The article cites high costs associated with assessment and staffing of children classified as learning disabled. It is suggested that overreferral of hard-to-teach children perpetuates teaching deficiencies. Professional entrenchment is discussed, and placing a cap on the percentage of mild handicaps funded by state and federal governments is…

Classroom-tested strategies for implementing mainstreaming in the secondary social studies classroom are described. These included textbook and lecture strategies; discussion, role-play, and debate strategies; and map, globe, and art projects. (RM)

Students with mild disabilities often have difficulties with organization and written performance. These students can be helped by a combination of effective instructional strategies, compensatory strategies, and technological tools. Planning and organizing tools can encourage activities such as concept mapping, story webbing, brainstorming,…

The results of a path analysis revealed the following causal sequence or pathway of influence on the social status of educable mentally retarded children: from observed behavior and achievement, to teacher perceptions of these competencies, to student perceptions of the competencies, and finally, to social status of the handicapped students.…

Fifteen middle school students with mild disabilities and poor reading comprehension were taught to independently create cognitive maps from reading passages. Comparison with a matched control group indicated that students who were taught the cognitive mapping strategy demonstrated substantial gains in both literal and inferential comprehension…

Eleven seventh-grade students with mild disabilities in a general language arts classroom participated in a study that examined the effects of an instructional approach based on Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences. Results found the students were more engaged in classroom activities and that eight of the students demonstrated more…

Discusses using cognitive frameworks to help students who have mild disabilities or are at risk transfer and retain information. Explains development of study guides, story/critical thinking maps, and cognitive organizers and addresses teaching students how to use cognitive frameworks. Provides illustrations of study guides and cognitive maps. (CR)

Focuses on adapting the construction of teacher-made social studies tests for mildly disabled mainstreamed students in grades K-12. Provides a generic model for modifying tests in order to avoid student failure due to test anxiety or the nature of the student's disability. (LS)

To share information with parents of resource room students, special education teachers developed programs involving panel discussions, guest speakers, films, etc. Subsequently, a program for secondary-level resource room students was also developed, with panel presentations and group discussions. Lists of discussion topics and guidelines for…

Recommendations are offered for enhancing the achievement motivation of elementary students with mild disabilities. Recommendations address five areas: learner control, rewards, student interest, classroom structure, and self-efficacy and attributions. A process for implementing these recommendations in the classroom is also provided. (JDD)

A national survey of 173 teachers of deaf and hard-of-hearing students with mild additional disabilities found a higher incidence of dysfunctional family background in these students than among deaf and hard-of-hearing students in general. Implications for teacher preparation and service delivery are drawn. (DB)

This article presents a systematic approach for direct instruction on using a bank check register for students with mild disabilities, including guidelines for lesson design. This approach was used to develop a lesson unit for a self-contained class of 12 students, ages 14 through 16, who had mild mental retardation. (SW)

Research-based reading interventions (peer tutoring, reciprocal teaching, effective teaching principles, computer-aided instruction, and two direct instruction models) were implemented by 37 special-education resource teachers working with 176 elementary school students with mild disabilities. The computer-assisted, reciprocal, and direct…

This study of 33 mainstreamed students with mild disabilities in grades 3-9 found significant correlations between classroom behaviors and final grades in all areas except attendance and homework at the elementary level and written work at the junior high level. Significant differences in reading scores were found between mainstreamed and regular…

Normally achieving students (n=119) and students with mild handicaps (n=83) in grades 3-6 were instructed to create and answer computation items similar to samples given. Students with mild handicaps understood item characteristics enough to create like items, though averaging three years behind normal achievers. A sample instructional activity is…