This article describes using bibliotherapy to improve reading comprehension and enhance self-esteem or improve behavior for students with learning and behavior problems. A step-by-step procedure is provided to ensure success with all students. A list of recommended books to use with students in preschool through second grade is provided. (Contains…

This article reports on use of an e-mail-based correspondence program with South African peers to facilitate the writing skills and motivation of six U.S. sixth graders with language/learning disabilities. Focusing on one child's experience, it describes the writing-process instructional approach and the positive effects on the student's writing…

Investigated possible priming effect of two neuropsychological tests, the Booklet Category Test (BCT) and Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST). Obtained counterbalanced order effects on like-aged sample of 63 South African elementary school students (normally- achieving, low-functioning, learning-disabled). Found a significant effect of set-shifting…

This study examined the relation of learning disabilities (LD) and gender with emotional intelligence (as measured by the Emotional Quotient Inventory) in 128 college students. Analyses indicated significant differences between students with and without LD on stress management and adaptability, between men and women students on interpersonal…

Finds that students with learning disabilities who received reading instruction in special-education resource rooms expressed reading attitudes that equaled or exceeded those expressed by low and average non-disabled students in another nationwide study, and that their attitudes remained more stable across grades 1 through 5 than those expressed…

A study investigated phenotypic effects seen in 114 females with premutation and 41 females (ages 18-58) with full Fragile X mental retardation gene mutation. Those with the full mutation had a greater incidence of hand-flapping, eye contact problems, special education help for reading and math, and grade retention. (Author/CR)

Job satisfaction was examined for 55 self-identified college graduates with learning disabilities (LD) and 55 control graduates matched by gender, major, degree, and graduation year. Graduates with LD perceived themselves as receiving significantly less pay and promotion opportunities, and reported less total job satisfaction than graduates…

The resilience that individuals who have learning disabilities can demonstrate is highlighted through a case study. Examples from a student's description of his school history illuminate resilience themes. The article culminates in a list of things teachers can do to instill resilience in their students. (Author/CR)

A study compared the effects of immediate self-correction, delayed self-correction, and no correction on the acquisition and maintenance of multiplication facts by a fourth-grade student with learning disabilities. Results indicate that both correct response rate and accuracy were higher when self-corrections were immediate rather than delayed or…

A British study involving 17 children with autism, 17 children with learning difficulties, and 17 controls (ages 7-13) investigated whether children with autism could correct errors on a computerized task. The children with autism were more likely than the others to fail to correct external and internal errors. (CR)

This commentary on C. Addison Stone's paper on the scaffolding metaphor for the learning disabilities field concludes that the scaffolding metaphor is fundamentally flawed. The author proposes an alternative model, Strategic Content Learning, which is seen as more successfully promoting correspondence between instructional activities and the…

This commentary on C. Addison Stone's paper on the scaffolding metaphor for the learning disabilities field identifies issues in the metaphor's use and concludes that effective special education has been inhibited by isolation of interventions from theory and by the way teacher education is structured. Use of the scaffolding metaphor to refocus…

To better understand the eligibility criteria Michigan districts use to identify students with special learning disabilities, written documents from the Regional Educational Service Agencies were analyzed. The majority of districts had written criteria, and all of the districts with criteria included a severe discrepancy formula. Discrepancy…

Discusses the medical diagnosis of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Describes the nature and origins of the condition and discusses approaches to its management, focusing on the controversy surrounding the social and educational value of the diagnosis. Examines the potential contribution of the ADHD diagnosis in promoting social…

Off-line metacognition (prediction and evaluation) was assessed in 437 children (grades 2-3) with or without learning disabilities. Off-line metacognitive scores of children with reading disabilities were comparable to those of age-matched typical peers. Significantly lower prediction and evaluation scores were found for children with specific or…