The social and emotional development of learning disabled students needs to be addressed in education programming effort. Social skills, which are essential to academic as well as social success, can be taught through such methods as role playing, games, grouping, puppetry, behavior modification, and problem-solving exercises. In addition, teachers, counselors, and other staff can learn additional techniques, such as life space interviewing, participant modeling, and mutual story telling. Social developmental problems may vary from disruptiveness to shyness, isolation, or withdrawal. The children may manifest low self-esteem, low frustration tolerance, anxiety, or depression. A wide variety of change methods may be useful with behaviors such as hyperactivity, distractibility, impulsivity, daydreaming, procrastination, and messiness. For example, asking the child to report disruptive classroom behavior to parents, and planning for feedback on this reporting, helps some children reduce disruptiveness. Another approach to change is structuring activities so that the withdrawn child is expected to interact in ways that the teacher is confident will be successful. Methods to promote age-appropriate behaviors include modeling, praise, contracting and point systems as a way of earning privileges, and positive self-verbalizations. The role of the family in providing support for socio-emotional stresses is important. (Author/SEW)