The article logs descriptive demographic and psychometric data on 1,839 randomly selected learning disabled students from across Iowa. In contrast to the results of other studies, nearly 75 percent of the students in Iowa LD programs met a moderate level of academic discrepancy. Variability was found among the standard scores for the achievement…

The article addresses obstructions to problem solving (such as an overemphasis on learning facts) and suggests six steps to overcome those obstacles: (1) recognizing that the problem exists, (2) understanding the problem, (3) analyzing the problem, (4) considering alternative solutions, (5) choosing the best solution, and (6) evaluating the…

Puppets can serve as educational and therapeutic aids in working with children who have learning and/or emotional problems. Puppets help children express feelings, experience creativity, engage in role playing, and act out dreams. (CL)

Knowledge of strengths, weaknesses, institutions, and services will help LD students select appropriate colleges. Questions are offered for each component and sources for locating programs for LD students are listed. (CL)

The report synthesizes information from 10 years of operating the Child Service Demonstration Centers (federally funded programs serving learning disabled students). Particular emphasis is placed on the areas of diagnostics, training, research, replication, student characteristics, and intervention models. (Author/CL)

Examined normal (N=34), learning disabled (N=34), and borderline mentally retarded (N=33) children's performance on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) and the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children (K-ABC). Results revealed no significant differences between the WISC-R Full Scale IQ and K-ABC Mental Processing Composite…

In two experiments, learning disabled junior high school students learned definitions of 14 vocabulary words either according to a pictorial mnemonic strategy (the "keyword method") or via principles of direct instruction. Results showed that the keyword method was substantially more effective even when keyword students were required to generate…

Special education faculty members can help develop programs to facilitate the adjustment of learning disabled (LD) students by promoting positive campus attitudes, advisory LD students, facilitating career planning, modifying instructional programs, and helping in learning centers. (CL)

Twenty-seven low performing learning disabled fourth through sixth graders participated in two types of narrative and expository training sessions (generative-learning and scheme-based interventions). Following training, scores on comprehension measures were significantly higher. The only significant difference between treatments favored the scema…

In two studies, 16 learning disabled elementary-aged boys receiving electromyographs for biofeedback muscle relaxation training showed significant improvement over controls on a variety of measures, including reading, spelling, verbal IQ, eye-hand coordination, and handwriting. (CL)

Practical steps for remediating cursive handwriting difficulties focus on the five elements of spacing, speed, slant of letters, letter size, and letter shape. (JW)

This directory highlights 42 software programs that are either designed for or useful in the instruction of learning disabled students. Among the content areas covered are mathematics, language, spelling, auditory memory, and spatial relationships. Information on instructional level, price, and distributor is also provided for each entry. (JW)

Learning-by-doing centers, an approach based on theories by J. Piaget and The High Scope program's cognitively oriented curriculum, strengthens the problem-solving skills of learning disabled students. (CL)

An exploratory study involving three learning disabled students suggested that semantic maps, a visuospatial strategy in which concepts are linked, promoted reading comprehension. (CL)

Literature on a possible higher incidence of cognitive impulsivity in learning disabled (LD) children is critically reviewed to illustrate methodology inconsistencies and resulting interpretive distortions. Although conclusions suggest some evidence of a cognitive impulsivity-LD link, such a connection is clouded by past methodological…