The introduction to the special issue on holism with learning disabled students addresses five current practices not espoused by the holistic model: segmentation of learning, narrow school goals, preoccupation with students' deficits, lack of consideration of student interests/needs in selecting curricula, and obsession with objectivity and fact.…

The study evaluated attitudes of 42 principals and 124 teachers on mainstreaming of learning and emotionally disabled students. Results showed that opinions on integration differed in terms of type of disabled student and that for some categories, teachers were more favorably predisposed toward integration than were principals. (Author/CL)

The Auditory Comprehension Test for Sentences which examines length, vocabulary, and syntax at three levels of difficulty, was administered to 180 normal children aged 7-12 years. Preliminary standardization data indicated that the ACTS is a viable tool for assessing auditory comprehension skills of school-age children. (Author/CL)

The paper examines three models still considered useful in identifying achievement-aptitude discrepancies: the prediction model, true score regression model, and prescore partialling model. Data are cited to provide support for the regression model as the simplest to use and most efficient statistically. (Author/CL)

This study compared the test-retest reliability of the Southern California Sensory Integration Tests and the Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery--Children's Version. Both sets were administered twice to a group of 30 dysfunctional eight-year-old children. Findings are discussed in relation to reliability coefficients for normal as well as…

Analyzes the interaction strategies employed by a conversational participant who is unsure that he or she understands the content or the context of the interaction well enough to contribute appropriately to it but feels impelled to continue participating anyway. (FL)

Four reading disabled children were given eight sessions of ocular motor training with reinforcement and eight sessions without reinforcement. Two reading disabled control Ss were treated similarly but received no ocular motor training. Results demonstrated that reinforcement can improve ocular motor skills, which in turn elevates reading…

The study investigated the efficacy of a package of cognitive self-control procedures for ameliorating the attentional deficits of 12-year-old learning disabled children. Performance on measures of reading, attention, an inhibitory control was improved as a function of the cognitive self-instructional training. The improvement continued to sustain…

A span-of-apprehension task and a backward masking technique were combined to allow measurement of the apprehension span of a sample of 34 learning disabled and normal boys about 8 to 13 years old at various time intervals following stimulus presentation. (Author/SW)

The effectiveness of a self-instructional procedure in improving and maintaining the letter-formation skills of three students (10.4 to 11.7 years old) who were learning disabled and had handwriting deficiencies was investigated. (SW)

Cluster analysis of IQ and achievement test scores using the Jastak Assessment System, an approach purporting to derive behavioral descriptors of personality domains, was performed for 24 learning disabled and mildly retarded 7-to 17-year-olds. Disagreements between teacher and JAS ratings ranged from 37 percent - 71 percent for the clusters.…

A teacher describes the value of making home visits to her learning disabled students. She cites the positive aspects, including the student's anticipation of and preparation for the visit, the buildup of trust, and the chance to communicate with the student's family. (CL)

Ten children's books portraying positive images of learning disabled children are listed and procedures for facilitating discussion of the books with the entire class are outlined. (CL)

The authors of the Weller-Strawser Scales of Adaptive Behavior (WSSAB) review a study showing that learning disabled students over age eight were aware of their own adaptive strengths and weaknesses. They suggest that allowing students to complete the WSSAB provides teachers with valid data and students with self-awareness. (CL)

Examples are given of ways in which elementary teachers can develop art appreciation among their learning disabled students. Activities described are based on techniques of M. Montessori and involve labeling pictures, building an art appreciation vocabulary, and going on a museum trip. (CL)