Suggestions for working with students with attention deficit disorders (ADD) include: seek medical evaluation; discuss treatment options with the physician and school; communicate with the child's teachers; provide feedback, praise, and consequences; help the child develop social skills; understand when ADD with hyperactivity is disabling; know…

Qualitative narrative inquiry was used to explore identity formation in four gifted college students with learning disabilities. Themes that resulted fell under 2 categories: contextual and personal. Contextual themes that emerged included support systems and involvement in extracurricular activities. Personal themes included self-knowledge,…

Findings from a review of 22 studies on self-efficacy beliefs of students with learning disabilities (LD) are discussed. Results suggest that in specific contexts (in the writing performance of students with specific writing difficulties, in particular) students appear to optimistically miscalibrate their self-efficacy. Methodological research…

Word boxes and word sorts are two phonic approaches that help children make connections between sound and print by gaining an awareness of the phonological and orthographic features of words. This article provides step-by-step procedures for using these approaches in small-group and whole-class settings. The use of peer tutors is discussed.…

A study examined specific word- and sentence-level features most frequently used in the expository writing of 87 college students with learning disabilities, 50 with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, 58 with both disabilities, and 92 controls. Very high correlations were found between verbosity, quality, and lexical complexity. (Contains…

This article addresses issues surrounding judicial involvement in mandating educational methodologies. It reviews court rulings affecting services for students with autism, hearing impairments and communication disorders, visual impairments, and learning disabilities, and concludes judicial review has been relatively limited and confined to…

A study examined the preferences of 211 middle school students (including 17 students with learning or behavior disabilities) for 17 homework adaptations. Lowest ratings were given for teachers giving students different assignments than those given to other students in the class. Preferences were not mediated by learning or behavioral disability.…

A protracted case involving a high-achieving ADHD student who was judged eligible for Section 504 assistance, but not for Individuals with Disabilities Education Act assistance, demonstrates confusing overlaps between programs, problems with overidentifying students as disabled, and the high costs of "legalizing" special education.…

A study investigated the criterion validity and comparability of scores on the Miller Analogies Test when accommodations for 15 undergraduates with learning disabilities were in place. Scores from test administrations with accommodations were similar to those of controls on standard administrations, but less well associated with grade point…

Intermediate grade students with disabilities in written expression and emotional/behavioral disorders were trained to use discrete or continuous speech input devices for written work. The study found extreme variability in the fidelity of the devices, PowerSecretary and Dragon NaturallySpeaking ranging from 49 percent to 87 percent. Both devices…

Investigated how various classroom practices ameliorated or undermined one high school students' efforts to gain assistance for his academic difficulties. Data from school documentation, evaluation reports, study materials, and interviews with key persons indicated that none of his psychoeducational evaluations considered the quality of classroom…

Data from three studies investigating factors supporting literacy development of children from low-income families indicate: early levels of achievement are strongly linked to later success; kindergarten vocabulary is strongly reflective of the use of varied vocabulary during meal times; and teacher training in literacy is beneficial to classroom…

This article tells the story of Darrell, a lively, intelligent boy who has some learning disabilities. Although his parents are educators and are highly committed to advocating for Darrell, for most of his elementary school years, they were unable to succeed in providing Darrell a mathematics education equal to his regular education peers.…

Brian Schaffer, now a 21-year-old college junior, spent prekindergarten through 7th grade at Green Acres School, a 320-student Rockville, Maryland, private school where his parents say he had the benefit of small class sizes and teachers who could accommodate his needs, which included attention deficit disorder, speech and language delays, and…

Maternal stress was assessed in mothers of children ages 8 to 11 years with learning disorders (LD). Age-, gender-, and IQ-matched children with reading disorders (RD; n = 31), children with nonverbal learning disorders (NVLD; n = 21), and typically developing control participants (n = 23) participated. Mothers of children with LD reported higher…