In Progress: Feuerstein Cognitive Intervention for Older Patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI)

Background:

• The rise in life expectancy in recent decades has resulted in a dramatic increase in the population of older people.
• 10% of adults aged 65 and over, and 50% of adults over 90 suffer from dementia.
• Data from the World Health Organization (WHO) predict 43 million dementia sufferers globally in the year 2020.

Research
questions:

• Is it possible to improve cognitive
  abilities later in life through a cognitive intervention program?
• Can cognitive intervention alter the
  functional connectivity (the functionally integrated relationship between spatially
  separated brain regions) of the brain? (measured using fMRI)

Preliminary results:

• Cognitive intervention led to
  improved cognitive abilities among adults with MCI (mild cognitive impairment).
• An improvement was seen in memory
  and spatial perception abilities in particular.

Conclusions:

• It is possible to improve cognitive
  abilities at a later stage in life through cognitive intervention.
• It is possible to slow the process
  of cognitive decline and even improve the daily functioning of adults suffering
  from cognitive impairment.
• The Feuerstein Institute is
  developing a structured intervention program that can benefit adults suffering
  from cognitive decline.

In Progress: Cognitive rehabilitation of patients with brain damage using the Feuerstein Method – prospective, retrospective and case study research.

Background:

• Neuropsychological rehabilitation
  refers to non-medicinal treatment designed to help a person suffering from
  brain injury overcome the cognitive, mental, social, and functional
  difficulties created by the injury (Prigatano, 1999).
• These treatments are provided by a
  variety of health workers (including rehabilitation psychologists, occupational
  therapists and speech therapists).
• Rehabilitation aims to restore the
  patient’s quality of life, help them cope effectively with the difficulties and
  reduce the extent to which the harmful effects of the injury impact daily life.

Research
aims:

• Evaluation of the efficacy of
  neuropsychological rehabilitation at the Brain Injury Rehabilitation Center at
  the Feuerstein Institute
• Examination of the predictive
  validity of dynamic assessment (LPAD) on patient rehabilitation.
• The research is divided into three
  parts: 1) retrospective study – past patients were assessed and their current
  performance was compared with tests done before they began their treatment at
  the FI, 2) prospective study – current patients were assessed over a period of two years, and 3) case
  studies were written toillustrate in detail the remarkable recovery seen in patients treated at the Center. One has been
  published:

Anaki, D., Goldenberg, R. Devisheim, H., Rosenfelder, D., Falik, L. & Harif, I.    (2016). Restoring one’s language edifice: A case study of long-term effects of intensive therapy employing cognitive modifiability strategies. NeuroRehabilitation, 39, 3-17.

Results:

• Cognitive improvements were observed in the sample of patients, ranging across different domains (IQ, memory, fluency, and attention). 
• Time spend at rehabilitation at the Feuerstein Institute predicted better emotional well-being. Patients with a longer rehabilitation period had less depression and anxiety symptoms. 
• The scores of the MPAI (Mayo-Portland Adaptability Inventory) indicate that the adaptability of our patients is better than a comparable patient sample with similar characteristics. 
• The Rey Complex Figure Test (part of the LPAD) is a fairly good predictor of future cognitive and functional abilities.

Conclusions:

• Rehabilitation
  at the Feuerstein Institute has been found to be effective in restoring
  intelligence and memory, even when rehabilitation is not carried out
  immediately after injury.
• It is
  possible to improve and even overcome limited cognitive abilities due to brain
  injury.

Evaluation of “Hazon” Course – Preparation for Partnership and Marriage for People with Mental Disabilities (2017)

Background:

• Studies
  indicate that most adults with mental disabilities want to be in a loving relationship
  (e.g. Lifshitz-Vahav
  & Hagual, 2015).
• Couples with disabilities are able
  to meet the requirements of living together (Lofgren-Martenson, 2004; Levitan,
  1990).
• People with disabilities who were in
  a relationship were found to be more relaxed, with a higher sense of
  independence, self-confidence, self-esteem, and sense of competence than people
  with similar disabilities who were not in a relationship (Reiter and Neuman, 2013).
• People with mental/intellectual
  disabilities need more guidance and direction than those in the wider
  population, when it comes to relationships and marriage.
• However, society does not encourage or provide appropriate frameworks for marriage
  amongst adults with disabilities.

Research
questions:

• Will the
  participants gain the necessary skills required for a romantic relationship?
• Will the course
  succeed in preparing the participants for partnership and marriage?

Results:

• At the end of
  the course, the subjects had a better understanding of and demonstrated more
  appropriate behavior to marital situations.
• The subjects improved
  their ability to understand others, to compromise, to express emotion and to
  respond appropriately to social situations.
• Participants’ self-competence
  had increased by the end of the program.
• In a simulation
  of a first date, participants significantly improved their ability to take
  initiative and be an active partner in the conversation, as well as showing
  empathy and taking an interest in the other.

Conclusions:

• The Hazon Course gives hope to young adults with disabilities who would like to be in a loving relationship.
• With the correct assistance, these young adults are able to date, enter into a serious relationship, and get married.

