Describes the field testing of the Mississippi Assessment Technique for Identifying Learning Disabilities in Adults (MATILDA) with 97 inmates, 50 undergraduates, and 8 students diagnosed as learning disabled. Reports how the test can be used as a preliminary screening device in adult basic education. (SK)

Five primary-grade students identified as learning-disabled benefited from instruction that focused on making sense of mathematics word problems. Examples of student work demonstrate the students' ability to solve a variety of problem types and justify their solutions. (Author/NB)

Discusses efforts leading to changes in homework policies and practices, problems experienced by students with disabilities, and how schools have addressed these issues. Focuses on home-school communication patterns as a key variable in improving the homework performance of students with disabilities. Reviews several studies that establish the…

Examined long-term predictive validity of Learning Disabilities Index (LDI) as it relates to achievement outcomes for learning-disabled children. Results indicated that successive LDI scores at ages 7, 10, and 13 were capable of differentiating among children who had been identified as good, moderate, and poor outcome groups at age 13. (Author/NB)

Thirty-five learning-disabled readers (mean age 10) and 43 controls were compared on a sentence span task and on recall of everyday features, consequential events, and misleading information. Results indicated that subjects were deficient on working memory and naturalistic measures, but their naturalistic memory deficits did not appear to relate…

Sixteen language learning-disabled adolescents were able to provide fewer correct metaphor interpretations than 16 normally achieving adolescents. For both groups, metaphors were easier to interpret by paraphrase selection than by verbal explanation, and perceptual metaphors were easier to interpret than psychological metaphors. (Author/JDD)

Application of a quantitative and qualitative error classification system to the spelling errors of 21 learning-disabled (LD) and 21 non-learning-disabled (NLD) matched college students found LD subjects exhibited a significantly greater total spelling error rate and percentage. Differences were also found on qualitative spelling variables for…

Uses the language experience approach with a state driver's manual to teach disabled adolescent readers and educable mentally retarded students. (RS)

Describes the transition services offered by Lakeshore Technical College as part of its model program to serve students with learning disabilities. Discusses program goals, program development, support services, and program evaluation. (JOW)

Examined the concurrent validity of the composite and area scores of the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale: Fourth Edition (SBIV) and the Mental Processing Composite and global scale scores of the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children in Black, learning-disabled elementary school students (N=30). Findings demonstrated adequate concurrent…

Reviews genetic influences on learning disabilities, discussing recent advances in molecular genetics that have made linkage analysis a more powerful tool for studying the genetics of behavioral phenotypes. Also examines what is known about genetic influences in two familial disorders, developmental dyslexia and Tourette syndrome. (Author/NB)

Responds to letters from readers in response to recent "Research" columns. Deals with the issues of learning disabilities, whole language approach, the "skills" perspective, junk food textbooks, and punctuation. (RS)

Criticisms of traditional approaches to the assessment of student abilities and instructional program design are reviewed and alternative, dynamic approaches are suggested. A major feature of the suggested approaches is assistance to influence student performance and thus reveal the potential for change. The approaches are categorized and examined…

Administered Woodcock Language Proficiency Battery (WLPB) to 18 learning-disabled adolescents from culturally variant population in rural southern Louisiana and to matched group of normal achievers. Found group status to have significant effect on cluster scores. Results suggest that WLPB may be useful for culturally diverse students when…

Discusses the Xerox/Kurzweil Personal Reader which is an advanced optical scanner that reads a greater range of typeset or typewritten text than its predecessors, and converts it into highly naturalistic speech. (MG)