Thirty-seven college students with learning disabilities were given a reading comprehension task under the following conditions: (1) using an optical character recognition/speech synthesis system; (2) having the text read aloud by a human reader; or (3) reading silently without assistance. Findings indicated that the greater the disability, the…

Examined the performance of middle school students with learning disabilities (N=86) or without (N=39) on the Science Appraisal Battery. Questions required either verbal answers or hands-on activities with no time limits. Regular education students outperformed students with learning disabilities on all portions of the test and on both verbal and…

A survey of 264 parents (151 special education and 103 general education) examined parental perceptions and attitudes toward inclusion practices. Quantitative and qualitative analyses revealed that, overall, parents were pleased with the academic and support services their children received and the social aspects of inclusion. Concerns were raised…

The keynote speech identifies six categories of problem areas for children with learning disabilities: (1) synchronization, (2) consistency, (3) methodology, (4) cohesion, (5) saliency determination, and (6) tempo. A model of neurodevelopmental functions and performance elements to guide researchers and practitioners is offered. (DB)

Twenty-one children (ages 6-15) with Tourette's syndrome completed an educational battery. Seventy-five percent had problems with spelling and writing, 50% had difficulty with calculations, and 25% had difficulty with word identification and reading comprehension. Visual-motor defects were common. (Author/DB)

Two discriminant function analyses were conducted to determine the cognitive/educational profile which differentiated 4 groups of 68 elementary/secondary level students: attention deficit disorder (ADD), with and without medication; learning disabilities (LD); and nonhandicapped. By treating the LD and nonmedicated ADD subjects as one group, a…

Several assessment procedures were analyzed to determine their ability to discriminate below-average from above-average readers among 50 first graders. Results indicated that language tests were more successful in classifying reading skills than were sensory-motor and perceptual procedures. Clear cut asymmetrical hemispheric specializations,…

This study evaluated the psychoeducational patterns of 14 adults (ages 19 to 37) with learning disabilities and reading ability at the fourth-grade level or below. Subjects' backgrounds and reasons for referral are summarized, and results of intervention in oral language, reading, written language, and mathematics are reported. (DB)

This paper critiques the methodologies used in studies finding that reading problems in children are not strongly associated with attention deficit disorder (ADD) and that medication used to treat ADD does not improve reading performance. New data are reported, suggesting increased reading difficulty with longer reading passages and improved…

The Clock Drawing test was administered to 143 regular education students (grades 1-4) to determine approximate grade levels at which skill on the test may be expected and to 30 students with learning disabilities. For the regular children, scores improved most between first and second grade. The disabled children scored significantly lower than…