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…

The importance of neuropsychological paradigms of higher order human information processing in providing remedial services to learning-problem children and in providing a guide to the habilitation of learning for all children is explained. The conceptual requirements of such models as well as their implementation are described. (Author/AL)

Various testing methods have been developed to assess the intellectual functioning of children with learning disabilities, but testing is only one tool in the comprehensive process of assessment. The alternatives to relying exclusively on intelligence testing include ability tests, individual education plans, and beginning the teaching/programing…

The developmental bypass teaching technique (which provides students an opportunity to bypass their learning deficits) was studied with regard to social studies achievement and classroom behaviors in 50 learning disabled junior high school students. (Author/PHR)

Evaluation of a sequenced inquiry learning task with 20 normally achieving junior high students, 18 students with learning disabilities (LD), and 16 with mild mental retardation (MR) found 75 percent of the normal, 50 percent of the LD, but none of the MR students made the correct induction. LD and MR students were less likely to answer…

Considers whether mental retardation can be considered a concomitant disability associated with learning disabilities or whether these are mutually exclusive categories. Emerging issues concerning definitions, classification, etiology, and lifelong development of these students are addressed. Also discussed are appropriate educational curricula,…

The article describes an instructional intervention appropriate to improving student attitudes and achievement through attributional retraining and instruction in learning strategies, particularly mnemonic strategies. Application of the approach with learning-disabled students in reading comprehension and mathematics is reported. (DB)

Among conclusions of the review of the literature are that learning-disabled (LD) females have lower IQ's and more severe academic achievement deficits in some aspects of reading and math, but are somewhat better in visual-motor abilities, spelling, and written language mechanics than LD males. (Author/DB)

The use of readiness assessment rather than chronological age for admission to kindergarten is proposed. The article examines why this approach is needed, how it might be accomplished, and the relative advantages of admitting by readiness assessment compared to chronological age. (JDD)

Reports on a study testing the hypothesis that teachers' perceptions of children are strongly influenced by deficit concepts. The study focused on teachers' written observations and spoken comments regarding a group of children with learning difficulties. (NH)

Discussion of regulation of learning, mind orientation, and distraction focuses on two studies of 12- to 14-year-old students with weak concentration abilities from a special education secondary school who were asked to solve arithmetic word problems. These studies explored individual differences in self-regulation processes, and the effect of…

Delinquents (n=116) with reading disabilities were given daily multisensory (Orton/Gillingham approach) remedial reading instruction or regular reading instruction. One year after release, the treatment group had made significantly greater growth in reading and had a significantly lower rate of recidivism. (Author/DB)

Insights from both cognitive psychology and learning disabilities intervention research are presented to improve understanding of the processes by which number fact fluency develops. Discussion includes assessment guidelines and learning strategies such as counting all, counting on, and alternative groupings. (Author/JDD)

Social adjustment of 46 children with and 199 children without learning disabilities (LDs) who were integrated full time in third grade team approach to mastery (TAM) classrooms were examined. Children with LDs, particularly boys, were well-integrated socially in TAM classes. The mixture of students may enhance acceptance of children with LDs.…

This article presents the "concrete semiconcrete abstract" (CSA) teaching sequence for teaching basic math skills to students with and without learning disabilities. Guidelines include providing a minimum of nine instructional lessons (three at each level), each with four lesson steps. Validation of the CSA sequence and lesson format with 15…