Presents an overview of the language basis of reading and reading disabilities. Describes the Simple View of Reading, a model of reading that comprises two primary components, word recognition and language comprehension. Reviews research showing that language problems underlie most difficulties children have learning to read. Discusses the…

This article describes a peer coaching model implemented in two elementary schools that included the following steps: identify coaches and their needs; identify learning buddies with similar needs; set up a schedule; determine supervision process; plan lessons; implement coaching sessions; reflect on lesson; and evaluate the model. (Contains…

Describes a science activity that promotes science process skills while investigating the properties of packing peanuts. (YDS)

Twenty-six children (ages 11-13) with spelling deficits, 31 younger spelling-level-matched children, and 31 age-matched children were asked to spell verbs with past tense and progressive markers in dictated sentences and list form. Children with spelling deficits had significant difficulty with inflections as well as spelling inflections and base…

Determines whether postsecondary students with learning disabilities (LD) and/or Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) experienced a differential increase in end-of-term grades when they used academic accommodations required by the Americans with Disabilities Act, with verbal Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores serving as a baseline predictor.…

Reasons to use students as tutors to teach mathematics to students with specific learning disabilities are discussed. Descriptions of types of tutoring and training procedures for tutors are included. A guide for implementing math peer tutoring is provided, including procedures for getting ready, running the program, and enrichment and extension.…

Discusses ways that librarians can help the 15% of all children who have been diagnosed with a learning disability (LD). Highlights include the use of books on tape, watching for signs of possible disabilities in preschool programs, and a family program that is a partnership between public and school libraries. (LRW)

Describes ways in which general mathematics instruction for students with learning disabilities can focus on math skills needed in daily life in the home, community, and on the job. A table charts the math skills needed for specific life demands. Also addresses life-skills math in the context of reform and curricular considerations. (DB)

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…