Assessed handwriting of first graders (N=95) with 10 measures of printing errors, then used printing errors to predict academic achievement 5 years later. Found Simner printing error measure effectively predicted academic achievement. (Author/CM)

Describes Saint Pius V School's (Lynn, Massachusetts) program to help children build a language structure on which to arrange the linguistic elements they have already learned and will learn. Teachers use a structured direct phonetic approach to language development and reading based on the Orton-Gillingham Method. Reviews results. (DMM)

Describes specific problems that students encounter when they begin the transition into content area studies. Examines a recent research summary on study skills for suggestions about how to address these problems. (MM)

Examination of the relationship between educational attainment and long-lasting, bilateral otitis media with effusion (OME) in 270 Dutch children (ages 2 to 4) found that, at age 7, early bilateral OME affected spelling ability but not reading ability. Effects of treatment with ventilation tubes were not found. (DB)

This article describes an "employability" course developed by North Tyneside College (England) for young people and adults with learning difficulties. Issues are raised concerning eligibility, the meaning of "employability," the value of employment, the need for advocacy, and the nature of vocational training. (DB)

This article offers suggestions to British teachers working with students who are so discouraged that praise appears to have no effect. Available knowledge about positive instructional approaches, the misuse of praise, and the value of collaborative problem solving is reviewed. (DB)

Reviews research on the acquisition of second-language (L2) phonology, focusing on whether adult learners have access to the principles and parameters of Universal Grammar (UG). It argues that UG is still accessible in L2 phonological acquisition, and parameters can be reset but that the Subset Principle can impede learning success. (51…

An ex post facto longitudinal study of 500 diagnostic protocols supported the often voiced criticism that psychologists diagnosing learning difficulties frequently follow principles that are remote from teaching and learning processes. Analyses of the actual learning process were very few. Learning difficulties were usually conceived in terms of…

This study of 570 children (age 9) in the Netherlands found that the presence and severity of minor neurological dysfunction was significantly related to poor performance on standardized reading, spelling, and arithmetic tests and to a lesser extent was related to ratings of distractible behavior. (Author/JDD)

Scores of 66 elementary students (referred for poor learning progress) on the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised (PPVT-R) were below mean performance on all Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale-Fourth Edition (SB:FE) area scores except memory. The study refutes the assertion that the PPVT-R is an appropriate screening instrument for the SB:FE.…

Two studies presented 2 groups of children--mean age 9.3 years (P5) and mean age 13.2 years (S2 "learning difficulty" students)--with computer-based writing tasks. Results from both individual and interactive writing situations show some online revision but the omission of a posttask revision stage, possibly because of a lack of…

Parent training programs have been effective interventions for middle-income families with children who have developmental, learning, and behavioral problems. Results have been mixed with low-income families, however. Tested practical parenting program with both middle- and low-income parents (n=34). Results indicated significant improvements for…

Examined relationship between perinatal information and school achievement for 134 children and adolescents with learning problems. Perinatal information alone and in combination with Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised subtests accounted for significant amount of variability in three achievement dimensions of Wide Range Achievement…

A theoretical basis for a first-/second-language link is presented along with an explanation of why current global theories of language are incomplete. Implications for foreign language (FL) methodology and instruction for students with FL learning problems are addressed. (123 references) (LB)

Modified Assessment Techniques (MATs) are nonstandard diagnostic activities used with standardized tests and other assessment tools to gather information unavailable through standardized methods. Suggestions are offered for implementing MATs in several cognitive areas by modifying modality, language, complexity, spacial, and temporal elements and…