The Goodenough-Harris Draw-a-Person Test, if given at regular intervals during periods of remediation, may show clear evidence of improvement in behavior and attitude of learning disabled students. (CL)

Ten children's books portraying positive images of learning disabled children are listed and procedures for facilitating discussion of the books with the entire class are outlined. (CL)

Skilled teachers need to structure the instructional process for learning disabled students so that it builds confidence, reduces anxiety, encourages autonomy, and instills a sense of the delight of learning. (Author/DB)

The physical environment of the learning disabilities classroom is an important factor in shaping student attitudes toward learning and toward themselves. Five dimensions to consider in analyzing a classroom include visual signs, auditory messages, kinesthetic input, tactile input, and awareness of time (i.e., seasons, current events, and student…

A Learning Disabilities Seminar designed to increase the learning disabled adolescent's understanding and acceptance of both self and participation in special educational programs is described. Teachers reported seminar participants were less likely to deny their problems, and to be more realistic and cooperative. (DB)

To prevent learned helplessness in learning disabled students, teachers can share responsibilities with the students, train students to reinforce themselves for effort and self control, and introduce opportunities for changing counterproductive attitudes. (CL)

Passivity in learning disabled children is identified as either inborn or as "learned helplessness," and the role of the teacher in overcoming passivity is noted. Teachers can help students understand themselves, become active agents in learning, and use self monitoring devices. (CL)

The investigation assessed whether 6 learning-disabled boys (ages 10-12) who were taking stimulant medication reported fewer adaptive attributions in academic situations than their 8 nonmedicated peers. Boys who were not taking medication reported more internal-effort attributions in failure situations than boys who were taking medication.…

The fourth of five volumes (and the third of four curriculum guides) in the Project Teach 'n' Reach series presents curriculum suggestions to help regular classroom teachers teach nondisabled students about learning handicaps. The developmentally disabled are considered in terms of anatomical structures of the brain, etiology, definition, sensory…

Landmark College is exclusively for precollege and college students with dyslexia and related learning disabilities, and the students respond to the program with academic success, relief, and increased self-confidence. (MSE)

This paper discusses developmental research on children's beliefs about listening and offers some recommendations for enhancing listening competencies, especially of learning-disabled children. Recommendations include integrating instruction about listening with efforts to promote reading and other subjects, and asking children to detect errors in…

This article describes an activity to generate interest in writing and ownership of the learning experience by students with learning disabilities. An object is placed in a bag, a volunteer describes the item by feeling it, students draw the item, and students then discuss the importance of expressing ideas clearly. (JDD)

The program described is designed to sensitize elementary students to the needs of persons with handicaps. The program includes six 45-minute teaching units presented to fourth and fifth graders by staff members who have daily contact with special needs students. Presentations include an introductory puppet show using almost life-sized replicas of…

Low socially accepted learning-disabled intermediate-grade students (N=86) were paired with 86 high socially accepted, nonhandicapped classmates for 8 weeks in 4 groups: mutual interest group, cooperative academic task group, Hawthorne effect/control group, and classroom control group. Evaluated were changes in classmates' ratings of…

This study compared attitudes of college students with (n=60) and without (n=144) specific learning disabilities toward studying a foreign language. Findings suggested that foreign language learning difficulties of learning-disabled students are not related to lack of motivation or anxiety but to the oral and written language problems of these…