Thirty-four (Study 1) and 37 (Study 2) pairs of three-year-old children with and without mild learning problems were presented with a battery of five or six simple cognitive tasks. Children without learning problems performed at a significantly higher level on 17 of the 18 measures. (Contains references.) (Author/CR)

A study investigated the perceptions of 41 headteachers on the advantages of target setting for students with learning disabilities. The majority of headteachers believe that target setting in schools for pupils with learning disabilities is a good idea, is unlikely to help schools compare performances, and should include behavior targets.…

Describes a social science curriculum, "Amazing Discoveries," which meets the needs of middle school students with learning disabilities for social skills intervention, is appropriate for all students and fits in with the mandated social science curriculum. The curriculum includes 28 experiments and demonstrations that teach principles of social…

This tribute to Samuel Kirk, an early leader in the field of learning disabilities, focuses on his conceptualization of the diagnostic-prescriptive approach and his work on cognitive processing and intra-individual differences. His work is seen as leading to the recognition of the importance of early intervention, the role of process training, and…

Compares drawings of English children with mild learning difficulties (M.L.D.) with those of children of the same chronological age and of the same mental age. Reports that drawings by M.L.D. children are similar to those of children at the same mental age. Suggests that M.L.D. children follow a normal rather than deviant developmental pattern.…

Measures of sensory integration were applied to 32 learning-disabled and 35 nondisabled elementary students. Sensory integration was significantly related to school achievement both concurrently and predictively over a four-year period, even when controlling for intelligence. A particularly strong link between praxis and arithmetic achievement is…

Explores the nature of images created by Paleolithic artists and autistic artists in regard to drawing techniques and image function. Explains the commonalities based on a discussion of the role of the early vision process and the construction of meaning. Notes the importance of this research for understanding autistic artists. (DSK)

The psychometric properties of the Hopelessness Scale for Children (A. Kazdin et al., 1983) were examined for children and adolescents with mental retardation or a learning disability. Analyses of scores from 261 students shows a factor structure almost identical to the original structure and scale scores of adequate validity. (SLD)

Reviews research results from 14 studies that focus on the intervention methods practiced to enhance academic intrinsic motivation for students with learning disabilities (LD) and measures used to assess academic intrinsic motivation in students with LD. Data analysis shows that intrinsic motivation strongly relates to academic achievement in…

Describes Marie Clay's word boxes that help children attend to phonological and orthographic features of words, developing phonemic awareness and improving word recognition and spelling. Describes a study showing that the use of word boxes with several elementary school students with learning disabilities was effective for improving and…

This study of 174 children meeting criteria for learning disabilities revealed that the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Third Edition (WISC-III) factors accounted for a large portion of the achievement variance during hierarchical regression analyses. Proposes that the practitioner should refrain from focusing on global scores and…

A study involving 75 elementary students, 51 with high-incidence disabilities, investigated variables associated with learning in an inquiry-oriented approach to the study of density and buoyancy. Preconceptions, scientific predictions, and academic achievement measures were not predictive of task performance. However, grade level and IQ were…

This study investigated the perceived loneliness, social competence, and social status of 15 sixth-grade students with learning disabilities (LD). Comparison with 68 peers without disabilities found students with LD reported more loneliness, were less popular, and more controversial in their social status than non-disabled peers. Implications for…

This article summarizes goals for mathematics achievement for all students and proposes a key model for teaching math to students at-risk of failure. The six teeth of the key are labeled: meaningful, explicit, informal, (de)situational, social, and teacher-specific. The lock pins are engagement, foundations, institutions, transfer, cultural…

A study investigated effects of a graduated instructional strategy on solution of algebra problems involving subtraction of integers for three adolescents with learning disabilities. Students successfully moved through three levels of instruction: concrete, semi-concrete, and abstract and applied a first letter acronym, STAR, to help them…