Studies indicate that individual differences in strategy use among mentally retarded and learning disabled students can be explained by a metacognition model which integrates three components--Specific Strategy Knowledge, Metamemory Acquisition Procedures, and General Strategy Knowledge (including beliefs about the causes of successful…

Observations of social interactions of elementary students in self-contained emotionally disturbed (ED) and learning disabilities (LD) classrooms revealed significantly more nonphysical aggression and noncompliance among ED than LD boys across settings, and significantly higher rates of physical and nonphysical aggression and immature behavior…

Annotations and sources are provided for selected computer assisted instructional programs in mathematics (e.g., drill and practice, simulations, and graphics) appropriate for use with learning disabled or retarded learners. This software list includes 13 programs for preschool through grade 3, 15 programs for the elementary grades, and 12…

"Academically disabled" adolescents (N=70) participated in a visual literacy approach to reading and writing development. The subgroup of learning disabled students significantly improved in reading comprehension and narrative and descriptive writing, while "borderline" students (intelligence quotient 70-89) improved in reading comprehension.…

The article describes a secondary-level curriculum for written expression based on a linguistic model. Directed toward learning disabled adolescents, the method teaches sentence and paragraph construction based on verbal and written models presented by the teacher. Writing good sentences, paragraphs, and essays is presented as a logical extension…

A cost-effective, efficient strategy for informal assessment of learning-disabled students' writing samples utilizes an "Error Analysis Worksheet" which provides a written, documented record of the evaluation which can then be used to plan goals and objectives for writing instruction for the student. (CB)

A review of research regarding the self-concept, locus of control, temperament, problem behavior, and social status of learning-disabled (LD) adolescents reveals a general lack of information, conflicting results, and methodological pitfalls inherent in the study of LD adolescent personality and behavioral development. (CB)

The unique adaptive behavior characteristics of five subtypes of students identified as learning disabled (LD) are described: (1) non-LD (though classified as such); (2) production deficits; (3) verbal organization disorders; (4) nonverbal organization disorders; (5) global functional disorders. Implications for assessment, programming, and…

A teacher, speech-language pathologist, school principal, and audiologist rated 27 hearing-impaired elementary students on effective use of language, speech, and sign language and on presence of a learning disability and/or behavior problem. Ratings were compared with each other and with test scores purporting to identify learning disabilities or…

When parents of learning-disabled nine- to eleven-year-olds (N=12) used a teacher-made game for a home program designed to provide additional practice on reading vocabulary lists, a clear and positive relationship was found between the number of minutes spent playing the game and the number of words learned. (CB)

An analysis of the performance of 3,355 high school learning-disabled students on the State Student Assessment Test (part of Florida's minimum competency testing program) revealed that large numbers performed poorly on basic skills assessments. Less than half demonstrated mastery on 16 of 34 communication skills tested. (JW)

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…

This study examined the academic outcomes associated with behavioral subtypes and their stability in learning disabled children. Children with attention problems and problem behavior in the first and second grades showed poorer achievement in later grades, compared with those who did not present atypical behavior. (Author/JAZ)

Social skills across three subgroups of midly handicapped children were compared to a matched sample of nonhandicapped students using a teacher rating scale. Function analysis revealed that 75 percent of the subjects could be correctly classified on the basis of teacher-rated social skills. (Author/JAZ)

The Windward Rating Scale (WRS), a locally-developed teacher rating scale of student behavior, was evaluated for potential use as a screening measure. Pre-certification ratings of 720 learning disabled students and non-special education students in grades K-6 were analyzed. Psychometric properties and diagnostic efficiency of the WRS were…