Basic changes needed to recruit, train, and retain high quality professionals in the field of learning disabilities include: improving education's professional image; explicit articulation of program rationales, content, and processes; and political lobbying for improved public support. (Author/DB)

Fourth-grade students (N=120 including eight learning disabled students) were taught via the Precision Teaching Method to meet a mastery criterion of either 70 or 35 correct responses per minute. Results indicated that average or below average students needed the higher proficiency rate to ensure skill retention. (DB)

Special programs and services have emerged at four-year colleges as a result of awareness of the potential of learning-disabled students, legislative mandates, and economic realities. These programs include special admission procedures, support services, diagnostic testing and prescriptive planning, program advisement, instructional assistance,…

Observation of behavior differences between 15 elementary school learning-disabled (LD) and 15 non-disabled girls in the regular classroom showed that LD girls spent less time doing schoolwork, that teachers did not spend more time interacting with LD girls, and that teachers responded less frequently to call-outs from LD girls. (Author/CB)

Fifth-grade learning disabled and skilled readers (N=32) were compared on verbal dichotic listening tasks for free recall and cued recall of word lists organized by semantic, phonemic, and structural features. Results indicated that disabled readers were comparable on free recall but were inferior to skilled readers on cued recall. (Author/JW)

A comprehensive neurodevelopment evaluation technique known as PEERAMID is recommended for pediatricians in the evaluation of learning disabilities. This multifaceted system assesses the learning process individually, analyzing: minor neurological indicators, fine and gross motor function, language ability, temporal-sequential organization,…

Investigated power of five measures to differentiate between normal children and children with Attention Deficit Disorder or Specific Learning Disabilities. Discriminant analysis revealed that Connors Parent Questionnaire was best predictor of group membership, followed in order by Connors Teacher Questionnaire, Porteus Mazes Test, and Matching…

Provides information on how to use newspaper comic strips with reluctant, older disabled readers because the visual nature of the comics helps reading comprehension. Activity types include: (1) categorizing; (2) finding main ideas; (3) comparing; (4) determining cause-effect relationships; and (5) predicting outcomes. (SKC)

Fourth graders (n=69) were assigned to science learning conditions on a stratified random basis controlling for handicap, sex, and age. Results indicate that continued use of cooperative learning contingencies promote positive growth in interpersonal attraction, social acceptability, and self-esteem between handicapped and nonhandicapped students.

This study compared the causal attribution by sex for academic failures of 38 learning disabled and 38 nondisabled elementary school students. The relationship between different attributional tendencies and a reading persistence task were also examined. (BS)

Issues relating to the psychoeducational evaluation of bilingual children from French immersion programs are presented using data from an in-depth study of a young learning disabled girl, discussed in reference to Cummins' theory of cross-linguistic transfer. (Author/MSE)

Discusses the problem of learning disabilities in the United States and describes one public library system's project to develop ways in which librarians can become more responsive to the needs of learning disabled children, their families, and the professionals who work with them. Specific member library projects are noted. (EM)

Examined how group counseling that emphasized eliminating self-defeating behavior affected self-esteem and locus of control among learning disabled children. Indicated that participants in the group counseling sessions felt better about themselves and had more internal perception of locus of control than did control group participants. (ABB)

Twelve learning-handicapped elementary students were exposed to synthetic speech. Subsequently, the children identified a higher percentage of stimulus words presented by a speech synthesizer than did children in a limited exposure group. Both groups correctly identified more words presented by a tape recording than presented by the speech…

Current school psychological services in special education are examined. Reform is recommended due to serious questions concerning the reliability, validity, efficiency, and effectiveness of the current classification system and educational programs for mildly-handicapped students. The nature/direction of reforms--toward pre-referral interventions…