The paper describes two experiments conducted to improve writing skills of learning disabled adolescents. Experiment 1 used creative prompts plus a cut and paste editing strategy. In experiment 2, the same creative prompts were used with the Bank Street word processing program. Writing samples were scored for composition quality (holistic, number…

The paper discusses the major topics of software, examines research on the effectiveness of computer assisted instruction (CAI) for learning disabled adolescents, and suggests specific and creative uses of microcomputers in academic and cognitive skill development. (Author/CL)

Four issues of the 1983/84 newsletter from a preparatory school for learning disabled (LD) students address issues on the education of LD students. Included are examinations of the following topics: therapeutic interventions and educational strategies, cognitive development in LD and non-LD adolescents, computers used to strengthen metacognitive…

A review of six articles (1978-present) on vocabulary interventions involving secondary students with learning disabilities found interventions fall into four areas: computer-assisted instruction, fluency-building vocabulary practice activities, mnemonic strategy instruction, and concept enhancement instruction. Overall, positive results were…

This study evaluated a computer-assisted instructional program employing a constant time delay prompting procedure to teach spelling of abbreviations to four adolescents with mild learning disabilities. The program was found effective, and training generalized to hand-written performance in both a special and general education setting. (Author/DB)

This article describes a computer game that supports the development of learners' social problem-solving skills. In a controlled three-group design, the group using the prototype game performed significantly better than an attention-placebo control and comparably to a therapist-directed group on measures of problem solving and engagement. However,…

Discussion of teachers' uses of microcomputers in the classroom and the influence of preservice and inservice training focuses on a study of teachers of seventh- and eighth-grade learning-disabled students that examined the amount and type of training they had completed, their attitudes toward microcomputers, and their reported use of…

Two studies examined the effectiveness of self-instruction training via a specially developed computer program to modify the impulsive problem-solving behavior of 16 deaf and 10 learning disabled (aphasic) adolescents attending two special residential schools in Canada. In the control condition, students learned the Apple LOGO computing language…

The effectiveness of computer simulation in enhancing learning of a health unit by 30 mildly learning-disabled high school students was investigated. Results indicate that computer simulation in combination with structured teaching was effective, particularly in the area of teaching problem-solving skills. (TJH)

This paper offers a rationale for modifying textbooks for secondary students with learning disabilities who are taught in general education classes. Recent research on the uses of study guides, graphic organizers, vocabulary drills, and computer-assisted instruction is reviewed, and guidelines for selecting appropriate uses of these strategies are…

Investigated were the interactions among instructional elements of 26 commercial courseware packages, 62 learning-disabled students (aged 9-18), and their seven teachers. Reported are teachers' strategies for introducing, augmenting, and integrating computer-based education into ongoing instructional arrangements. Teachers developed a variety of…

Seventy-two secondary students (with learning disabilities, remedial, or normally achieving) enrolled in science and social studies classes read textbook passages, completed study guides, and took tests using a computer or pencil and paper. On factual questions, analysis favored the computer overall, whereas no differences were found on…

This report summarizes a series of eight research studies related to the use of computer-assisted instruction (CAI) with mildly handicapped students at the junior high or high school level. Through videodisc and CAI the studies isolated the effects of the following design variables: (1) review cycles; (2) size of teaching sets; (3) explicit…

Specific difficulties for the secondary student with reading difficulties are described, followed by a literature review of most promising practices, including peer tutoring that incorporates comprehension strategy instruction and elaborative strategies in history and science classes. Research using "Inspiration" software to generate spatially…

This article reviews the literature on the use of content enhancement techniques to help secondary students with learning disabilities to identify, organize, comprehend, and memorize critical content information. Content enhancements described include visual displays, mnemonics, advance organizers, study guides, peer mediation, audiotapes, and…