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…

The first part of this article explains the connection between planning, presenting, and evaluating assignments for students who demonstrate ineffective assignment completion strategies. The second part offers specific guidelines for teaching students to check their own finished assignments according to a set of quality work criteria. (Contains…

This article examines the research surrounding definitions and selection criteria for learning disabilities and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder at the postsecondary level. Implications from and for the courts follow a critical analysis of the professional literature. The need for theory-based models to investigate relationships between…

Constructs a model for successful peer involvement for assessing writing produced by classmates with learning disabilities. Discusses six effective outcome building blocks: (1) cooperative learning from a student perspective; (2) peer as a learning assistant; (3) orchestrating purposeful peer interactions; (4) valuing peer assessment; (5)…

Discusses the rationale for offering study-skills instruction to middle and high school students with learning disabilities, describing a college methods course that was developed to train teachers to use study-skills instructional procedures. The paper also describes a study-skills clinic that was developed to provide guided one-to-one, hands-on…

In response to Kavale and Forness (EC 630 380), this article raises four issues concerning the balance between science and politics in learning disabilities (LD): (1) LD as an objective biological entity; (2) uses of a scientific definition of LD; (3) political advocacy concerning unacceptable achievement and LD; and (4) risks in assuming…