This study examined 120 Victorian preservice and inservice teachers' ability to implement evidence-based, early literacy instruction by examining whether teachers possessed positive perceptions of explicit instruction in sound-letter relationships, and a proficient knowledge of language structure. Teachers' confidence in teaching students of known…

Background: Intensive Interaction is an approach to developing the pre-verbal communication and sociability of people with severe or profound and multiple learning disabilities and autism. Previous research has indicated many potential benefits; however, the approach is not consistently used in social care. Aim: To report on the significant and…

The introduction, in the United Kingdom, of the Special Education Needs and Disabilities Act (SENDA) published and approved in 2001, has removed the exemptions given to educational institutions by the Disabilities Discrimination Act (DDA) of 1995. This applies to learning web sites and materials that must now undergo "reasonable…

How children feel about school and about themselves in the early years can set the stage for their future success in school and in life. Learning to read and write in those early years is pivotal: children who are not successful by the end of grade three have little chance of ever becoming fully literate. This failure diminishes their chances of…

This article introduced some of the issues and challenges faced by online learners who have disabilities by providing an overview of four major disability categories: visual impairments, hearing impairments, motor impairments, and cognitive impairments. It also discussed how assistive technologies and universal design are being incorporated in…

The young adult years (approximately the age when one leaves high school to age 23) are pivotal to adult life success. They are the years when adolescents typically assume dramatic increases in responsibility for self-direction in areas such as socialization, independent living, citizenship, employment, education, and mental and physical health.…

People with a learning disability, the experts of their own experience are increasingly involved in research. We will be discussing in this paper their centrality in the development of a psychological therapy outcome measure for people with learning disabilities. Their involvement needs to go beyond giving their views to being included in the…

This fact sheet provides a definition of learning disability (LD) in adults; a list of common elements found in many useful LD definitions; and a list of areas in which LD may affect life situations of adults. The background of the concept of "learning disability" is briefly reviewed, followed by the definition of the Interagency…

The Differential Ability Scales (DAS) was created to provide practitioners with an alternative instrument that may be as effective as WISC-III in picking up specific patterns of learning difficulties. Useful features and differences in the administration strategy of DAS are reviewed. DAS provides extended age ranges and out-of-level testing,…

The relationship of reading comprehension accuracy and a contingently administered token reinforcement program used with an elementary level learning disabled student in the classroom was examined. The S earned points for each correct answer made after oral reading sessions. At the conclusion of the class he could exchange his points for rewards.…

The Boehm Test of Basic Concepts (BTBC) (Boehm, 1971) was administered to 99 children (ages 7-10) who had been diagnosed as learning disabled and attended special schools in the New York area. It was hypothesized that the learning disabled children would exhibit a delay in the acquisition of the basic concepts, but would display a similar order of…

The effects of two data-utilization rules on spelling achievement were compared for an 11-year-old boy who had been diagnosed as learning disabled (LD). During instructional sessions, the boy was taught and measured on sets of difficult spelling words. Graphed data were analyzed using a concurrent schedule design whereby equivalent behaviors are…

Difficulties inherent in the dual classification of gifted and learning disabled are analyzed, and research on the issue is reviewed. The Creative Problem Solving (CPS) Model is used to identify problems in service provision for gifted/learning disabled students. Areas of concern are listed and then expanded by using the five steps of the CPS…

A professor involved in the HELDS project (Higher Education for Learning Disabled Students) discusses changes in a psychology course on courtship and marriage to accommodate LD students. Requirements, assignments, and expectations are outlined for in-class as well as out-of-class activities. The course, it is explained, focuses on information,…

An educator involved with the Higher Education for Learning Disabled Students (HELDS) project discusses modifications made by faculty for LD students. Changes are reviewed for traditional lecture courses, seminars, methods, courses, practica, and teacher education tests. Examples of problems exhibited by LD students are described (reading…