The paper describes research examining the interrelationships among cognitive, linguistic, and social development in a sample of dysphasic children (having severe linguistic problems disproportionate to cognitive abilities) using microprocessors as a special diagnostic and training environment. Two studies are described; the first (the Comparison Study) examined problem solving, social skills, and linguistic performance of eight dysphasic and eight normal 8- to 10-year-olds on diagnostic and computer-based tasks. Ss worked on computer games in cooperative and didactic sessions. The performance of dysphasic Ss was lower on almost all measures. In the second study (the Training Study), the dysphasic Ss were given training in problem solving on computers. With small amounts of training, the performance of dysphasic Ss resembled that of the control group. The results of both studies suggest that students' educational history can result in the development of secondary deficits. Lower performance is not always a property of individual deficits, but occurs within a system of interrelated activities. Among educational implications discussed are ways to draw the children into educational experiences, in part by redirecting their metacognitive skills from task avoidance to task analysis; considerations in grouping children with language problems; and the role of computers in education. (CL)