Efficacy of a brief cognitive-affective intervention to enhance motivational readiness for participating in a psychoeducational decision-making conference was evaluated with 32 school-age children with possible learning disabilities. Although outcomes specific to the preconference intervention were not found, a positive relationship between…

Forty elementary-school learning-disabled children completed a design assembly task and a vocabulary task. Results indicated a significant performance (success and failure)-by-maternal involvement (presence and absence) interaction for children's attributional ratings of effort, task difficulty, and luck, and for mothers' attributional ratings of…

The social competence of 40 learning-disabled and 37 nondisabled Israeli children in grades 4-7 was evaluated by the students themselves and their teachers; cognitive and emotional aspects that mediate its level were assessed. Variables analyzed were level of cognitive, social, physical, general, and academic competence; task orientation;…

Low socially accepted learning-disabled intermediate-grade students (N=86) were paired with 86 high socially accepted, nonhandicapped classmates for 8 weeks in 4 groups: mutual interest group, cooperative academic task group, Hawthorne effect/control group, and classroom control group. Evaluated were changes in classmates' ratings of…

A transition model for young adults with mild disabilities, the "Job Training and Tryout" model, comprises four components: development of an individualized employment plan; employability skills training, job tryouts, and supported job search; job placement, follow-up, and job clubs; and job change and advancement assistance. Preliminary…

The Manhattan School for Career Development's career training curriculum for youngsters with learning disabilities is presented. The four-year sequential instructional program is described, focusing on objectives, assessment, and work experiences. Critical factors such as interpersonal skill development, vocational assessment, occupational…

Five students, aged 10-11, with serious emotional disturbances and/or learning disabilities, recorded their attentive behavior and academic productivity. Then performance was assessed under a choice condition, the treatment program was faded, and maintenance was probed. Results revealed that both treatments produced and maintained improvements in…

As an orientation to the actual composition process, learning-disabled students should be taught methods for the development and organization of ideas. Strategies are presented for helping learning-disabled students improve composition skills by improving flexibility in vocabulary and sentence structure and by planning and sequencing ideas and/or…

Descriptive data on the initial employment patterns of mildly disabled individuals (N=66) who participated in a postsecondary transition program indicated participants (1) obtained entry level positions with varying employee benefits, (2) benefited from ongoing support to maintain employment, and (3) requested continued but minimal support to…

The study investigated the degree to which a highly motivating computer game learning task could improve the differential diagnosis of adolescent students (N=23) with learning disabilities. Results suggest that a large proportion of students diagnosed as learning disabled are able to learn effectively when highly motivated. (Author/DB)

The discussion of elementary or secondary school study skills programs for general or special education looks at the skills to be included in such a program and implementation strategies, including programing for individual student skill needs. (MSE)

Describes the collection and services of the National Library for the Handicapped Child in the United Kingdom. (MM)

The study found that instructing 13 learning-disabled junior high students in the necessary prior knowledge (information and vocabulary concepts) led to superior reading comprehension performance. Textually explicit text structure also improved reading comprehension. (DB)

Academic, intellectual, and behavioral correlates of sociometric status among elementary-age children with learning disabilities (LD) were investigated. Peer rejection was unrelated to IQ or achievement scores but was related to LD children's social status, acting out, and withdrawn behaviors. Teachers rated rejected LD children as more…

The study with 51 boys (ages 7 to 9 years) found that subjects classified as having both attention deficit disorder/hyperactivity and learning disabilities demonstrated the most external locus of control with subjects classified as only learning-disabled intermediate and subjects classified as only having attention deficit disorder/hyperactivity…