Focusing on the personality of the reading disabled child, this booklet is designed to encourage researchers to move past the circular debate concerning student reading difficulties and to help teachers improve the reading performance of students with disabling stress reactions to reading. The first section examines research related to emotional maladjustment in reading, providing both a framework for interpreting this body of knowledge and a theoretical basis for developing effective intervention. The second section introduces the Stress Reaction Scale for Reading, an instrument designed to assist teachers in identifying students' specific stress reactions in reading. Characteristics essential to adequate reading assessment are also discussed, as are issues pertinent to teachers' self-assessment. The third section suggests that students with "fight or flight" (FOF) stress reactions to reading should be taught to (1) set explicit, reasonable goals for themselves; (2) arrange rewards and incentives for their efforts; (3) monitor their self-defeating reactions when reading is stressful; and (4) use a variety of direct coping strategies. The final section outlines a general, seven-step approach to a 1-hour session with FOF students. A list of related readings is included for parents and teachers interested in learning more about helping students make adaptive responses to FOF stress reactions. (JD)