This study compared interstate variability of prevalence rates for special education categories from 1984 to 1985 through 2001 to 2002, using the coefficient of variation (CV), which is designed to compare variances when the means of the groups compared are radically different. The category of learning disabilities, presumed by many to be the most…

This paper reviews research on the use of white sounds (relaxing background sounds such as water or ocean waves) with people in a variety of situations and in the education of children with learning disabilities. Applications reported include the following: toilet-training toddlers; encouraging sleep in neonates; inducing relaxation in dental…

In an effort to respond to Vermont teachers' and tutors' need for learning disabilities instruction, the Stern Center for Language and Learning developed a model program to teach adults with learning disabilities. The program included 12 hours of instruction presented over Vermont interactive television to over 100 adult basic education (ABE)…

A study compared the effectiveness of the multisensory and auditory teaching methods on the promotion of memory among adults with learning problems. Subjects were 10 adult learners with learning problems, aged 19-31, from an adult basic education program in a large urban area. Two lists of nouns were prepared, each containing 10 words. The lists…

The purposes of this study were to: (1) identify the educational characteristics of children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Undifferentiated Attention Deficit Disorder (UADD); and (2) to discuss the clinical implications of the current DSM-III-R diagnostic procedures of these disorders. Specifically, the differences in…

A study examined the effects of active learning strategies; namely, visualization, questioning, and prediction, upon the reading comprehension performance of learning disabled students. Subjects were 6 12th grade resource room students. Prior to strategy instruction, students read and were tested on 3 reading selections from the literature-based…

This study compared the attitudes of minority students with learning disabilities and their parents to both student-centered homework and teacher-directed homework assignments. An adapted alternating treatments design was used to compare the return rates between traditional teacher-directed homework and student-centered assignments with 40…

Learning disabled writers are unable to incorporate text structures to plan their writing; they stop writing before their point is stated; their writing includes redundancies, irrelevancies, and many mechanical and spelling problems. Studies indicate that learning disabled writers use simplistic and/or ineffective planning strategies while…

Two studies examined the effectiveness of the PASS (Planning, Attention, Simultaneous, and Successive cognitive processes) theory of intelligence in predicting reading achievement scores of normally achieving children and distinguishing children with reading disabilities from normally achieving children. The first study dealt with predicting…

Students with learning disabilities typically experience more stress than other students at school, as a result of peer rejection, academic difficulties, and changing classroom environments, but may have fewer resources and abilities to cope with this stress. This paper outlines the knowledge and skills that teachers need to help alleviate stress…

This manual presents guidelines for supervisors of employees with learning disabilities. Guidelines were developed from both the author's supervisory experience and from a research study surveying employers to identify support systems and techniques to enable supervisors to work more effectively with these employees. The survey, which included 65…

The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-III and the Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test were administered in counterbalanced order to a sample of 39 school identified students (28 males and 11 females) with learning disabilities. Mean age was 9 years, 3 months. The WISC-III Full Scale IQ and K-BIT IQ Composite produced a correlation of .74 (p…

Schools committed to the success of all children must have an array of activities designed to address barriers to learning. This introductory packet contains some aids to help school staff find new ways of thinking about how schools should assess barriers to learning. The following items are included in the packet: (1) a chart of "Barriers to…

Culture has been found to be a confounding variable in the accurate assessment of affectively and cognitively disabled students, especially when the student is a member of a minority group. Because of differences, including differences in expectations, among members of minority and majority cultures, culturally laden behaviors may be interpreted…

This study evaluated effects of a direct instruction main idea summarization program and a self-monitoring technique on the reading comprehension of four sixth-grade students with learning disabilities. A multiple probe across student design was used. One student did not receive instruction and served as a control subject. Student performance was…