Briefly outlines the National Research Council's 1979 study of minority student representation in special education classes. Outlines results from recent study analyzing the ethnic make-up of children labeled "learning disabled" in a large school district in Texas. Results indicate that a disproportionate number of minority students are…

Sampled high school students (N=192) to determine whether the Self-Directed Search (SDS) and Self-Directed Search-Form Easy (SDS-E) are alternate forms for learning-disabled high school students. Found initial evidence that the SDS-E may be more appropriate than is the SDS for use with learning disabled high school students. (Author/ABB)

Describes a metacognitive strategy that has shown the ability to improve the reading comprehension of poor readers and learning disabled adolescents. (FL)

Two case studies involving preschool children with developmental learning disabilities (one with nystagmus and one with a hearing impairment) point to the need for appropriate ability as well as disability identification and assessment procedures (both had been diagnosed as mentally retarded) the potential of early diagnosis and intervention for…

Some research about students with learning disabilities that textbook publishers need to consider as they revise problem-solving materials is briefly cited. (MNS)

Discusses ways of identifying and helping gifted-disabled students--students who possess high intellectual abilities but also have some learning disorder. (FL)

An intermediate grade music teacher describes how a learning disabled child with problems ranging from fine motor coordination to right/left orientation difficulty turned out to be a fine clarinetist with a fantastic ability to memorize music. (RM)

Using the Classroom Behavior Inventory, teachers rated the behaviors of 63 school-identified, learning-disabled first and second graders. Hierarchical cluster analysis techniques identified seven distinct behavioral subtypes. Internal validation techniques indicated that the subtypes were replicable and had profile patterns different from a sample…

Investigates the extent to which learning disabled readers' atypical encoding relates to their deficiencies in semantic memory by comparing learning disabled and nondisabled readers in two age groups on dichotic listening tasks that included orienting and nonorienting instructions. (HOD)

Issues and needs identified in a 1984 survey of professionals in the field of learning disabilities are summarized and grouped as follows: (1) theory and research; (2) practice and related applied research (subtyping, differential programming, intervention focus, efficacy, and prevention/early intervention); (3) training (including categorical…

Sociometric and activity questionnaires were administered using a sample of 28 learning disabled (LD) boys (ages 6-13) enrolled in private school. Results suggested that the LD population is sociometrically heterogeneous. Popularity was found to be significantly related to informal get-togethers with friends, but not to levels of participation in…

In the early 1960s, four special education categories (slow learners, mentally retarded, emotionally disturbed, and culturally deprived) were used to explain the failure of lower class and minority children, while the less stigmatizing category of learning disabilities explained the failures of white middle class children. Later events changed the…

Learning disabled and behaviorally disordered third and fourth grade students were taught test taking skills such as attending to appropriate stimuli, marking answers carefully, using time well, and avoiding errors. These students scored significantly higher than their untrained peers on the Word Study Skills subtest of the Stanford Achievement…

Reading and writing assessment which focuses on fragmented, isolated skills provides little information about how children actually read and write. An holistic alternative, the systematic observation of children's reading and writing behavior as they occur in natural settings, is discussed. (Author/CB)

There is a significant need for trained personnel to develop, implement, and evaluate college programs for the increasing numbers of college students with learning disabilities. As programs develop, the input of special education faculty should be solicited to help address the research, technical assistance, and personnel preparation needs of…