The oral reading ability and story retelling abilities of 12 students (ages 8-11) with specific language impairment (SLI) were compared to abilities of 12 students (ages 6-9) matched for single-word reading ability. Results found the children with SLI had a greater percentage of oral reading discrepancies between printed and read words. (Author/CR)

Reviews the language basis of reading disabilities and provides a checklist of language deficits frequently associated with reading disabilities. Areas assessed include: word retrieval, verbal memory, speech production, comprehension, expressive language, and speech sound awareness. The checklist is designed for early identification of reading…

Describes a study of first- and fourth-grade students that explored the relationship between the use of a computer paint program to create visual images and the subsequent verbal expression of these illustrations. Discusses results that compared the use of traditional media with the computer paint program. (Author/LRW)

This study examined agreement between naturalistic verbalizations and emission of referent actions in 15 individuals (ages 20 to 39) with mild-to-moderate mental retardation. The proportion of communicative agreement in the Do-say sequence was significantly greater than the proportion observed in the Say-do sequence. Significantly higher agreement…

Reviewed are previous studies that have examined adults' and children's ability to understand verbal directions. Differences in style and the implications of these differences for educating children are discussed. (CW)

Discusses the problems of communications models. Presents a channel-ratio model that focuses on problems arising from intercultural interactions and addresses some practical needs of business communicators. Describes assumptions of the model, its elements, and its dynamic operation. Gives examples of the model's application to verbal and nonverbal…

Analyzes the distinction between utterance and writing to determine why students have difficulty using specific details to explore their generalizations. Describes successful strategies and assignments to encourage student awareness of text and concrete expression. (KEH)

The article discusses the concept of inspiration as a component of creativity, including environmental influences, affective self-awareness, effective verbal communication to preserve inspired experiences, and the role of humor. The creative problem-solving process is also addressed, with attention to divergent thinking strategies and the practice…

Investigates physical and verbal aggression among 396 children of 15-16 years. Boys were involved in peer-group fights more often than girls, and responded in an aggressive manner to fights between peers. Boys believed more often than girls that their peers considered physical aggression to be clever or smart. (RJC)

Examines collaborative writing and the importance of children's talk as they write. Provides several examples of children's dialogues during collaborative writing and role-playing sessions. (MM)

Investigated the relation between social status and discourse skills in 54 children of 43-66 months. Liked children were more inclined than disliked children to direct their initiations clearly, speak to both interaction partners, respond contingently to others, acknowledge others, and reinitiate when rejecting.(RJC)

Compared participants' verbal response modes (VRM) in exploratory and prescriptive psychotherapies. Each client received eight sessions of each treatment with same therapist throughout. Therapist and client utterances were coded for each of 39 clients. Found large therapist VRM differences between treatments, consistent with theoretically…

Observed social interactions of 110 Embu children in rural Kenyan community bimonthly between 15 and 30 months of age. Found children who talked frequently, and whose vocalizations were responded to, performed better on assessment measures and showed more positive affect than children who had fewer social interactions or were carried a great deal.…

Examined expressions of spatial knowledge of first-, fourth-, and sixth-grade children who performed model construction, verbal description, and route reversal tasks after mastering a pedestrian maze. Age-related differences were found in rate of learning the maze, and equivalent abilities in sequencing intersections and route reversal. (SAK)

Presents an example of a second-grade classroom mathematics lesson showing the class engaged in verbal reflections. (MKR)