This study investigated the effects of the Direct Instruction writing program, "Expressive Writing" (Engelmann & Silbert, 1983), for high school students with learning disabilities (LD). The study used a multiple probe design across participants and results indicate the effectiveness of "Expressive Writing" in improving the writing skills of high…

A 13-year-old male adolescent with dyslexia was studied to examine how holistic approaches to intervention can foster academic achievement and emotional well-being. Findings suggest that appropriate strategies can empower learners and raise standards and highlight the importance of teacher empathy in enhancing the quality of the learning…

This study used qualitative methodology to investigate the self-efficacy beliefs of early adolescents with learning disabilities (LD). We conducted a series of focus group interviews with 28 Grade 8 and 9 students with LD and individual interviews with 7 specialist LD teachers. Content analyses of the student and teacher data resulted in 2 a…

This study focused on the relationship between both achievement level and diagnostic label and sociometric status and self-image of students in Dutch elementary education. In particular, differences between students with specific learning disabilities (SLD) and students with general learning disabilities (GLD) were studied, in regular as well as…

This study compared interstate variability of prevalence rates for special education categories from 1984 to 1985 through 2001 to 2002, using the coefficient of variation (CV), which is designed to compare variances when the means of the groups compared are radically different. The category of learning disabilities, presumed by many to be the most…

Helping regular education students transition from high school to the post-secondary world can be a daunting task. Assisting students with special needs do this can be quite intimidating. According to the Harris Poll 2000, 20% of the general population was unemployed, while 71% of adults with disabilities were unemployed (Miller, Lombard, &…

Turner syndrome, a genetic disorder that affects only females, can cause various physical, emotional, and educational disabilities. This disorder may go undiagnosed until school age or later. Short stature and lack of spontaneous puberty are common characteristics and can lead to teasing by peers. Some experience attention deficit and the…

Building the capacity of education professionals to make effective assistive technology (AT) decisions requires varying supports. One effective approach used in Central Illinois is to develop and maintain user groups comprising skilled practitioners and those interested in developing new AT skill sets. Over the past several years, AT user groups…

In thirty years since federal special education law, PL 94-142 (1975), there has been much debate about how to best identify and serve students with learning disabilities and those at-risk for learning difficulties. This debate continues even after the most recent reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act…

In this study, 12 participants with various levels of motor and speech deficits were tested to explore their reading skills in relation to letter knowledge, speech level, auditory discrimination, phonological awareness, language skills, digit span, and nonverbal IQ. Two subgroups, based on a median split of reading performance, are described: the…

Writing expressive essays is especially difficult for many students with learning and behavior difficulties. They struggle not only with basic writing skills such as spelling, sentence formation, capitalization, and handwriting, but also with the cognitive processes of writing such as planning, organizing, and writing (Schumaker & Deshler, 2003).…

In constructing a framework for the participation and inclusion in political life of subjects, the Enlightenment also produced a series of systematic exclusions for those who did not qualify: including "idiots" and "primitive races". "Idiocy" emerged as part of wider strategies of governance in Europe and its…

This article reports on starkly contrasting portraits of special education that the justices are sure to hear on the first day of the new U.S. Supreme Court term. In a case from New York City, the 1.1 million-student district argues that school officials made every attempt to provide an appropriate education plan under the federal Individuals with…

This paper reviews research on the use of white sounds (relaxing background sounds such as water or ocean waves) with people in a variety of situations and in the education of children with learning disabilities. Applications reported include the following: toilet-training toddlers; encouraging sleep in neonates; inducing relaxation in dental…

In an effort to respond to Vermont teachers' and tutors' need for learning disabilities instruction, the Stern Center for Language and Learning developed a model program to teach adults with learning disabilities. The program included 12 hours of instruction presented over Vermont interactive television to over 100 adult basic education (ABE)…