This commentary on EC 603 155, which discusses enhancement of literacy skills in young children with learning disabilities, focuses on the cognitive/metacognitive mix in intentional learning, reasons for children's faulty self-regulation, changes in strategic behavior in reciprocal teaching over time, and power and knowledge of teacher and child…

Sixty-five pairs of teachers and parents of elementary and secondary school learning-disabled students completed the Homework Problem Checklist (HPC). The HPC demonstrated a moderate level of interrater reliability. Acceptable levels of internal consistency were reported for both teacher and parent ratings. (JDD)

One hundred students (ages 6-8) described similarities and differences among exemplars of different categories, identified the categories, and named the exemplars. Large performance differences were found between normally achieving and mildly retarded groups and between mildly retarded and learning-disabled groups, with small performance…

Learning-disabled and average readers (n=120) from grades four through six completed comprehension questions under one of four treatment conditions. Results indicated that computer-mediated text was no better than off-line conditions in improving learning-disabled readers' comprehension. Attribution and metacognitive sophistication were…

Interviews with 30 Ontario (Canada) elementary teachers revealed that teachers were aware of many characteristics of gifted, learning-disabled (LD), and gifted LD children and were aware of similarities in cognitive and creative abilities in gifted and gifted LD children. They were less aware of creative thinking characteristics of LD children.…

A set of procedures for designing instruction and teaching concepts to students with learning difficulties is outlined. The following topics are discussed: (1) concept analysis, (2) concept definitions, (3) use of examples and nonexamples, (4) instructional sequence, and (5) diagnostic assessment. The role of technology in concept instruction is…

This article presents a graduated word problem sequence in mathematics, beginning with simple words; progressing to phrases, sentences, and paragraphs; advancing to paragraph word problems with extraneous information; and finally having students create their own word problems. Results from 67 elementary students with learning disabilities support…

Techniques for developing self-management skills in students with learning and/or behavioral difficulties are explained, including self-monitoring and self-instruction. Development of self-management skills is seen to facilitate mainstreaming and provide prereferral intervention assistance. (DB)

A three-stage identification process is recommended for students suspected of having learning disabilities. This process examines discrepancy, causality, and the need for special education, and it complies with legal requirements. (Author)

This brief description of learning disabilities in Colombia, South America, notes the lack of government recognition of learning disability as distinct from mental retardation, the lack of appropriate educational services, the recent formation of the Colombian Foundation for Learning Disabilities, and the establishment of a special school. (DB)

This study demonstrated the effectiveness and efficiency of a constant time delay procedure (four seconds) to teach five elementary students with learning disabilities multiplication facts. Learning generalized to a paper-and-pencil task, to a different presentation orientation, and to reverse facts. (DB)

Legal tenets from federal and case law as well as existing guidelines concerning appropriate academic adjustments for college students with learning disabilities. Recommendations are offered focusing on institutional, program, and course requirements, documentation of the student's learning disability, student qualifications, and "reasonableness"…

Mastery learning offers a way for teachers to offer individualized instruction to students and to help more of their students be successful in learning. Practical implications of using the mastery learning approach are described, followed by evidence of its effectiveness. (JDD)

This article describes an activity to generate interest in writing and ownership of the learning experience by students with learning disabilities. An object is placed in a bag, a volunteer describes the item by feeling it, students draw the item, and students then discuss the importance of expressing ideas clearly. (JDD)

Investigated correlations between two intelligence measures for exceptional children. Corrected correlations between the tests indicated differences with correlations reported in one manual. Relationships were generally higher than those reported elsewhere. Implications are discussed, especially those involving the use of correlations between…