Self-prompted communication books were used in combination with conversational peer orientation to increase conversational interactions of verbal high school students with autism or autistic-like behavior with their peers without disabilities. Previous investigators have used communication books only with students with autism or intellectual…

Studied the effects of conversation skills training for two retarded and one learning disabled participant in a sheltered workshop. Results indicated that participants improved their use of targeted conversational skills over the course of training, but had difficulty generalizing target behaviors to other individuals. (JAC)

The independent and relative influences of social discourse and social skills on problem behaviors were examined in 50 children with language learning disabilities (LLD) and 50 control children. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that both impaired social discourse skills and poor social skills accounted for the negative effects of LLD on…

Reflects on research that investigated whether Mexican-American students with learning disabilities would be more cooperative with their Mexican-American peers than Anglo-American students with learning disabilities in cooperative learning situations (EC 618 919). The benefits of using cooperative learning situations are reviewed. (CR)

This article discusses the difficulty with which children with social disabilities establish and maintain friendships, as well as the significance of this difficulty within the school setting. Practical classroom strategies are illustrated, as well as interventions that target select social-skills deficits frequently encountered by students with…

A study involving 19 elementary students with behavioral and learning disabilities found that after participating in "Service-Learning Opportunities Prepared for Citizenship," an inclusive after school program, students expressed personal responsibility, responded to ideas of cooperation and teamwork, learned to make new friends, and…

This article highlights the fact that to date, emphasis has been upon promotion of the expressive communication skills of a person with a learning disability and challenging behavior. It is suggested that practitioners need to pay closer attention to the neglected and largely unmet need of receptive communication difficulties. (Contains…

Discusses the beliefs of children with learning disabilities about listening and the listener's role in repairing communicative breakdowns. Describes ways of using children's literature to enable students to reflect on the interactive roles of speaker and listener using stories with a theme of resolving communication breakdowns. (Author/CR)

Discourse analysis of audiotapes of simulated telephone hotline conversations of adolescent dyads consisting of either one, two, or no adolescents with learning disabilities (LD) found that adolescents with and without LD were equally skilled at requesting advice, but adolescents with LD had significantly greater difficulty generating solutions to…

The paper examines current research on the social and personal competence of learning disabled (LD) adolescents and young adults, revealing two major lines of inquiry: (1) interpersonal environment (perceptions by others, sociometric status, social behavior deficits, verbal and nonverbal communication skills), and (2) affective status…

In this study, 11 parents shared their beliefs that emotional intelligence and character play critical roles in the social and emotional development of their children with disabilities. Although the parents agree academic performance is important, they also want their children to develop moral and interpersonal and intrapersonal skills. (Contains…

Discusses relationship between social skill deficits and vocational problems for learning-disabled workers. Identifies social skill deficits of learning-disabled worker that can be a major factor in job failure and reviews efforts to develop more positive job-related social behaviors. Presents issues and recommendations to professionals serving…

The 2-part student workbook for mainstreamed learning and mentally disabled high school students contains 12 units intended to provide supplementary instruction in the Contemporary Parenting Choices Curriculum in the home economics class. This unit, the second in the Relationships part of the workbook, focuses on understanding others and includes…

Featuring awareness activities that show how differences are perceived, this book explores how reactions to and beliefs about disabilities influence progress toward an inclusive society. Chapters address: (1) how and why we react to differences; (2) the limitations and challenges of disabilities and perspectives on disability; (3) understanding…

This paper addresses the prevalence and identification of social skills deficits in students with learning disabilities. It begins by discussing the definition of learning disabilities and then reviews literature on the social difficulties of this population. Findings indicate that approximately 75 percent of children with learning disabilities…