how they define an individualized education that focus on students? different learning abilities. My intention is also to raise their thoughts about what they think the benefits and the deficits may be with an individualized education that focuses on students? individual ways to learn.My study is based on the empiric material I have collected from interviews with five teachers, whom all worked in grade three. To analyze and discuss the interview answers I have had to my help Dunn-, Kolbs- and Gardners theories about peoples different learning abilities and learning styles.

In recent years cognitive training in order to improve cognitive abilities have becomeincreasingly popular and a lot of research has been conducted within this field. The natural agingprocess has a negative effect on many of our cognitive abilities and this relationship also has a strongconnection with hearing loss. Elderly with hearing loss is therefore a group that could benefit fromcognitive training. Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate different types of cognitivetraining directed towards working memory in older adults and to examine the results observedregarding efficacy of this type of training and its transfer effect. Method: A literature reviewconsisting of 17 scientific articles published between 2005-2014.

A controlled recording in a studio is the basis of all voice treatment. However, this controlled way of recording voice patients' voices can be questioned. The voice use may be different in a natural environment. In children noise related voice problems are investigated in a study about voice and its development (BUG ? Child voice and noise).

Theory of mind involves the ability to take another person?s perspective in thought, emotions and intentions.  There is today a lack of instruments to assess children?s development of Theory of Mind (ToM) in Swedish. ToM is considered by many scientists to be the basis for development of pragmatic competence. The relationship between these two abilities is complex and not fully resolved. Both abilities are important components for the development of social skills.    The purpose of this study was to compare 4 and 5-year olds ToM-ability measured with a Swedish version of Wellman and Liu?s ToM-scale, Sally Anne and Social Emotional Test with estimated pragmatic competence measured with the Children?s Communication Checklist (CCC).

This study investigates, through parental evaluations, communicativeand adaptive abilities within a group of children with various developmentaldisorders, after the parents had participated in AKKTIV (Augmentative andAlternative Communication ? Early Intervention) parental education. The studyalso investigates through case studies how parents experience the influence ofAKKTIV-intervention in their children?s development a few years aftercompletion. The parents estimated their children?s abilities using three differentquestionnaires; the Swedish Communicative Developmental Inventories(SECDI), Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales-II (VABS-II) and parts of theform? Parents? perception of the interaction with their child?, before and afterthe intervention.

The aim of this study is to observe Swedish preschool children in their natural habitat and without any intervention. Four different observations are made and thereafter analyzed. Throughout the whole study the subject of interest is the children's communication in their play. Children can communicate with each other in various ways, for instance with speech and without speech, i.e. with their physical language, aesthetic and multi language.

The objective of the study is to examine whether the experience from language courses abroad has had any impact on the career choices for four individuals. Based on a qualitative research methodology, four semi-structured interviews have been executed. The two research questions have been answered by letting four people recount their experiences from language courses abroad linked to their self-images and career choices. The outcome is that the experiences from the language courses contributed to a more or less altered self-image. Most of all, the interpersonal abilities were fostered, which led to the formation of a self-image characterized by improved confidence in social settings.

The capacity to process and to remember information is a basic condition for language ability and for coming reading ability. Reading ability is strongly connected to phonological awareness, receptive vocabulary knowledge and working memory capacity. In what way hearing impairment in children affects development of cognitive skills and later on reading ability is an area that has attracted minor attention for research.The aim with this study was to investigate changes in cognitive skills and reading ability in children with mild or moderate hearing impairment after one year of progress and furthermore if any connections between any increases of the abilities were to be found. Comparisons were made with results from age adequate normal hearing children. Moreover prosodic ability on word-level was tested this year.

This thesis aims to study how teachers develop pupils' motivation to read. Using qualitative interviews, three Swedish middle school teachers describe their experiences regarding pupils' motivation to read. They comment on how they attempt to stimulate motivation and the conditions and circumstances they experience while carrying out their work. As a basis for the teacher interviews, their pupils completed a web based survey about how they value reading as an activity and how they see themselves as readers. An analysis of the interviews raises several issues for discussion: pupils have different needs, good readers are described through their abilities, not through their experiences or reading habits, and teachers feel they can be limited to implement the teaching they think is necessary to promote reading abilities.

Dagens samhälle med ett allt snabbare tempo skapar ny teknik som blir ålderdomligt redan dagenefter. Samtidigt underlättar tekniken informationsspridningen. Detta ställer höga krav på skolansom ska rusta eleverna inför framtiden. Svenska elever är i nuläget duktiga i läsning i eninternationell jämförelse men antalet elever med läsförmåga över medel sjunker samtidigt somfärre antal läser längre texter. Denna aktionsforskningsstudie är ett sätt att utveckla och bidra medkunskap om hur elever upplever läsning genom en för gruppen ny arbetsgång där olika lässtilarinkluderas.

The aim with this study was to increase the knowledge about as well as shed light on hidden refugees? living conditions by compiling research about hidden refugees? living conditions and complete this research by doing a field survey with people with different knowledge and experience of hidden refugees? living conditions. The result was analyzed on the basis of Nussbaum?s list of ten human abilities and the convention of human rights. The study showed that hidden refugees' living conditions are experienced as very critical, and characterized by lack of human rights as well as means to utilize and develop their abilities.

Children with Reading and Writing Difficulties and Their Language and Cognitive AbilitiesA Comparison with Children with a Cochlear ImplantAbstractThe aim of this study was to examine the cognitive abilities that are important for reading in children with reading disabilities, children with a cochlear implantation and typically developed children. 64 children aged 10-12 years participated in the study. To answer the question at issue we used the following tests: Block Design from WISC III, PPVT III, TOWRE, SL 40 and a few chosen tests out of the SIPS battery. On tests of the lexical access children with reading disabilities performed at the same level as hearing children, while the children with a cochlear implant performed significantly lower. Test of the phonological and complex working memory showed that children with reading disabilities performed significantly higher than children with a cochlear implant, but at the same time lower than typically developed children on the test of phonological working memory.

Since the 1970`s the Non Governmental Organisations, NGO:s, have taken an increasing responsibility in the development cooperation work. Apart from an increase in resources delivered through the NGO:s it is also obvious in various official documents that the idea of NGO:s in regards to; reaching and involving poor people in the work and as capable of delivering aid resources to a low cost, is very widely spread and commonly accepted among political decision makers and aid agencies. In addition it?s very seldom that those positive statements about the NGO:s abilities, are backed by any kind of scientific study. This study argues that the ascribed abilities are more the rhetoric of a political idea than an empirical reality.

Speech disorders are common in children with 22q11-deletion syndrome, but there is limited knowledge about speech in adults with this syndrome. The aim of this study is to describe speech and voice in adultswith 22q11-deletion syndrome, and compare the results with a control group.Ten adults between 19-49 years participated in each group. The study wasbased on the Swedish dysarthria assessment, Dysartribedömningen. Thetested abilities were respiration, phonation, oral motor function, velopharyngeal function, articulation, prosody and intelligibility. Communicative participation was examined as well.