A lack of effective transition planning for students with learning disabilities may result in inadequate postsecondary adjustment problems (i.e., under- or unemployment). To ensure more positive outcomes, transition planning must begin in the elementary grades, be built on theory-based assessment, and focus on academic and counseling activities…

Pediatrician Mel Levine's goal is to stop schools from giving children labels such as learning disabled and attention deficit. He insists that there is no one way in which all children learn. He has founded a professional development program to equip teachers with the latest research about children's brain development and help them put that…

A study investigated whether an instruction designed to facilitate planning would have differential effects depending on specific planning, attention, simultaneous, successive (PASS) cognitive characteristics of 19 students (ages 12-14) with learning disabilities and mild mental impairments. Children with a cognitive weakness in planning improved…

This study investigated the perception of emotions and the social skills of 60 eighth-graders, half with and half without learning disabilities (LD). Results indicated that the performance of LD adolescents was significantly poorer than peers in the perception of emotion via either auditory, visual, or combined auditory-visual modes. Although both…

Describes how, at a school in Texas, Shakespeare becomes a teaching vehicle for learning-disabled students as they engage in a year-long class that studies Shakespeare and his times, as well as produce an entire play. Argues that the experience works so successfully because it is student-centered, collaborative, and experiential. (SR)

Provides an operational definition of self-advocacy as it pertains to adolescent and adult learners with learning disabilities in postsecondary settings, describes model high school and college programs that teach self-advocacy skills, and discusses important follow-up and support activities essential to the effective use of these skills.…

This article reviews recent research in the field of learning disabilities and, in particular, dyslexia. It summarizes findings from numerous studies employing widely divergent methodologies that have attempted to establish the neurobiological correlates of learning disabilities and concludes that it is impossible to deny a neurobiological basis…

Compared child care knowledge of United Kingdom 14- to 16- year-olds with and without learning difficulties. Found that knowledge of basic parenting and child care depended on type of school attended, reading ability of special school students, and provision of health education by the special school nurse. Found no associations between knowledge…

Discusses three technological innovations that hold promise for middle and high school students with learning disabilities in reading and writing: speech synthesis programs (text-to-speech); organizational software; and voice recognition software. Examines advantages and disadvantages of each. Outlines considerations for the successful adoption of…

Reviews implications of the three primary components of the federal definition of learning disabilities (discrepancy, heterogeneity, and exclusion) for the assessment of children with learning disabilities (LD). Also proposes a rationale and procedures for more efficient approaches to the identification of children as learning disabled that are…

This article presents 20 activities to promote phonemic awareness in students, including teaching nursery rhymes, playing the "I Spy" game using initial sounds of words, creating a sound box, having students sort picture cards based on initial sounds, playing phoneme deletion games, and having students clap and count syllables. (Contains 4…

Presents an interview with ceramic artist, Betty Spindler, who overcame a learning disability and earned associate and bachelor degrees in art. Explains that she creates ceramic sculptures of fruits, vegetables, sandwiches, and other everyday items. Presents a project where children create their own fruit. (CMK)

Specific reading disability/dyslexia is examined as the one type of learning disability for which research results are consistent enough to suggest a model. The implications of this model are considered and three types of learning disabilities are discussed: specific language impairments, specific reading disability/dyslexia, and specific math…

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) will loosen its academic standards for college athletes with learning disabilities. By agreement with the Justice Department, the NCAA will certify special education classes offered to high school students with learning disabilities toward its initial-eligibility requirements, rather than…

This article argues that the field of social studies encompasses concepts critical to students' eventual civic participation. It addresses ways to foster higher level thinking, problem solving, and group skills by working with issues of importance to students with learning disabilities and promoting their futures as active citizens. A…