Fifty-six children with speech-language impairments were identified in kindergarten and followed in first and second grades. Subjects' performance on standardized measures of language ability in kindergarten was closely related to reading outcome, especially reading comprehension. Measures of phonological awareness and rapid automatized naming…

Discussion of practicing academic skills focuses on a program at the Ben Bronz Academy (Connecticut) for learning-disabled students that uses Precision Teaching and fluency practice via computers. Highlights include fluency and academic performance; knowledge of progress, including charts of student progress; and suggestions for further research.…

Comparison of data on 8,748 students with learning disabilities (LD) and 78,757 nondisabled peers who took the American College Testing (ACT) examinations found ACT performance less predictable for the LD group. For both groups, math credits best predicted ACT Math scores, and high school grade point average best predicted ACT English and Science…

An adult, nontraditional student with learning disabilities and attention deficit disorder, now enrolled in a community college, describes the pain of her school experiences, her quest for self-identity and personal satisfaction, and the value of drug therapy and other treatments. Suggestions are offered for students with similar problems. (JDD)

Reports on a study of self-concept among 424 Greek elementary students classified as normal achievers, low achievers, and those with learning difficulties. Finds that special education students rated themselves lower than their normally achieving and low achieving peers on academic self-concept. (CFR)

Seventy-two secondary students (with learning disabilities, remedial, or normally achieving) enrolled in science and social studies classes read textbook passages, completed study guides, and took tests using a computer or pencil and paper. On factual questions, analysis favored the computer overall, whereas no differences were found on…

Principal themes associated with assessment and evaluation as these constructs or concepts have evolved in relation to special education in England and Wales are discussed, concentrating on developments since 1978. Shortcomings of the proposed National Curriculum with regard to special needs students are discussed. (SLD)

Two experiments examined the role of phonemic processing in disabled readers. The first involved disabled and nondisabled second and fourth grade readers' ability to identify and discriminate phonemes. The second examined the effect of phonemic stimuli training on disabled readers who performed poorly in the first experiment. Training…

Presents results of a nationwide survey to determine measures being used to diagnose reading difficulties and place students in learning disability or Chapter 1 classes. Finds that calls for change in assessment and placement practices have largely been ignored and implications suggest a need for reform. (MG)

A review of literature suggests three major challenges for colleges and universities in serving students with learning disabilities: modification of admissions policies in compliance with federal legislation concerning disabilities; helping students adjust to college life; and helping students prepare for exit from college. Four specific areas for…

In two studies involving 18 secondary-level students with learning disabilities and 32 elementary-level at-risk African-American and Hispanic students, it was found that students exposed to positive-mood induction completed more math problems accurately than control children, and the secondary-level experimental students expressed greater…

This article presents an empirical basis for the relationship between reading and writing, a theoretical socio-historical model of teaching and learning that highlights the purposeful nature of both reading and writing as creating meaning, and instructional strategies for creating literacy events that promote learning-disabled students'…

Ideas are provided for postsecondary institutions with limited resources wishing to increase their services to learning-disabled students. Practical suggestions are offered on how to define service eligibility, provide reasonable accommodations, establish diagnostic testing procedures, maximize existing ancillary equipment and services, market…

Of college students with learning disabilities (n=45), those with high social competence ratings were more likely to have earned over $6/hour and worked nonhourly and less likely to have difficulty finding work. Students diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder had lower social competence and marginal work histories. (Author/MSE)

Effects on quantity and quality of student compositions of mechanical interference, rate of production, and contentless production signals to write more were studied for 24 learning-disabled (LD) fourth and sixth graders. Results indicate that LD students' writing problems are partly a result of difficulties with mechanics and sustaining…