Research is reviewed on the communicative ability of learning disabled (LD) adolescents and its effects on acceptance by peers. Difficulties are noted in social perception, oral language, and social experience. Suggestions for enhancing communication and social skills include using group-contingent reinforcements and exposing LD students to normal…

Evaluated correlations between the Woodcock-Johnson Test of Cognitive Abilities (WJTCA) and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) with 55 behavior disordered adolescent males. Results indicated good concurrent validity for the WJTCA Broad Cognitive Score but suggest that WJTCA is heavily verbal weighted. (JAC)

Investigated the effects of verbal-mediated modeling on transfer to a criterion-referenced paper/pencil task in 51 low-IQ students. Results indicated no significant correlation between concrete operational reasoning and reading comprehension, mathematical reasoning, or language expression. (JAC)

Recommendations are offered for combining study skills and test-taking training, relaxation, and modification in thinking processes to help learning disabled college students improve their academic effectiveness. A stress management program is outlined in terms of assessment and interventions. (CL)

Developmental spelling, the pattern resulting from different strategies that children use at various stages of cognitive development, is explained and five instructional activities supported by developmental spelling research are offered, including the importance of an environment emphasizing functional use of language and of opportunities for…

The authors review research on techniques to change social behavior, ranging from relatively simple manipulations of antecedent and consequent conditions to complex instructional "packages" involving didactic, modeling, rehearsal, and feedback procedures and examine issues involved in generalization of social skills training as well as ethical…

The study involving 332 elementary students found learning disabled students to be less accepted than nonhandicapped children, but attitudes toward LD were more positive than toward other handicaps. Attitudes of fourth-grade students were less positive than those of younger and older students. (Author/CL)

Playground observations of 34 learning disabed and non-LD elementary children revealed few substantive differences between the LD and non-LD groups. Sociometric questionnaires indicated that LD Ss had lower status than the non-LD children, and that the non-LD children play with about half of the LD children for whom they expressed liking.…

Research in language and communication deficits is briefly cited, and three guidelines for choosing and implementing communication therapies for the learning disabled student are described. (JW)

Results suggest that mothers of both learning-disabled and nondisabled children engage in conversational buffering, although there were few differences between the mothers and the learning-disabled and nondisabled children. Learning-disabled Ss were more likely to agree with and less likely to disagree with their mothers than were nondisabled Ss.…

A learning disabled adult reviews his early experiences with professionals and schools, notes the effects of social skills difficulties and occupational frustrations, and offers suggestions for teachers (such as not discounting students' abilities as well as for learning disabled students (including emphasizing one's strengths and understanding…

A holistic language program is described which combines all the language arts, is based on cognitive/psycholinguistic principles, and can be used in resource rooms with learning disabled students. (CL)

An awareness program designed to help teachers recognize subtle patterns of their own behavior regarding learning disabled (LD) students did not affect the frequency of teacher-LD student interactions and responses but decreased nonsupportive verbal and negative nonverbal behavior toward the students. (CL)

Used the Stroop Color-Word Test to measure selective attention in learning disabled (N=45) and nonLD (N=50) children. Results indicated that LD children have a significant weakness in the process of selective attention compared to the nonLD children. Findings suggested that the Stroop is an effective screening measure. (JAC)

A practical and simple approach to developing reading and spelling skills in learning disabled students combines writing of stories with illustrations, and reading and reviewing the typed stories each day. The modified multisensory approach can be used in small group formats. (CL)