Research is presented on attention problems in children with learning disabilities, and suggestions for remediating the problems are offered. Variables involved are analyzed according to the setting (teacher-child ratio and lesson type); task (nature, props, and the rules); and teacher communication (number of teacher solicitations or questions,…

Learned helplessness is an insidious condition involving undeveloped executive functioning, lack of persistence, and an undeveloped sense of connecting new words or concepts into a web of meanings. Remedial teaching in most small-group, diagnostic/prescriptive settings encourages continued learned helplessness because students are dependent on the…

The generalization of specific social skills to new environments by four elementary aged learning-disabled students was studied using a modified multiple baseline, single-subject research design. During one spring semester, each student was trained for 12 weeks in the use of a specific social skill (such as compliance, cooperative play, or…

The social and emotional development of learning disabled students needs to be addressed in education programming effort. Social skills, which are essential to academic as well as social success, can be taught through such methods as role playing, games, grouping, puppetry, behavior modification, and problem-solving exercises. In addition,…

The paper describes the population served by the Dearborn Pre-Vocational Unit of the Schools for Children (Cambridge, Massachusetts) and discusses the Unit's major program components for meeting student needs. The needs of the behavior disordered/learning disabled adolescent population include basic academic skills, improved self image,…

New treatments of reading disabilities have recently been developed. New medical therapies for reading disabilities link poor functions of the mechanism that controls balance and movement to reading disability and focus medical attention on diet as a cause of hyperactive behavior and learning disorders. These medical therapies are still…

The paper considers improved instructional design for learning handicapped students including the development of a cooperative and supportive school organization, the creation of appropriate classroom management systems, and the employment of active teaching strategies. A supportive school organization requires a positive interpersonal climate,…

Using self-instructional strategy training procedures, three sixth-grade learning disabled students were taught a series of self-directed prompts designed to facilitate the generation, framing, and planning of written compositions. The eight-step instructional procedure included pretraining, review of baseline performance level, description of the…

Typical characteristics of impulsive children and adolescents are reviewed and strategies for changing this behavior are considered. Self-instruction training requires the child to verbalize a given problem, alternative approaches to resolution, and attentional strategies. Language becomes a mediator for self-monitoring and regulation. Cognitive…

Two behavioral interventions (social reinforcement and token economy) and two cognitive-behavioral interventions (self-monitoring of work completed and academic self-instructional training) were rated by 203 special education teachers for acceptability at both mild and severe levels of academic and behavioral problems. Hypothetical case studies…

Johns Hopkins University and Montgomery County Public Schools, Maryland, jointly sponsor the program "SUPPORTS for Least Restrictive Environment," a graduate program in special education which supports the vision of educating all students together in the general education classroom. In the practicum phase of their program, general…