Students with learning disabilities (LD) often leave school without the necessary cognitive autonomy skills to independently navigate adulthood and meet the life challenges of the 21st century. Acquiring and maintaining cognitive autonomy skills (i.e., decision-making, voicing an opinion, evaluating the consequences of decisions, self-assessing…

Writing is a critical academic and life skill, but many school-age children struggle with the complexity of written expression. Given the importance of writing, there is a clear need for a systematic approach to identifying and supporting struggling writers, including writers with learning and emotional disabilities. One such approach is known as…

Transition planning and processes can greatly influence the quality of schooling transitions for students with learning disabilities. Student-focused planning and family involvement are two integral components of transition planning that do not always receive the emphasis that they deserve. The educational transitions of one student are examined…

Kristin L. Sayeski introduces the reader to Dan Hallahan and provides a synopsis of his educational background. She reports Hallahan received his BA in psychology in 1967 and his PhD in education and psychology in 1971 from the University of Michigan, then began his career as an assistant professor in special education at the University of…

Schools and classrooms, if well conceived, can serve as protective environments for the positive development of African American students with learning disabilities (LD) (Keogh & Weisner, 1993). Many African American students who lack resiliency often struggle with life's challenges and may be predisposed to negative outcomes in life, so the focus…

The school activities, social relationships, and leadership opportunities youth with disabilities experience outside of the classroom can make important contributions to positive adolescent development and successful transitions to adult life. Unfortunately, many high school students with disabilities are not accessing or benefiting from the rich…

This article presents information on using mnemonic strategies to enhance learning and memory of students with mild disabilities. Different types of mnemonic strategies are described, including the keyword method, the pegword method, and letter strategies. Following this, a number of teachers describe their own applications of mnemonic strategies…

In many general education classrooms today, teachers are using "reform" mathematics curricula. These curricula emphasize the application of mathematics in real-life contexts and include such practices as collaborative, group problem solving and student-generated algorithms. Students with learning disabilities in the area of mathematics can…

When students are struggling to be successful in the general classroom, collaborative efforts should include planning for academic and social needs. Students with disabilities may display significant social difficulties such as establishing friendships or feelings of isolation and loneliness. Because peer relationships in childhood play a…

Many students with emotional and behavioral disabilities do not receive the social skills training required for success in inclusive school settings or life after graduation. Teachers often cite lack of training and motivation as factors explaining this. This article describes a teaching sequence that enables students to create and utilize their…

Increased attention has been given recently to the needs of students with learning and developmental disabilities who are transitioning from high school to college. This is especially important for students with high-functioning autism spectrum disorders (ASD), who are likely to experience significant and unique challenges in adjusting to…

The article describes the modification and implementation in Saint Bernard Parish (Louisiana) of the Adult Performance Level Curriculum with mildly handicapped secondary students. Major skill areas are coordinated with areas of functional competency, with the goal of achieving competency in 42 specific areas of adult life. Field experiences…

Operation Breakthrough, in which graduate student interns teach life skills to adolescents with learning disabilities, provided an impetus for identifying a profile of learning and work habits necessary for production of an agile workforce. Agile learning for self-systems improvement calls for self-empowered learning, collaborative learning,…

Using information from a 20-year study, this article presents a conceptual framework for fostering success attributes in students with learning disabilities and provides suggestions for classroom activities. Activities are suggested for fostering self-awareness, proactiveness, perseverance, goal setting, use of support systems, and emotional…

Guidelines for implementing a problem-solving approach to teaching mathematics concepts and skills to students with mild disabilities include: establish connections to daily life; use visual presentations; use manipulatives; use peer-mediated instruction; provide models, cues, and prompts; teach self-management techniques and learning strategies;…