Peer-mediated instructional strategies such as cooperative learning are commonly used in general education classrooms in secondary schools; however, students with disabilities often lack the group interaction and discussion skills necessary to fully benefit from evidence-based interventions. The present study used a multiple baseline across…

Social skill deficits and learning disabilities often coexist. Academic work is negatively impacted by students' lack of social skills. Remediation of these deficits in pull-out programs has not generally resulted in transfer to real-world settings. Embedding social skills instruction within literature during a read-aloud session taught in the…

The purpose of this action research project was to improve the social skills of eight preschool students and four first grade and second grade students through the use of Social Stories and visual supports to create a more positive learning environment. The teacher researchers wanted to increase the social skills of students who had been diagnosed…

This study compared instruction in three social skills (giving positive feedback, contributing to discussion, and accepting negative feedback) by either a special-education teacher or peers with learning disabilities. Both groups improved in all three skills. Results suggest that social skill instruction by peers may be as effective and more…

The article focuses on the role of peer-mediated instructional approaches in improving the academic and social performance of secondary learning-disabled students. Two peer-teaching programs, Classwide Peer Tutoring and Classwide Student Tutoring Teams, are described. (Author/DB)

A meta-analysis of 53 studies on social skills training of children with learning disabilities found a mean effect size of only 0.211, with few differences among teachers, peers, or children themselves who judged the effectiveness of the training. Discussion focuses on possible links between learning disabilities and social skills that might…

Twenty-four empirical investigations of tutoring interventions with learning disabled students were evaluated. Although all authors favored tutoring, equivocal results were reported with few substantiated reports of social benefits to tutors or tutees. Methodological problems associated with such research in field settings are identified. A chart…

An individualized, classroom-based social skills training program was evaluated using 45 children (ages 9-12) with learning disabilities in special education classes. Thirteen children received a 6-week intervention, 7 received a 12-week intervention, and 25 received no training. Children in the six-week program showed gains in social skills and…

Observation of four elementary grade learning disabled children about six months after a social skills training program found generalization of new skills by all subjects to new environments. Training included generalization training in the form of systematic attention by teachers and parents in the new environments. (Author/DB)

Implementation of a social skill training package with three elementary-school children who had behavioral and learning disorders resulted in increasing student acquisition of targeted social behaviors, which in turn led to lengthier peer interactions. Increases in nontargeted social responses were also demonstrated. (Author/JDD)

An interactive video-based social problem-solving curriculum was evaluated for its utility and effectiveness in 16 special classes serving 104 secondary-aged students with mild learning handicaps. Both the teachers' and students' evaluations of the curriculum were favorable, and student performance gains were, for the most part, both statistically…

This article describes a computer game that supports the development of learners' social problem-solving skills. In a controlled three-group design, the group using the prototype game performed significantly better than an attention-placebo control and comparably to a therapist-directed group on measures of problem solving and engagement. However,…

Twenty-two studies are reviewed that report the effects of social skills training and intervention with 572 children (ages 5-19) with learning disabilities. Characteristics examined, along with intervention effectiveness, include age and sex of subjects, grade grouping, group size, intervention duration, intervention procedures, subject selection,…

The study investigated the initial and long term efficacy of job-related social skills instruction for mildly to moderately handicapped adolescents identified as learning disabled, emotionally handicapped, and educable mentally handicapped. Assessment consisted of behavioral observations of students' performance during role play simulations.…

The study explored the effectiveness of social skills training and cross-age tutoring on the acquisition and use of social skills among 20 mainstreamed learning disabled boys (ages 9-12). All subjects received direct instruction in such communication skills as greeting, listening, asking questions, answering questions, and complimenting. Seven of…