Describes a training program implemented by the Arkansas Department of Education-Special Education designed to assist schools in developing and implementing inclusive policies and practices within a school. Finds that the program is having a positive influence in creating more inclusive programming for students with disabilities. Offers…

This article reviews "Facing Learning Disabilities in the Adult Years" by Joan Shapiro and Rebecca Rich, a book that discusses the definitions, causes, and characteristics of learning disabilities as well as many interventions for successful adult adjustment. The information is aimed at helping families and professionals, as well as the adults…

A study examined the combined effects of class wide instruction on performance assessment tasks and problem solving instruction in ad hoc tutoring in mathematics on six students with learning disabilities. The two interventions led to demonstrable differences over time when compared to students who did not receive this kind of instruction.…

A study involving boys (grades 4-7) who were highly gifted (n=18), low gifted (n=17), had learning disabilities (n=26), and were typical (n=26), found highly gifted boys exhibited levels of behavioral problems similar to those with learning disabilities, whereas low gifted boys had lower levels than boys with learning disabilities. (Contains…

A study examined the outcomes for 140 graduates of the Threshold Program at Lesley University, Massachusetts, a non-degree post-secondary program which aims to help young adults with severe learning disabilities and low-average IQ develop independent living skills. Sixty-nine percent of graduates are living independently and 82 percent are…

Presents analysis of 13 studies designed to teach students with learning disabilities to write better expository or narrative text. Notes the success of these interventions, and details three components for any comprehensive instructional program: instruction in writing process, critical dimensions of different writing genres, and structures for…

Discusses issues inherent in two meta-analyses of instructional interventions for students with learning disabilities conducted by Gersten and Baker, and MacArthur et al. Issues include word recognition, technology and text comprehension, electronic enhancements, technology and writing, insufficiency of writing intervention research, and inclusion…

A study assessed the predictive value of kindergarten teachers on 234 pupils for later first-grade academic achievement. Ratings of academic performance were significantly correlated with scores on outcome measures on math and reading ability. Results indicated high overall accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and negative predictive value of the…

This paper examines instructional processes in two seventh-grade science classes and describes three components of general education middle school content classrooms (curriculum, verbal presentations during instruction, and assessed performance outcomes). It concludes that these three components need to be aligned for the successful inclusion of…

This article briefly summarizes what is known about how phonological awareness fits into the beginning reading process and effective methods for teaching phonological awareness. Special difficulties with phonological awareness of children with learning disabilities or from culturally diverse backgrounds are noted. (DB)

A mnemonic clue sentence--"He thinks mice bite trees"--is suggested for helping students with learning disabilities or mild mental retardation successfully identify up to 15 digit numbers by relating the sentence to the sequence of hundreds, thousands, millions, billions, and trillions. (DB)

Evaluation of two meta-analyses of sociometric research on children with learning disabilities notes differences in their findings. Differences are attributed to effects of gender, ethnicity, and type of measurement on effect size; inadequate reporting of coding reliability; failure to include similar articles for analysis; and poor…

Discusses the experiences of a student at a selective admissions university with a moderately high IQ (119) but who also had a learning disability that impeded his academic success. Uses the case study to examine which students really belong at the university and which are allowed to stay there. (MAB)

Compares responses of two highly reluctant learning-disabled readers before and after they were helped to visualize story situations through visual art. Shows that visual art helped the readers to begin enjoying reading, and to begin evoking and manipulating story worlds in their minds. Notes that the students began to participate in the classroom…

This article reports the results of a descriptive analysis of team teaching in two classrooms. The study used formative experiments to conduct summative evaluation procedures. Performance of typical students and students with learning disabilities on curriculum-based assessment measures indicate academic gains in reading and spelling for all…