Learning Disability Quarterly

Educational practices for learning disabled adolescents exhibit considerable variance. Much of this variance stems from differing assumptions made about learner, assessment, and instructional factors related to the learning disabled adolescent. Wiederholt specifies three assumptions which he considers significant for effective assessment and instructional practice for older learning disabled students. First, the role of meaning in written language should be emphasized. Second, curricula should be related to skills and knowledge needed for functional competency as an adult in society. Third, the needs of handicapped adolescents should be evaluated in several natural environments. Instructional implications and cautions are discussed for each assumption.

In recent years, diagnosis and treatment of LD adolescents have primarily been considered from the public school perspective. This article, however, examines the characteristics, diagnosis, and treatment of LD adolescents from a clinical perspective. Johnson, Blalock, and Nesbitt present data on LD adolescents that have been gathered at the diagnostic-remedial clinic at Northwestern University. Specifically, the following areas are discussed: (a) detailed descriptive data on the characteristics of the populations, (b) diagnostic and data coding strategies, (c) remedial goals, philosophy, and techniques for adolescents, and (d) issues related to programming for older students. This article clearly illustrates the value of studying LD populations in clinical settings as a means of better understanding their characteristics and their responsiveness to intervention procedures.

Compared to disorders in reading, spelling, and written expression, mathematics disorders have received little attention by learning disabilities specialists. However, in recent years, Cawley and his associates at the University of Connecticut have made significant contributions in this area through their research and development efforts with learning disabled populations. This represents the first in a series of three articles which will focus upon mathematics and learning disabled students. Specifically, this article presents a model for mathematics programming for handicapped youth that considers both the characteristics of the learner and the appropriate representation of mathematics. The second article will present an interpretive review of the literature and the characteristics of learning disabled youth and mathematics. The final article will focus on problem solving and the application of mathematical skills and concepts to “real-life” situations.

This article presents a framework for a model curriculum for secondary learning disabled students. The framework was developed using a three-round Delphi probe of national experts in secondary LD curriculum. The current status of secondary LD curricula as assessed through a literature review is presented. In addition, discrepancies between existing curricula and the proposed framework are delineated and recommendations for curriculum development are specified.

Without effective cooperative planning between the learning disabilities teacher and the regular classroom teacher, the probability of successfully mainstreaming an LD adolescent into the regular classroom is greatly reduced. Cooperative planning is an educational programming and monitoring arrangement between special and regular educators on behalf of LD students. This article presents the thesis that a major part of the learning disabilities teacher's role is to assist the mainstream teacher in developing and implementing instructional alternatives. The authors delineate prerequisites for bringing about educational change in the mainstream and specify a sequence of steps for systematically creating change in the regular class on behalf of LD adolescents.

The final regulations for learning disabilities under PL 94–142 were published in December, 1977. As school districts have attempted to comply with these regulations, questions have been raised regarding their impact on assessment and instructional planning for learning disabled populations. So far, most of the literature on the LD regulations has focused on the preschool- and elementary-aged child. Goodman and Price, however, have analyzed the regulations as they relate to the evaluation of specific learning disabilities and to instructional planning for LD adolescents. This article raises several concerns on behalf of the learning disabled adolescent about the application of the regulations within secondary school settings.

The results of this study suggest that the syntactic complexity of written mathematical problems influences the student's ability to solve the problems. Although the study used low-achieving eighth-grade students and a relatively small n, the implications for assessment and instructional planning for LD students are nevertheless apparent. The study stresses the importance of considering factors other than just a youngster's mathematical ability to explain below-average performance in arithmetic.

Psychosocial disorders is an area of major concern to practitioners and researchers who work with learning disabled adolescents. The question of whether the behaviors manifested by the secondary learning disabled student are the result of academic failure or frustration still remains undetermined. However, in her comprehensive review of the literature related to this area, Kronick cites support for the position that learning disabled adolescents evidence psychosocial deficits independent of academic failure and frustration. A specification of the salient characteristics of the population is a prerequisite to determining appropriate intervention procedures. The information presented in this article contributes to that prerequisite step for psychosocial programming.

Problem solving is receiving increased attention from professionals working with learning disabled adolescents because of its obvious relation to success within the secondary school curriculum and life adjustment in the post-school environment. This study examines the problem-solving characteristics of learning disabled adolescents through a paradigm that uses verbalized self-instructions. Havertape and Kass delineate specific characteristics of learning disabled adolescents which differentiate their problem-solving skills from those of their normal peers. Implications for intervention are discussed.

This article presents the results of a nationwide survey conducted to determine the types and availability of services being provided to learning disabled adolescents. Results are summarized under three main categories: procedures, services for learning disabled adolescents, and problems and needs. As a consequence of PL 94–142, public schools are moving to comply with the law; thus, much of the data in this survey must continually be updated and reanalyzed.