The adoption of national literacy standards has resulted in writing becoming a priority for students with complex learning needs (CLN). Given extrinsic (school-based) and intrinsic (student-based) barriers, there is a need to understand how educational systems can provide innovative research- and standards-based writing instruction for these…

This study investigated literacy learning in students with specific kinds of language challenges at a specific stage of schooling--transition to high school--when the language requirements of the curriculum can be especially challenging. For this exploratory research, a case study approach was adopted that compared 2 adolescent boys both with…

In this article, the visual metaphor of drifting snow is used as a reminder of past and current practices in language-learning disabilities that sometimes keep professionals frozen in time. Continuing with metaphoric images, readers are reminded to evaluate their intervention choices, question popular but outdated concepts, and examine real…

The article examines the social-academic nature of storytelling, reviews studies of narrative ability of learning disabled students, and offers suggestions for developing narratives in the classroom setting. (CL)

Considered are implications for learning disabled students of the simultaneous, successive, and planning (SSP) model, a model of information integration that emphasizes processes rather than ability. Remedial training guidelines are offered, including assessment of learning potential and determination of the nature of the weakness and its…

This article discusses factors that contribute to the difficulties that many postsecondary students with learning disabilities have in meeting the mathematics demands, including: characteristics of learning disabilities in math, inadequate preparation for postsecondary math demands, difficulties with assessment and identification, and…

This paper discusses the history of U.S. reading instruction; instructional approaches and learning processes; the whole language view of literacy acquisition; promoting literate behavior through reading to or writing with children, shared reading, and guiding children's reading/writing; and use of the whole language approach with…

This article presents strategies, including communicative reading strategies, to facilitate holistic language learning in young children with language and learning disorders. Strategies include pairing oral and written language and using preparatory sets, semantic maps, flowcharts, and theme building. An example of narrative discourse demonstrates…

Identifying the main points of a communication is fundamental to successful reading comprehension. Discussed are difficulties in defining main idea, text structure variables in determining important information, textual hierarchy and the theory of macrostructure, text features signalling important information, summary writing, learning-disabled…

This article explores the assumptions of traditional remedial and learning disabilities education and summarizes empirical evidence challenging this approach; examines the assumptions underlying whole language and the teacher's role in a whole language context; presents data on the efficacy of whole language instructional programs; and discusses…

To date, research, development, and implementation efforts in responsiveness to intervention (RTI) approaches have focused on prevention and often identification of learning disabilities. In this article, the authors extend the conversation to considering an RTI-type approach as being useful in changing the way prevention and identification of…

Teaching organizational strategies to language-disordered children can improve comprehension and formulation of written language. The semantic organizer approach involves activating and organizing prior knowledge, understanding text structure, and developing organizational strategies with both a verbal component and a graphic-structure component.…

This article reviews the developmental literature in spoken persuasion and discusses implications for assessment and intervention with students with language-learning disorders, in terms of persuading others, analyzing persuasive appeals, and responding to persuasive appeals. (JDD)

Research on learning-disabled secondary school students' academic deficits, response to classroom environment, and response to instructional interventions is integrated with research on metacognition in text learning. A metacognitive orientation is recommended for instructional intervention programs, which should address general comprehension…

Inexperienced writers, including both basic writers and learning disabled, commit errors that often follow a discernible pattern due to applying erroneous or incomplete rules. Techniques for teaching editing skills are described, including textual analyses of students' writing, interviews with students, structuring the editing task, and providing…