Students (n=12) in a self-contained elementary class for students with learning disabilities were taught using instructional conversation (IC), a teaching method in which students are engaged in interactions promoting analysis, reflection, and critical thinking. IC promoted oral participation and interactions among students and provided a holistic…

This article describes the Movement Poetry Program, a program designed to increase poetry appreciation and to release, through movement, the excess tension of students with learning and/or behavioral disabilities. The article includes a suggested teaching style, a lesson format, and content for combining poetry and creative movement. (SW)

This paper examines overall themes arising from five case studies of elementary schools implementing inclusive models for students with learning disabilities and draws implications for policy and teacher preparation. Themes concern model variations, the role of the special education teacher, and evidence that students with learning disabilities…

The University of Oregon's Center for Electronic Studying investigates ways to use computers to assist college students with physical and learning disabilities for whom studying is especially difficult. Such efforts are increasingly needed because of the trend toward mainstreaming students with varied disabilities. Meeting the cost of the…

Discusses work on a pilot project to develop guidelines for accessible interpretation that integrates disabled and mainstream visitors. Discusses program and facility designs and suggests ways to make existing interpretive programs more accessible to visitors with disabilities. (LZ)

A survey of 251 North Dakota parents of learning-disabled students found that retention occurred twice as frequently for students with learning disabilities as for the general student population. Parents of retained students tended to have lower educational aspirations for their children than did parents of nonretained students. Discusses…

Criterion-related validity data are presented on 3 methods for assessing reading comprehension, based on 26 learning-disabled middle school students. The standard cloze test and multiple-choice cloze test produced moderate correlations, although the traditional scoring method was considered inappropriate. The story retell procedures demonstrated…

This study of curriculum-based assessment of the reading ability of four elementary-level students with learning disabilities found that individual-referenced tests are powerful for understanding instructional effects, whereas norm-referenced tests are best suited for determining deployment and allocation of resources. (DB)

Study administered to 1,140 eighth graders examined relationships between dimensions of adolscents' attitudes toward school and their academic level, ethnicity, and gender. Results indicated regular class students held more favorable attitudes toward reading and social studies than did the educationally marginal or those with learning…

Reports on a survey conducted at Salish Kootenai College to determine student attitudes, awareness, and use of instructional and academic accommodations for learning-disabled students (e.g., taped lectures, extended deadlines, added course/test time, grammar proofreaders, and lecture notes). Students agreed that academic counseling and tutorial…

This article discusses reasons for rejection of the learning disability category in New Zealand and describes the general education and special education systems in New Zealand. It is suggested that the needs of such students may potentially be met by new policies for "high incidence" special needs. Teacher training needs are also…

This study examined the early profiles of 270 kindergarten students screened for learning difficulties in kindergarten with SEARCH (an early identification measure) of which 32 had inadequate reading skills at the end of second grade. The SEARCH instrument tended to underidentify children from higher socioeconomic backgrounds and overidentify…

Two studies, each involving four intermediate grade students with learning disabilities, examined the differential effects of attention monitoring and performance monitoring on spelling study behaviors and story writing behaviors. Both interventions had a positive impact; neither was clearly or consistently superior to the other. (Author/JDD)

This article reports on implementation of the Early Literacy Project with primary level students with mild disabilities. Special attention is given to one preconventional writer whose performance was advanced by involving him in literacy activities in advance of competence, using meaningful text representations to scaffold performance, and…

This qualitative study describes the experiences of an adolescent with learning disabilities at risk of becoming a dropout. Intervention focused on teaching him anger control strategies and providing a vehicle for him to talk about his relationships with teachers, peer interaction, and engagement with education. (Author/JDD)