In the field of education, there is considerable controversy about the appropriateness of an inclusive setting as a more beneficial environment than a resource room for students with learning disabilities. The purpose of this research is to determine whether students with learning disabilities perform better in an inclusive setting or in a…

Although the federal government's involvement in learning disabilities through task forces, legislation, and funding has been evident only since the 1960s and 1970s, the roots of learning disabilities can be traced back to the early 1800s. Learning disabilities are one of the newest categories officially recognized by the U.S. Department of…

This paper identifies trends in the population of students with learning disabilities (LD) in the public schools and explores reasons for these trends. It notes that there has been a 198 percent increase in the number of children served as LD between 1976-77 and 1992-93 due to a lack of consensus on the definition of LD and school-level processes…

Six life skills students with varied mental disabilities at Eastern High School in a Pennsylvania school district received mathematics instruction through the use of a PLATO computer-assisted instruction program for mathematics. The purpose of this evaluation was to determine whether the use of computer-assisted instruction increased the students'…

The purpose of this study was to investigate how reciprocal teaching affected vocabulary acquisition and reading comprehension in four at-risk students in a fourth grade inclusion classroom. A single subject research study method was used to measure the baseline of each student. Subsequently, students were assessed daily after receiving two…

This position paper discusses the magnitude of literacy problems in the United States, reviews the need for changes in teacher preparation, and provides recommendations for action. The first section of the paper addresses sources of difficulty for children who struggle with learning to read, including phoneme awareness, single word decoding, and…

This news digest issue, which accompanies a bibliography titled "Learning Strategies for Students with Learning Disabilities", focuses on two promising interventions for students with learning disabilities: helping students develop their use of learning strategies and helping them develop their phonological awareness. In the first…

This guide by a yoga instructor and mother of a child with Down Syndrome is intended to provide specific instructions on the use of yoga with infants and young children having Down Syndrome, cerebral palsy, or learning disabilities. Part 1 contains narratives on the use of yoga including the story of Roberta, the author's daughter, and other case…

The founder of the Lab School of Washington, a day school of 300 students for youngsters with severe learning disabilities discusses how negative behaviors of children with learning disabilities frequently turn into positive attitudes in adulthood. Examples of successful students are provided and lessons learned from working with such students are…

This paper examines the discriminative validity of the Learning Efficiency Test II (LET-II; Webster, 1998) in distinguishing among children diagnosed as having ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) only, ADHD and an accompanying learning disability, ADHD-predominantly inactive type, and a control group. Children (N=132) between the ages…

Increased interest in research into school level environment has not been extended to special education in the United Kingdom, but J. E. Adams (1998) found evidence that differences in pedagogic practice between schools for children with moderate learning disability (MLD) and severe learning disability (SLD) were in part attributable to school…

Challenges will be created by proposed changes to post-school education and training for people with learning difficulties and disabilities. Two important bills have been proposed. The Learning and Skills Bill (LSB) changes the whole architecture of the post-school education and training sector. LSB sets up the Learning and Skills Council (LSC)…

This study investigated the attitudes and opinions of three students with and three students without learning disabilities regarding the use of computers for school-related work. The students (in grades 5 through 12) were selected from three school sites and interviewed in-depth. Analysis of interviews with open-coding procedures identified five…

This guide contains a selection of national resources to assist adults who suspect they may have a learning disability. The guide begins with information on assessing learning disabilities, recommendations for locating a qualified professional to conduct assessments appropriate for adults, and a list of questions to ask qualified professionals. A…

This paper argues that successful programs for students with learning disabilities provide ongoing, intensive, explicit, and direct instruction in learning strategies that enable students to become independent learners. It then describes SMARTER teaching, a method developed to help teachers shift their approaches to teaching to make them more…