Examines WAIS-R profiles of 194 college students diagnosed with learning disabilities (LD) to assess where they yield unique and interpretable profiles. Results show nearly 94% match profiles found in the WASI-R standardization sample. Also, shapes fail to explain a significant proportion of variation in student academic skills. (Author/JDM)

A survey of the attitudes and practices of 420 college faculty toward providing teaching and examination accommodations for students with learning disabilities found greater willingness to provide teaching than examination accommodations. Faculty was most willing to allow students to tape-record lectures and least willing to provide supplementary…

Explores current policies and practices with regard to defining, identifying, and educating gifted children with learning disabilities. Suggests that with support, understanding, and appropriate educational intervention, gifted students with learning disabilities can overcome their academic difficulties. (AEF)

Learning-disabled high school students (N=104) with either adequate or inadequate self-concepts were compared. The adequate subgroup had statistically significant higher grades, teacher ratings, athletic competence, and global self-worth. The groups did not differ on socioeconomic status, intelligence, achievement, age at classification, extent of…

A study involving 106 elementary and secondary students with learning disabilities and 97 typical peers found that students who used spelling and grammar checkers were more successful than transition group students in reducing mechanical errors, particularly non-real-word spelling errors, and in making positive changes from first to final drafts.…

Examines issues in the provision of comprehensive services to students who are both gifted and disabled, especially learning disabled. It urges a closer working relationship among the department of gifted education, the department of special education, and parents, and the development of an individual learning plan for each student. (DB)

A study examined the academic progress of students with (n=25) and without (n=89) learning disabilities placed full-time in general-education classes in grades 3-6. Most students with learning disabilities made considerable gains over the school year, others showed no improvement. Students who were poor readers made no progress. (Author/CR)

A study that investigated the relationships between exposure to lead and memory and attention in 313 boys (ages 9-12) in special-education schools in the Netherlands found blood-lead levels were higher in children with lower socioeconomic status and those with more hand-to-mouth behavior but did not influence cognitive factors. (Author/CR)

Discusses the anxiety and stress students with learning disabilities experience in the college environment. Cognitive strategies to overcome negative thinking patterns are discussed, including discussing anxiety with peers, positive imagining, playing out worst-case scenarios, confronting sources of anxiety, and accepting learning disabilities and…

Comparison of postsecondary educational outcomes of high school graduates with and without learning disabilities (LD) from three large school districts 5 to 10 years later found: graduates with LD were significantly less likely to have attended any form of postsecondary school or to have graduated from postsecondary programs. However, little…

Believes that serious fun holds great promise for engaging special needs students in meaningful learning experiences in social studies. Describes how creative play with plastic action figures led to four students in a self-contained special education classroom collaborating on writing and illustrating their own book. (CMK)

Four children's books on learning disabilities are profiled: "Trouble with School: A Family Story about Learning Disabilities" (Kathryn and Allison Dunn); "The Don't Give-up Kid" (Jeanne Gehret); "Keeping a Head in School: A Student's Book about Learning Abilities and Learning Disorders" (Mel Levine); and "What Do You Mean I Have a Learning…

A study screened 499 children (ages 7-12) in learning disability and serious emotional disturbance programs for risk of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). High-risk students subsequently underwent a comprehensive assessment for ADHD and comorbid conditions. High-risk children did not differ in symptomatology or comorbidity by special…

Presents an overview of preservice volunteer training at READ/San Diego, an adult literacy program. It discusses the program's informal assessment procedures that help identify possible language/learning disabilities and provide valuable information for instructional planning. Also described are selected multisensory teaching techniques designed…

Describes the development and initial psychometric evaluation of the Sources of Academic Self-Efficacy Scale (SASES). It will enable counselors to assess factors affecting the development of self-efficacy beliefs, design counseling strategies, modify environments for people with learning disabilities, and investigate patterns and determinants of…