Burnout and decreased levels of self-efficacy are contributors to the high attrition rate and increasing demand for highly-qualified special educators nationwide. This has led to a national shortage of special educators, which is a critical reason why current special educators are encountering high stress levels, dissatisfaction, and overall…

Apprentices with a learning disability can face significant barriers to completing their training. This paper explores what these apprentices, their lecturers and disability support staff see as the most effective strategies for helping them to overcome these difficulties. Instructional approaches which accommodate students' learning styles,…

A state administrator considers the controversy concerning overrepresentation of students in learning disabilities (LD) classes and examines the implications of serving LD students. He asserts that students in LD classes are those who can tolerate intensive teaching and have a good chance of returning to the regular class. In discussing the fate…

The author reviews developments in the field of learning disabilities (LD). She traces the emergence of three models or perspectives of the causes and cures of LD: the psychological process model, the behavioral model, and the holistic model, which the author suggests is the model for the 1990's. Trends leading to acceptance of each model are…

In order to study the characteristics of learning disabled (LD) college students and the coping strategies developed to deal with college demands, 57 LD students--enrolled at a selective university that offered no special program for LD students--were identified through questionnaires, self referral, and teacher referral. Analysis of a variety of…

Two studies were conducted to examine the extent to which the category "learning disabilities" (LD) meets the major criterion for classification systems, specifically that the category demonstrates at least one universal and one specific characteristic. Analyses were conducted on psychometric data for 248 students in regular 3rd, 5th,…

Three types of definitions of learning disabilities (LD) (ability-achievement discrepancy, low achievement, and scatter) were examined to determine the extent of common variance within 48 school-identified LD children and 96 nonLD children (all elementary students). Both samples had previously been administered a battery of psychoeducational…

A study involving 48 school-identified learning disabled (LD) and 96 nonLD elementary students investigated the numbers of students identified by three kinds of LD definitions: ability-achievement discrepancy, low achievement, and scatter. Relationships between each definition and actual school classification were also examined. Data from a…

A faculty member involved with the Higher Education for Learning Disabled Students (HELDS) project describes ways in which an English grammar course was modified to accommodate LD students. The course, designed to compensate for students' inadequacies in grammar, is described in terms of four phases: (1) the introductory period (in which LD…

An anthropology professor describes the instructional approach used as part of the HELDS (Higher Education for Learning Disabled Students) project. A syllabus for General Anthropology is presented that outlines course composition (mechanics, content, materials) and grading procedures. A sample unit on living primates illustrates the teaching…

The booklet reviews ways in which a foreign language teacher modified instruction as part of the HELDS (Higher Education for Learning Disabled Students) project. Basic principles in foreign language learning are reviewed, and the value of meaningful practice to allow students to focus on content and communication is emphasized. Strategies (such as…

The booklet describes approaches to teaching learning disabled students introductory physical anthropology, as related by a professor involved in the Higher Education for Learning Disabled Students (HELDS) program. The author suggests ways to identify LD students through observation of short attention span, restlessness, and marked discrepancies…

The author, a headmaster at a day school, suggested that if teachers are going to be responsible to their students, they must learn more about how learning actually takes place. (Author/RK)