Students with learning disabilities (n=88) and without (n=84) were interviewed about 10 scenarios in which a teenager was caught after participating in misconduct. Students with learning disabilities were more likely to suggest escaping and less likely to suggest accepting the consequences. (Author/DB)

The selection of subjects for research on learning disabilities is a function of contemporary notions about learning disabilities, the purpose of the study and level of knowledge about the topic, and practical constraints. Denigrations of the extant research database, along with unaffordable demands for subject selection and descriptions, threaten…

Over the past 20 years, teachers have been under continuous pressure to increase students' academic achievement gains. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB), the latest effort in the 20+-year-old school reform movement, is a federal mandate that demands in part that school districts implement science-based instructional strategies to ensure…

The differential diagnosis of learning disabilities (LD) and emotional or behavioral disorders is complicated by the high incidence of concomitant emotional or behavioral disorders in LD children. (DB)

Thirty students with learning disabilities (LDs) performed less competently on five information-processing steps than did average-achieving students. Compared to average and low achieving students, LD subjects exhibited a unique problem in the encoding of social information and in their tendency to select incompetent self-generated solutions to…

This study examined the social attributions of 32 students with learning disabilities (LD) compared to those of 29 nonlearning-disabled low achieving and 33 average-achieving students. Students with LD were more likely to use external factors in explaining their social successes and failures, while attributing their successes to internal factors.…

This article reviews research on the influence of affect on thoughts, cognition, and behavior of students with learning disabilities and finds that induced positive affect leads to more accurate performance on math, greater learning of new vocabulary, and better performance on new learning tasks. (Author/DB)

This paper reviews the implications of definitions of learning disabilities for the Regular Education Initiative. Since heterogeneity (i.e., developmental imbalances, intraindividual gaps) is characteristic of this population, regular classroom modifications alone are unlikely to meet these students' needs and thus special services will continue…

This response to a paper by Linda Siegel (EC221505) discusses research on the relationship between social skills and Intelligence Quotient or academic performance. The research indicates that it is erroneous to assume that Intelligence Quotient or academic achievement account for the social problems of children with learning disabilities. (JDD)

A model is presented for assessing students with learning disabilities suspected of having social difficulties. Categories for assessment are described, including affective status, self-efficacy, social status, social skills, and the absence of destructive behaviors. Examples of assessment measures are provided for each category and the model's…

This response to Vaughn and Hogan (EC 608 627), who reported a longitudinal study on the social competence of 10 children with learning disabilities, looks at problems in doing longitudinal research; the influence of environmental factors; and developmental issues. Possible interventions with children having consistent social problems are noted.…

Twenty-eight students (grades six through eight) with severe learning disabilities (LD) received group or individual intervention with either induced positive or neutral moods. The positive affect condition in the individual setting increased coding task performance the most for students with LD. Subjects receiving the neutral affect induction,…

In response to a paper on risk and resilience models in learning disabilities research, this article suggests two factors that render this framework appealing to special education researchers: its optimistic empowering nature as the trainability of identified resilience factors is assumed and its emphasis on factors external to the individual that…

For over 30 years, researchers have studied the social-emotional side of learning disabilities (LD). This article highlights the science-based research on three domains of social skills of children with LD: characteristics, interventions, and the impact of policy. The article concludes with concerns regarding the translation of research on…

This paper examines the identification of children with learning disabilities who are at risk for problems in the social domain. Based on sociometric measures, teacher rating scales, and measures administered to the children, it is found that children with learning disabilities may have problems related to rejection or related to neglect, and that…