Academic
Integration of Students of Ethiopian Origin in Israeli Universities, 2018

Background:

• The current
  criterion for acceptance to universities in Israel is based on the psychometric
  test. However, the ever- increasing argument has been that this test
  is culturally-biased and discriminates against disadvantaged populations (such
  as students of Ethiopian origin-SEO).
• In 1994, the proportion of Ethiopian-origin students in higher education
  institutions was only 0.9%; disproportionately low.
• Discrepancies
  in economic, educational, employment and family status between Ethiopian
  Israelis and the greater Israeli population are still prevalent
  (Myers-JDC-Brookdale-Institute, 2012).
• A special
  program was developed to integrate these students, based on dynamic assessment
  [DA], an interview, academic-oriented metacognitive intervention, and
  counseling. These assessments measured learning potential as opposed to measuring current performance
  capabilities.

Research questions:

• Will the students accepted to the
  program meet the university requirements? Will drop-out rates match the general dropout rate at universities?
• Is dynamic assessment a better predictor of academic achievement than the
  psychometric test?

Results:

• 174 candidates with
  low psychometric scores were selected, screened and enrolled for studies in
  university; 49.4% enrolled to prestigious departments (e.g., medicine).
• Out of all SEO
  who began their studies at the university, only 4.6% dropped out at the end of
  first year as compared to 10.8% on national Jewish sample. No significant
  differences were found between dropped out and continuing students in the psychometric
  test.
• Prediction of
  first-year and three-year GPA scores by DA and psychometric scores were not
  significant.

Conclusion:

• Dynamic
  assessment may be a more effective selection tool for students with deprived
  cultural backgrounds to university than the standardized psychometric test
  procedures.
• This program was effective in recognizing the learning potential of the SEO
  students. They are able to meet the course and university requirements like their peers, despite
  low psychometric scores. Without this program, they would
  have not been accepted to university.

In Progress: Academic Intervention in Arab Schools (Ramle)

Background:

• Large academic achievement disparities exist between the Jewish and Arab sectors.
• Only 47.8% of students in the Arab sector are eligible to matriculate, compared to 70.9% in the Jewish sector.
• In the city of Ramle, the percentage of students who are eligible to matriculate is only 57%
• The drop-out in the Arab sector is double that of in the Jewish sector (3.6% as opposed to 1.7%).

Research questions:

• Can
  Feuerstein Instrumental Enrichment intervention in ninth and tenth grades
  promote students’ achievement towards the matriculation exams?
• Will
  intervention reduce the drop-out rate?
• Is it
  possible to increase the percentage of those entitled to a matriculation
  certificate?

Preliminary results:

• English
  and mathematics matriculation scores of 11^th grade students who took
  part in the program when in 9th and 10th grade, were higher than the
  matriculation scores of students who did not participate in the program.

Conclusions:

• The intervention program in grades 9-10 resulted in a significant improvement in the matriculation grades in 11th grade in English and mathematics.
• An intensive intervention program at the beginning of high school can prepare students for matriculation exams in a variety of subjects.
• The Feuerstein intervention program can contribute to maximizing the potential of the students in the school and to reducing educational gaps that exist in Israeli society

Feuerstein Academic Intervention in Israeli Youth Villages, 2018

Background:

• Israel’s youth villages provide
  boarding school settings for at-risk youth.
• Many of the students living in youth
  villages come from the social and economic periphery of the country and suffer
  from social, academic and/or behavioral problems.
• When compared to a control group of
  youth with similar characteristics, significantly fewer youth village alumni
  matriculate and complete the psychometric test. Furthermore, the average
  psychometric scores of Israeli boarding schools graduates are significantly
  lower than that of the rest of their cohort.

Research questions:

• Can
  Feuerstein Instrumental Enrichment intervention in youth village schools
  promote students’ achievement?
• Is it
  possible to increase the percentage of those entitled to a matriculation
  certificate?
• Is it
  possible to reduce
  educational disparities prior to the matriculation examinations?

Results:

• In the ninth grade, students’ scores
  in all LPAD sub-tests increased significantly between the beginning and the end
  of the year.
• Following the intervention program,
  grade 9 students’ scores were significantly higher than the scores of their peers
  in the control group (for the Organizer and Numerical Progression tests). There
  was no significant difference between the two groups’ scores on the Verbal
  Comprehension test following intervention.

Conclusions:

• The Instrumental Enrichment
  intervention program is able to identify students’ learning potential, and
  impart the students with skills and learning strategies that are not taught in
  the standard curriculum framework.
• The impact of the intervention
  program in school is most strongly reflected in tests that examine thinking
  skills such as reasoning and analytical thinking.

Other research:

Feuerstein Academic Intervention in East
Jerusalem Arab Schools, 2018

Background:

• Large disparities in scholastic achievement exist in
  Arab and Jewish education.
• The scholastic achievements of elementary-age students
  in Arab education are lower than those of Jewish students, especially in
  reading comprehension and arithmetic (Knesset Research and Information Center,
  2003).
• 40% of the students in East Jerusalem do not complete
  12 years of schooling (Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies, 2014)
• Low academic success
  can lead to the development of
  behavioral problems, a decrease in self-confidence and motivation, and to a
  higher likelihood of dropping out (Einat & Einat, 2007).

Research questions:

• Can
  Feuerstein Instrumental Enrichment intervention in grades 4-5 grades improve students’
  grades in reading comprehension and arithmetic?
• Will early
  intervention reduce the drop-out rate and reduce the gaps in academic
  achievement?

Feuerstein Intervention Method for Children on the Autistic Spectrum:

Descriptive Research Project, 2018

• The aim of the
  project is to describe and evaluate mediated learning experience (MLE) intervention
  for individuals with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD).
• 9 individuals
  diagnosed with ASD who are treated at the FI will be followed across a year in
  order to evaluate their progress.
• Participants will
  be evaluated at three points in time, using a variety of instruments.