This study compared traditional instruction (basal approach) with an interactive instructional conversation (IC) approach for enhancing the language and concept development of five Hispanic students (ages 7-9) with learning disabilities. Proximal measures indicated higher levels of discourse and greater participation with IC, whereas distal…

A survey of 15 optometry schools investigated degree of compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, concerning accommodation of students with disabilities, particularly in regard to students with learning disabilities. Results indicate institutional policy is made at a different level than that at which it is implemented.…

This paper describes experiences in teaching writing skills to elementary gifted students with learning disabilities. Journal writing and word processing are found to be powerful tools in improving student writing while increasing students' self-confidence. Guest speakers, daily reading aloud by the teacher, and field trips to enrich students'…

The impact of a child's learning disability on the family system is explored using Feuerstein's concept of mediated learning experience. Four prototypical patterns of family response are identified, with descriptions of the mediational restrictions and potentialities embedded within them. (DB)

The career implications of recent economic and labor market trends in Canada are reviewed and then contrasted with the characteristics of learning disabilities and the applicability of current career counseling practices to the learning disabled. General guidelines for adapting career interventions to make them accessible to clients with learning…

Deficits common among secondary students with learning disabilities or mathematics deficiencies are considered, along with a strategy to teach upper level mathematics, such as algebra or calculus. The strategy involves use of a mentor to help students to comprehend mathematics vocabulary, develop their own problem-solving strategy, and create a…

This response to five case studies of inclusive practices for elementary students with learning disabilities identifies three difficulties with the inclusion concept: (1) its noneducational nature; (2) its displacement of the uniqueness of special education; and (3) its promulgation of bankrupt conceptions of accountability. (Author/DB)

Fourteen holistic, meaning-based reading and writing activities appropriate for students with learning disabilities are described, along with the theoretical background of the paradigm. As children experiment, approximate, and discover language naturally and socially, their immersion in authentic spoken and written language facilitates learning to…

This study examined the effects of a highly structured, personally tailored enrichment program for 108 students in grades 4 through 6 who were gifted and learning disabled. Results indicate that year-long participation in the program had significant positive impact on attitudes toward school, self-concept, and creative production. (Author/SW)

This article presents the whole-language approach as an environment that is particularly suitable for students with learning disabilities. This approach can allow students control over their learning, encourages them to experiment and take risks in their learning, promotes self-monitoring strategies, and enhances memory. (SW)

Past, present, and future concerns regarding the definition of learning disabilities (LD) are documented. Research on efforts to clarify the LD label is discussed, including the questionable utility of the discrepancy model. An approach is presented for operationalizing the definition of LD of the National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities.…

Explanations and accounts used by teachers in 4 team meetings to make decisions about 12 pupils with learning and social disabilities were studied. Teachers, under certain circumstances, were able to apply an elucidative model based on shared explanations, but they often used a more restricted model. (SLD)

This review of the Peabody Individual Achievement Test--Revised (often used with learning-disabled students) notes the addition of a Written Expression subtest, replacement of most items to reflect current curricular content, and use of updated norms. The test also measures: general information, reading recognition, reading comprehension,…

Evaluation of a classroom mnemonic instructional method to teach science content to 19 mildly disabled students (grades 6-8) found mnemonic instruction resulted in improved initial content acquisition, higher delayed-recall scores than traditional instructional procedures, and generalization of mnemonic strategies to novel content. Students…

Measures of the social and academic competence of 73 children with learning disabilities in grades 3-6 indicated that subjects differed from children without disabilities on virtually all indexes of academic competence, regardless of social status. Most social differences were linked to the child's peer status, independent of disability.…