This paper argues that the shift from behaviorist learning theories to constructivist and social constructivist theories provides an opportunity to develop a hybrid model of mathematics instruction for students with learning disabilities. The proposed model embeds important skill learning in meaningful contexts. Evaluation data on such embedded…

This introduction to a special issue, focused on research into educational intervention for children and adults with learning disabilities, describes activities of a special committee of the Learning Disabilities Association that included soliciting the views of scholars concerning terminology, ethical issues, research design, and barriers to…

Time taken to count stimuli was compared among three groups each composed of 22 elementary-aged children (with autism, with moderate learning difficulties, and normally developing). Results suggest that children with autism showed a tendency toward an analytic level of processing. While groups differed on measures of counting speeds, children…

Outlines problems related to defining and classifying children with learning disabilities and describes the pitfalls of current assessment procedures, particularly the problems with discrepancy scores. Presents dynamic assessment as an alternative to classification procedures and reviews the results of two studies evaluating dynamic assessment.…

Discusses the difficulties adolescents with learning disabilities often have in higher-level reading comprehension skills, such as character analysis. Suggestions are provided to help teachers select stories and provide instructional support to facilitate student success, including ways to introduce the story, enhance comprehension, and extend…

Results of a study with 52 dyslexic children and 52 normal readers show that reading acceleration through computer-controlled reading rates improves reading performance in both groups, but auditory masking by playing a song is beneficial only to the dyslexic children. Implications are discussed in terms of phonological processing. (SLD)

This paper reviews ongoing research designed to specify the cognitive, behavioral, and neuroanatomical phenotypes of specific genetic etiologies of learning disability. The genetic disorders at the focus of the research include reading disability, neurofibromatosis type 1, Tourette syndrome, and fragile X syndrome. Implications for identifying…

Examines the effectiveness of two intervention paradigms that treat phonological awareness and grapheme-phoneme conversion in severely learning disabled third- to fifth-grade students. Finds that an implicit learning paradigm as practiced in the Stabilized Learning System is more effective than an explicit methodological approach as practiced in…

Discussion of classroom amplification systems to improve the performance of students with hearing loss or learning disabilities addresses the auditory challenges of inclusive classrooms, changing the classroom environment to reduce noise, types of amplification systems, and what teachers observe about amplification. (Contains references.) (DB)

College graduates (n=89) with learning disabilities (LD) were surveyed to determine if they had self-disclosed to their current employer. Although nearly 90% stated that their LD affected their work in some way, only 30.3% self-disclosed to their employer. Forty-six percent did not self-disclose due to fear of a negative impact. (Contains…

High school students with (n=52) and without (n=49) learning disabilities (LD) completed a self-concept scale and survey rating their own academic skills. Despite reporting significantly lower academic self-concepts, students with LD overestimated their academic skills relative to the ratings of others and to their actual test performance.…

This article discusses how students with high-incidence disabilities can benefit from using bibliotherapy by learning to become proactive problem solvers. A sample lesson plan is presented based on a teaching framework for bibliotherapy and problem solving that contains the elements of prereading, guided reading, post-reading discussion, and a…

This article discusses the benefits of using a combined model of academic instruction that includes both explicit and strategic instructional procedures for teaching students with mathematics learning disabilities. It presents an overview of division instruction and interventions for teaching division that include explicit and strategic…

Considers how expressive written language is considered one of the most difficult areas of academic achievement for children, especially those with learning disabilities. Discusses two narrative writing models: the story frame and the story pyramid. (SG)

Suggests that few teachers understand the debilitating effect that social skill deficits have on a child's daily life. Notes that instructional strategies such as cooperative learning groups and social stories can help children improve their social behavior. Encourages all educators not only to emphasize academics, but also to seize any…