Thirteen intermediate-level students with learning disabilities and poor writing ability were taught how to use a prestructured story web to improve their narrative story writing ability. Students improved in the primary target behaviors of planning time and holistic (quality) score but showed inconsistent results for other target behaviors such…

A qualitative research project with 71 successful adults with learning disabilities found that their individual achievements shared commonalities which can be taught and learned. A model of vocational success is presented which inculcates behaviors that facilitate adult adjustment. The model's focus is on student strengths rather than weaknesses.…

Explanations for motivational difficulties of students with learning disabilities emphasize student-perceived competence and student-perceived control. Motivation can be intrinsic or extrinsic and is enhanced by students' active involvement and ownership of the learning process, by the use of techniques to create and maintain interest, and by the…

This article delineates legal protections prohibiting employment discrimination of individuals with learning disabilities. The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Title V) and Americans with Disabilities Act (Title I) are described, fundamental concepts are discussed, and strategies are presented for ensuring that these laws are relied upon appropriately…

Community college students with learning disabilities (n=38) and math-competent peers (n=22) were taught representation-related strategies for solving compare word problems. Results generally supported the hypothesis that students receiving schema training would improve more than students assigned to linguistic training. (JDD)

This study describes the pattern of self-referrals for learning disability services in California's 103 community colleges; eligibility decisions; and students served according to age, ethnic, and gender groupings. Older students, Asians, and Filipinos were referred in lower numbers than their proportion in the general student population, while…

College students who say they have learning disabilities sometimes encounter skepticism. Although requests for extra testing time, adjusted academic requirements, or exemptions are often granted, there is debate in the academic community over the need. The numbers of students claiming such disabilities have increased substantially in recent years.…

This article explores the dialectic nature of technology and holism as an example of the way in which reductionism is embedded inside holistic principles. Factors that limit or enhance the activities of individuals with learning disabilities in school and elsewhere are examined, and the role of technology in compensating for and/or developing…

The use of standardized psychoeducational diagnostic instruments to identify learning disabilities was evaluated with 19 students (ages 7 to 13) with sensorineural hearing impairments. Students with hearing impairment were found to demonstrate learning disabilities with a frequency similar to that found in students with normal hearing, suggesting…

Discusses the effects of mastery learning and criterion-referenced grading schemes on student memory and motivation to succeed. Indicates that such programs are effective in college level developmental education programs. Provides suggestions for establishing criterion-referenced grading schemes, including several variants of mastery grading…

Teachers of 41 students with reading difficulties and learning disability/emotional disturbance tracked student progress toward reading goals using curriculum-based measurement techniques. Students did not increase their academic self-concept or awareness of the teacher's involvement or interactions with them but were more knowledgeable about…

Seven fables were read to 14 average learners and 14 children with learning disabilities (ages 10-13), and 4 possible moral choices were presented (1 correct, 1 related, and 2 incorrect). Children with learning disabilities less often selected the correct moral; and when they did, they were less capable of explaining their choice. (Author/JDD)

Twenty-one children (ages 6-15) with Tourette's syndrome completed an educational battery. Seventy-five percent had problems with spelling and writing, 50% had difficulty with calculations, and 25% had difficulty with word identification and reading comprehension. Visual-motor defects were common. (Author/DB)

These thoughts, by the author of a paper (EC 611 426) on having students self-record their success in meeting teachers' expectancies, examine the role of theory in guiding research and practice and the replicability of research on self-management behaviors in various special-needs populations. (DB)

Sixty-one adolescents with learning disabilities received clear or unclear instructions from an adult before completing the Rorschach Arrangement Task and a test of abstract thinking. Adolescents receiving clear communication performed significantly better and used more efficient cognitive strategies than did adolescents in the unclear…