Background: Research-based evidence points to the efficacy and value of applied behavior analysis (ABA) in meeting the needs of individuals with learning disabilities and autism. Nonetheless, public, government, and professional perception of ABA can be negative. The current study was designed to measure the impact of a short intervention on…

This article presents a case study on two fourth grade students with learning disabilities in two different writing situations: writing for test preparation and writing for digital stories. The students' writing behaviors, processes, and products in these two settings are contrasted. The differences in the students' writing experiences suggest…

In Ireland, teachers are expected to differentiate the curriculum to meet the needs of an increasingly diverse range of students. The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of using commercially-available worksheets with universally-designed worksheets on student engagement and on-task behaviour within two mixed-ability science classes…

Social status of learning-disabled (LD) elementary students served by the Integrated Classroom Model was compared to that of LD elementary students in a regular class with resource room support. Results suggest that, although both groups had lower social status than nondisabled peers, ICM students blended into the classroom better. (Author/PB)

The reliability of four measures of written expression was examined (total words written, mature words, words spelled correctly, and letters in sequence). Subjects included elementary-age students in several school districts, some of whom were learning disabled. Results revealed high coefficients for test-retest reliability, parallel-form…

Overreliance on test-based assessment of learning disabilities can produce diagnostic results of questionable validity and prove stigmatizing for the child. An instructional-based model focuses on evaluation of the child's response to teaching. Observation and analysis of the student's reaction yeilds results that are more readily translatable…

A three-year study found that children with learning disabilities displayed a persistent pattern of maladaptive classroom behavior that distinguished them from average achievers and was associated with continued underachievement, especially for attention and conduct problem subtypes. The developmental relationship between learning disabilities,…

Found that mildly learning disabled elementary school students obtained significantly higher reading achievement in a self-contained special learning disabilities classroom than did students in a regular classroom with outside support from a learning specialist and students in a learning center setting. (FL)

A study compared the effect of two different lecture pause procedures (pauses used for reflection and notetaking; pauses used for discussion) on the recall and note completeness of 27 college students with learning disabilities. Results show independent reflection meant fewer ideas partially recorded in notes, but otherwise no significant…

Instruction types and amounts were observed for 30 educably mentally retarded, 30 learning-disabled, 32 emotionally/behaviorally disabled, and 30 nonhandicapped students in grades 2-4. The groups were compared on time allocation, grouping arrangements, student responding, qualitative nature of classroom instruction, and the home learning…

The effects of three types of tutoring treatments on the attitudes of learning-disabled and control students (n=124) in grades K-6 were compared. The tutoring programs, involving sign language and reading, produced beneficial effects on attitudes about peers, school, and learning, whereas control students did not experience comparable gains.…

Effects of self-monitoring alone and in combination with external contingent rewards on sight word acquisition were compared across two groups of four learning-disabled elementary students. Both treatments were found to increase sight word vocabulary, but contingent reward did not enhance the reactivity of self-monitoring for most students.…

Observations were conducted to document the active academic responding and academic engagement rates of 122 elementary students (30 learning-disabled, 32 emotionally/behaviorally disturbed, 30 mildly mentally retarded, and 30 self-contained programs. Data were recorded in 10-second intervals for each student over an entire school day. During a…

This project examined the extent to which varying instructional grouping arrangements are used for different categories of mildly handicapped students in various instructional settings and the extent to which any differences translated to differences in student responses. Observational data were recorded all day in 10-second intervals for 122…

Observational data were collected on the instructional tasks used by 122 elementary students (30 learning-disabled, 32 emotionally/behaviorally disturbed, 30 educable mentally retarded, and 30 nonhandicapped). No differences between handicapped and nonhandicapped students were revealed in an analysis of time using each of eight specific tasks…