Educators today are challenged with the task of designing curricula and standards for students of varying abilities. While technology and innovation steadily improve classroom learning, teachers and administrators continue to struggle in developing the best methodologies and practices for students with disabilities. "Models for Effective…

Four books that can be used to promote social awareness on the part of learning disabled youngsters from 3-14 are described. Topics of discussions generated by the books are noted. (CL)

Ten learning disabled adults offer suggestions on occupational experiences, noting successful job strategies that include selecting careers based on strengths, structuring the work environment to draw upon individual strengths, and building interpersonal skills. (CL)

Learning disabled (LD) children react to hurt and rejection by selecting from a number of poor choices, including giving up or throwing a tantrum. A teacher can help the LD child through a reality program which includes 10 steps to better control. (CL)

Ten suggestions for improving the social skills of learning disabled students include teaching the child to make eye contact while talking, explaining implications of voice qualities, role playing to examine emotions, and providing direct instruction on appropriate responses in social situations. (CL)

An approach to ameliorate social perception deficits in learning disabled children is described. Based on task analysis and diagnosis and prescription, the approach is seen to cover four stages in teaching nonverbal communication skills: discrimination of specific social cues (body language), understanding of the social meanings of such cues,…

The study examined whether a difference existed between 10 learning disabled (LD) and 10 normally achieving (NA) high school students in terms of comprehension and production or use of pragmatic skills. The skills examined were pragmatic function (i.e., an utterance spoken in context with specific intent), and code-switching (i.e., modification of…

Teachers and parents can help learning disabled students make transitions to mainstream settings by preparing them for change in physical conditions, instructing them in organization and time management, teaching them interpersonal skills through role-playing, and assisting them in identifying and responding to a variety of emotions. (CL)

This article presents several mnemonic devices to aid students with learning disabilities in the development of social skills, specifically problem solving and accepting and assimilating negative feedback from others. (DB)

A framework is provided for selecting and analyzing social skills curricula for teaching students with learning or behavioral difficulties. The framework emphasizes analysis of such programing considerations as individualization, cost-effectiveness, assessment, maintenance, and generalization. Presented are a checklist for analyzing the curricula…

Description of the social skill literature strategy (SSLS), an instructional approach that involves integrating social skills intervention into the literature curriculum, focuses on its application using the study of Shakespeare to develop the social skills of secondary students with learning disabilities in an inclusive setting. (Contains…

Actual and perceived social relations and teacher ratings of social competence in 20 learning disabled (LD) and 20 nonLD children (mean age 11 years) were investigated. A sociometric group included 200 nonLD children in classrooms attended by both groups. Children completed sociometric and social network questionnaires along with the Perceived…

Learning disabled high school students may fail in regular classrooms unless they learn to interpret verbal and nonverbal cues from their academic teacher. Videotapes showing phrases and body language of typical classroom teachers can be useful. The teachers must also be prepared in terms of the student's specific needs. (CL)

The School Survival Skills Curriculum, a comprehensive social skills curriculum, is described and some general recommendations for successful social skills training are offered. (DLS)

Interpersonal problem solving (IPS) is often difficult for learning disabled students. Two model IPS interventions, an elementary and a secondary, are described. Key components in both models include alternative and consequential thinking, skills implementation, and a "stop and think" approach to problem resolution. (Author/DB)