The column briefly reviews current research and thinking on such topics as a genetic basis for LD (learning disabilities), sleep electroencephalography patterns of hyperactive children, psychological traits of parents of LD children, early intervention for LD students, and external locus of control in LD schools. (CL)

Learning disabled high school students may fail in regular classrooms unless they learn to interpret verbal and nonverbal cues from their academic teacher. Videotapes showing phrases and body language of typical classroom teachers can be useful. The teachers must also be prepared in terms of the student's specific needs. (CL)

The author describes a system using computer technology to organize instructional materials in a school system or regional library so that teachers of learning disabled and other disabled students have help in the selection of appropriate materials. (SW)

Learning disabled (LD) children were taught sight words with mastery learning strategies, and a comparison group with methods that are typically used in teaching sight words. Results suggest that most LD children can reach mastery on sight words within a reasonable time framework if sound remedial principles are applied consistently. (Author/BW)

The dean of students, academic advisors, classroom instructors and professors, the chairman of the special education department, and possibly the campus reading center or reading clinic all should be considered as primary resources and support systems to learning disabled college-bound students. (Author)

The author supports the theory that for some disabled readers the nature of the form-schema (syntatic expectations) they make use of in processing text does not result in stable comprehension because their recognition strategies are linked to their past experience in constructing meaning from speech. Implications for instruction are discussed.…

The study investigated the effectiveness of a remedial reading program for 50 second and third graders with mental retardation and learning disabilities. All students were assessed the first and last weeks of the school year with the Pupil Profile of Reading Skills. Significant skill gains were reported for students. (SB)

The Learning Resource Support Program provides academic support services to learning disabled adolescents. (SB)

Beaumont College in Lancaster, England offers 2 year courses with emphasis on social learning and personal development (including career and leisure skills) for students 16 to 19 years old with physical disabilities and specific learning difficulties. (CL)

Examines specific learning problems and points out additional problems when a student is an overachiever in one area and an underachiever in another. (JOW)

Direct instruction refers to an instructional pattern that stresses teacher directiveness, academic focus, and structured, sequential learning activities. The present study investigated the effectiveness of direct instruction with learning disabled children. (Author/BW)

The authors describe a developmental approach for teaching expressive writing skills to learning disabled adolescents. General guidelines for remediation are outlined, and activities useful in a developmental writing approach are listed. (SW)

The paper describes four approaches to developing self-esteem in learning disabled adolescents--compensatory intervention, vocational-career skills development, basic skills remediation, and peer tutoring. (SW)

Presents preliminary findings of a pilot program for college students with learning disabilities indicating that such students can successfully complete college degree programs when they are given individualized instruction. (FL)

Three concurrent validity studies involving 88 regular and 56 learning disabled elementary students were conducted to determine the relationship between performances on formative measures of reading and standardized achievement measures of reading. The usefulness of the formative measures for continuous evaluation of student growth in reading is…