Investigated social validity of behavior change produced by self-monitoring and contingent reinforcement upon on-task behavior and academic productivity of six learning-disabled elementary school students using single-case, multiple-treatment design. On-task behavior and academic productivity improved under both interventions, with improvements…

This study, with 30 students with learning disabilities (grades 6-9) and 15 nondisabled students, found that instruction in a 5-rule summarization strategy significantly increased reading comprehension of expository prose. Strategy use was maintained over time, and students were reported to generalize its use. (Author/DB)

This article on curriculum and instructional issues in teaching secondary students with learning disabilities discusses the impact of traditional secondary school programs on these students; promising research examining alternative program models and instructional interventions (including the Strategies Intervention Model, Integrated Strategy…

Describes how a teacher of children with learning disabilities worked with three regular classroom teachers to teach mainstreamed children in whole-language classrooms. Shows how students' reading abilities, self-esteem, and motivation improved as the lines were blurred between abled and disabled, teacher and specialist, and right and wrong. (SR)

Twenty-eight students (ages 9-12) with learning disabilities were taught a spelling study procedure (SSP), followed by instruction in self-monitoring of performance (SMP) and self-monitoring of attention (SMA). On-task behavior was significantly higher in both SMA and SMP than in SSP. Neither SMP nor SMA were inherently superior across subjects,…

Effects of self-monitoring on-task behavior, academic productivity, and academic accuracy were assessed with six elementary school students with learning disabilities. Although all three interventions yielded arithmetic improvements, self-monitoring academic productivity or accuracy was generally superior. Differential results were obtained across…

This case study of the literacy strategies used by a young adolescent male with learning disability revealed that the student produced unsophisticated literacy behaviors in traditional academic contexts, whereas more sophisticated uses were exhibited in contexts that bridged the student's personal and cultural knowledge to literacy use in the…

This article describes the introduction of writing portfolios to elementary school students with learning disabilities in self-contained special education classrooms. It discusses getting started, contents of the portfolio, instructional goals and objectives, conferences, observations, and portfolio evaluation. (Author/DB)

Eleven students (ages 9-14) enrolled in self-contained special education classrooms received math instruction via the Interactive Unit. The Interactive Unit is an instructional system involving 16 combinations of teacher-pupil-material interactions, calling for various teacher inputs and student outputs. Significant differences were detected…

This article presents an overview of the evolution of programs designed for gifted students with learning disabilities and examines the changing philosophies, policies, and procedures of the field from the '60s (pilot programs), the '70s (influence of federal legislation), the '80s (emphasis on research), and the '90s (concerns about appropriate…

This discussion uses student cases and a review of the literature to advocate for the development of individual student talent as a philosophical basis for accommodating the social and emotional needs of gifted secondary students with learning disabilities. Descriptions of several educational innovations and reform efforts likely to enhance talent…

A three-phase reading strategy for students with learning disabilities is presented, involving students ask questions about a story, discussing criteria for types of questions (fact, inference, opinion), and label the questions; the teacher models the role of discussion leader; and the leadership role is turned over to the students. (JDD)

Two Israeli studies compared a total of 108 elementary or high school students with mild learning disabilities placed in either self-contained or regular classes. The studies found no evidence that student growth was greater in the self-contained class, although these students did tend to have a higher academic self-concept. (Author/DB)

Paper explores the use of an intelligence test in a southwestern university. Honor students performed significantly better than the average freshmen and the developmental/remedial students. Results suggest that developmental students lack specific cognitive abilities as well as some higher order thinking skills. Implications are discussed. (RJM)

The Survey of Teenage Readiness and Neurodevelopmental Status (STRANDS), which includes a questionnaire and structured interview designed to assist in assessing learning problems in high school students, was administered to 54 older adolescents either normally achieving or with learning disabilities. Results provided preliminary support for the…