The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of a peer-mediated instructional approach on the teaching of phonological skills and reading comprehension for middle school (sixth- to eighth-grade) students with reading disabilities. All students (n = 38) were identified as having learning disabilities and reading at the third-grade level or…

In two original articles from the inaugural issue of "Topics in Language Disorders", Berlin, Blank, and Rose proposed a model of dialogue complexity on the basis of a continuum of abstractness defined as perceptual-language distance; Carlson, Gruenewald, and Nyberg proposed a triadic model of academic concepts, student language, and…

Although academic and behavioral problems place many students with learning disabilities (LD) at risk for not completing high school, we know very little about the differences between children with LD who complete school and those who fail to do so. In this study of 76 male youth (45 school completers and 31 noncompleters), standardized measures…

In 1990, public school speech-language pathologists (SLPs) all over the United States were surveyed regarding service delivery to English language learner (ELL) students. In 2001, the survey was replicated with a larger national sample (N = 1736). Results from surveys in both decades showed that one of the most frequently encountered service…

Dynamic assessment uses a test-teach-retest approach that can assist clinicians in differentiating between children with learning disabilities and children with learning differences. This article describes a model of dynamic assessment of narratives and its use with children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. Case studies…

This study sought to determine effective teaching strategies for use with high-ability students who have spatial strengths and sequential weaknesses. Gifted students with spatial strengths and weak verbal skills often struggle in the traditional classroom. Their learning style enables them to grasp complex systems and excel at higher levels of…

Walter Cronkite High School is a comprehensive high school of nearly 4,000 students, located in New York City. The population of students with disabilities includes many students with severe and low-incidence disabilities, including 70 students with visual or hearing impairments and 20 students with orthopedic impairments. Cronkite High School's…

This study investigated the effect of the disability labels learning disabilities (LD) and emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) on public school general education and special education teachers' willingness to refer students to gifted programs. Results indicated that teachers were significantly influenced by the LD and EBD labels when making…

In this opinion piece, the author views several major problems facing those who care about students labeled has having learning disabilities (LD). He believes that while there are technical problems that educators should be able to fix (definition of LD, best instructional practices for students so identified, powerful secondary programs that…

This study examined the psychometric properties of the Sutter-Eyberg Student Behavior Inventory (SESBI) in a rural sample of children and adolescents. Thirty-eight 5th- through 12th-grade teachers completed the SESBI on 726 children in their classrooms. High Cronbach's alphas supported the reliability of the SESBI scales in this population. Higher…

This article discusses the benefits of applying principles of Universal Instructional Design to teaching world languages on the postsecondary level. The author offers a brief overview of various approaches to language teaching, as well as current research on second language acquisition, focusing especially on communicative language teaching. This…

This study addressed special education teachers? perspectives of secondary special education for students with mild mental impairment and learning disabilities. Secondary special education teachers responded to a survey regarding teacher preparation and teacher satisfaction. Results from the study suggested that changes need to be made to…

The purpose of this article is to describe features of interventions that are empirically validated for use with first-grade students at risk for reading disabilities who are English language learners (ELLs) and whose home language is Spanish. The empirical evidence supporting these interventions is summarized. Interventions for improving oral…

The main research question that underpinned this study was whether there is a link between staff perceptions of school climate and staff attitudes towards the inclusion of students with recognized learning disabilities. This investigation was conducted with reference to the notion of "changing" or "moving" cultures. The study…

There are occasions at a busy reference desk when contact time with patrons is limited. A solution to this is to create a mediated reference search service where librarians can have the luxury of conducting extended reference interviews. One-on-one searching services can be very beneficial for library patrons, including students, staff,…