An instructional strategy for teaching fiction to students with learning disabilities (LD) is presented and applied to the teaching of a short story. The three-step strategy involves students in assessing what they already know about the story, what they think they are likely to read about, and then what they know after reading the story. (SW)

This introductory article to a series focusing on voices other than those usually heard in professional discussions of learning disabilities emphasizes the importance of examining current assumptions--theoretical, practical, and legal--and paying attention to the actual experiences of students. (DB)

Teaching writing as a process is advocated to enhance a student's metacognitive skills and understanding of writing. The process can be used with students who have mild disabilities. Prewriting techniques such as clustering and color coding are explained, along with three teacher options for prewriting instruction to address class and student…

Coping styles of 50 learning-disabled and non-learning-disabled adolescents and their parents were compared. Learning-disabled adolescents showed less ability to appraise a source of stress and to seek information about their stressful situations and showed greater pessimism about academic concerns. Coping patterns of parents did not clearly…

The author of EC 604 973 comments on his case study of a first-year teacher with a learning disability. These reflections focus on the emotions of the first-year subject, the use of the case study approach, and methods of assisting teachers with learning disabilities in the workplace. (JDD)

Eighty-five children with learning disabilities (LD) in grades 3-6 were compared to matched low achieving (LA) peers. Results indicated that the two groups were comparable on most social competence measures, although LD children reported themselves less lonely than LA children, and regular class children rated LD children more likable than LA…

Describes a remedial program (developed for a ninth grade student labeled learning disabled) that incorporated principles of direct-explicit instruction, metacognition, and language to mediate thinking and learning. Notes that the program helped the student succeed and advance to the next grade. (SR)

This study of 46 highly successful and 25 moderately successful adults with learning disabilities found that the overriding theme in their successful functioning was control. Control was sought through making conscious decisions to take charge of one's life and through adapting and shaping oneself to move ahead. (Author/JDD)

This article presents an interview with two experts in whole-language instruction (Patricia Tefft Cousin and Margaret Richeck) and then offers a commentary section that provides another perspective of the whole-language method, concluding that children with learning disabilities need many types of instruction. (JDD)

This study examined 87 pedigrees of individuals with histories of preschool phonology disorders. Significantly more family members with dyslexia and learning disabilities, but not stuttering or hearing impairment, were found in pedigrees of individuals with phonology disorders than in pedigrees of nondisabled individuals. (Author/JDD)

Finds that oral retelling of stories (as an instructional procedure with language learning-disabled students) is most effective in a one-to-one context with the teacher as audience. Finds students' oral retelling abilities inconsistent with regard to age. (SR)

An assistant superintendent describes his experience teaching Jay, an intelligent, learning-disabled 47-year-old forestry technician to read and write beyond the third grade level. Like young readers, adults must convince themselves they are capable of progress before any can be made. Jay now reads at sixth grade level and is still progressing.…

Compares elementary cognitive processes (memory access, memory span, simultaneous and successive processing, and word reading) to spelling performance in average and reading-disabled children. Finds no classroom ability group differences in cognitive processing. Notes consistent differences in letter memory access and word reading by poorer…

This study examined the degree to which 31 13-year-old children with learning disabilities were comparable to younger reading and spelling matched controls in (1) phonological similarity effects, (2) phonetically based misspellings, and (3) relationships between memory and spelling performance. An overreliance on phonological codes was found for…

This article recounts the attitudes of various family members to a major move and subsequent family counseling. A particular focus is stresses related to a child with a severe learning disability. (DB)