Describes the reaction of seven learning disabled and mildly emotionally disturbed children to reading and discussion of fairy tales. Compared to a control group, the children exposed to fairy tales did show progress. No increase in negative reactions and behaviors was noted. Discusses limitations to the study. (JAC)

Suggests a project in creative stitchery, with yarn and burlap, as a way to relax learning disabled students and to help them with fine motor coordination, directionality, and self-image. Methods, objectives, and benefits of the project are listed. One of seven articles in this issue on fiber arts. (SJL)

Suggests ways the classroom teacher can spot learning problems in the earliest grades and work with other staff and parents to intervene. (SJL)

The Developing Models for Special Education project utilized a novel evaluation design to produce data for national validation. The results of the evaluation are presented, and the problems and benefits associated with both the theoretical model and the further use of this design are discussed. (Author/GDC)

The author's response to H. Reed's paper (EC 115 148) on the nature of the relationship between biological defects and educational attitude and achievement refutes the relevance of biological knowledge to education, and contends the neuropsychological test data are of doubtful validity and may work against the academic interests of the student.…

Sixteen nonretarded young adults with fetal alcohol syndrome were divided into two groups, one with average to above average IQ and one with borderline to low average IQ. Subjects in both groups manifested clear deficits on neuropsychological measures sensitive to complex attention, verbal learning, and executive function at a frequency and…

Interviews were conducted with parents of 18 students with learning disabilities or behavior disorders following the first year of a junior high inclusion program based on teacher and student collaborative teams. Program aspects parents identified included personal attention for students, positive attributes of teachers, and improved student…

This article reviews current knowledge about using computers to teach problem-solving skills to students with learning disabilities (LD). It presents the case for use of hypermedia to improve students' mathematics problem-solving abilities. Specific suggestions are given for applying hypermedia to cognitive strategy instruction and the graduated…

Investigated whether the pseudoword repetition difference between poor and normal readers in the Netherlands could be explained by differences in memory for verbal materials or in familiarity with the composition of verbal materials. Concludes that the pseudoword repetition of poor readers is already operative in early, perceptual states of…

Discusses the Tomlinson Report, a national review of further education (FE) for students with learning difficulties and/or disabilities in the United Kingdom, which advocated an inclusive approach. Considers the rationale for a philosophy of inclusive learning, improving access to FE, and quality of FE. Principles and recommendations of the…

A study examined how Cognitive Strategy Instruction in Writing (SCIW), helped enable four seventh-graders with learning disabilities to take over responsibility for their own writing performance and to scaffold one another's writing development. Teacher modeling and scaffolding, writing process collaboration, and structuring think-sheets enabled…

This article explains how teachers can strengthen the self-efficacy of students who are struggling academically and increase their motivation for schoolwork. Instructional principles include linking new work to recent successes, teaching needed learning strategies, reinforcing effort and persistence, stressing peer modeling, and helping students…

This study compared effectiveness of either a concrete-representational-abstract (CRA) or a representational-abstract (RA) instructional sequence in teaching fraction concepts to 50 middle school students with mathematics disabilities. On all achievement measures, students in the CRA group had overall higher mean scores than did students in the RA…

Empirical studies on teaching content-area information to underachieving or mildly disabled students are reviewed. Instructional options include content reduction, learnable text, content enhancement, use of audiorecordings and computer-assisted instruction, and promoting use of cognitive and metacognitive strategies. A content enhancement model…

A process approach to writing instruction with learning-disabled students is presented, in which students are guided through the processes of planning, drafting, and revising text. The model emphasizes the interaction of the teacher and learner through such activities as conferences, prompting, modeling, peer collaboration, and dialogues about…