This study was designed to elicit the views and preferences of primary education students with general learning difficulties concerning different service delivery modes. The main areas to be investigated were: (a) their current educational provision, (b) alternative modes of provision and (c) the most appropriate provider (mainstream or special…

This paper presents the stories of three mothers with learning difficulties whose children have been involved in care proceedings. Drawing on the example of the legendary interviewer, Studs Terkel, the authors let the mothers describe their experiences of the child protection system in their own words. From out of their intensely personal accounts…

The purpose of the present study was to investigate relationships between social behaviors and emergent literacy among young children, and sex differences in these relationships. Participants were 123 ethnically and socioeconomically diverse preschoolers (63 girls, 60 boys). Social behaviors were observed in classrooms, and emergent literacy…

The ever-broadening roles of school counselors range from traditional (advisor for college planning) to novel (advocating for students with learning difficulties or giftedness). A newly recognized group of learners, with both learning difficulties and academic strengths, known as twice-exceptional learners, has emerged. After a synopsis of federal…

This is the story of Marie, a woman with "learning difficulties" who lives in Belgium. It is told by Marie and her advocate, Griet. In 2002, Marie was told she had to have a sterilization. This is the story of what happened: The professionals told Marie and her mother the operation was essential. Marie did not know what the operation was…

Background: Investigations of the cognitive processes underlying specific language impairment (SLI) have implicated deficits in the storage and processing of phonological information, but to date these abilities have not been studied in the same group of children with SLI. Aims: To examine the extent to which deficits in immediate verbal…

Objective: To examine patterns of psychiatric comorbid disorders and associated problems in a school population of children with tic disorders. Method: From a total population of 4,479 children, 25 with Tourette's disorder (TD), 34 with chronic motor tics (CMT), 24 with chronic vocal tics (CVT), and 214 with transient tics (TT) during the past…

A pilot writing program was tested on 15 Florida eleventh graders, who had been placed in basic level classes and who believed themselves to be poor writers. After interviews with teachers and students, three practicum objectives were developed: (1) after 12 weeks, 80% of the target group will score a minimum of 3 on short composition assignments;…

This book describes a neuro-developmental approach to learning difficulty assessment and remediation through assessment of a student's reception of information through the sensory channels, processing of sensory information in the brain, and repertoire of responses for expression. Chapter 1, "Reflexes: Their Impact on Success or Failure in…

This article discusses the Cognitive Enrichment Network Model (COGNET) of elementary school instruction developed at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. This model is largely based on the theory of mediated learning experience (MLE) developed by Israeli psychologist Reuven Feuerstein, which posits that learning is closely connected to…

Thousands of children exposed prenatally to drugs are now of school age, presenting schools and educators as well as social service agencies with enormous challenges. This book provides information from education, medical, public health, and social service experts on the degree of damage these children have sustained, whether that damage will be…

Iron deficiency anemia impairs cognitive performance, physical capacity, and thermoregulation. Recent evidence suggests that these functional impairments are also evident in subclinical nonanemic iron deficiency. Very little is known about the relevance of the latter to the health of blacks, who have been shown to have the highest prevalence of…

Through the years, many researchers have advanced theories of problem solving. Probably the best definition of problem solving to apply to adult learning programs is Wallas' (1926) four-stage theory. The stages are (1) a preparation, (2) an incubation period, (3) a moment of illumination, and (4) final application or verification of the solution.…

Students attending predominantly white colleges are more likely than those attending black colleges to see competition with other students and inadequate high school preparation as sources of academic difficulties. (Author/AM)

The purpose of this editorial is to formulate some reflections of a very general and introductory kind on the problem posed by the educational handicaps of large numbers of children from socially and economically deprived backgrounds, from the point of view of a developmental and clinical psychologist, rather than that of an educationist.…