Mary E. Cronin

A Life Skills Approach to Mathematics Instruction Preparing Students with Learning Disabilities for the Real-Life Math Demands of Adulthood

Current mathematics instruction does not address the day-to-day needs of many students with learning disabilities. Although the vast majority of students with learning disabilities are not college bound, much of mathematics instruction provides college preparation. Too often, classes in mathematics ignore the skills needed in the home and community and on the job. The present article examines the ways in which general mathematics instruction, focused on daily living skills, can easily be integrated into the classrooms of students with learning disabilities.

Life Skills Curricula for Students with Learning Disabilities A Review of the Literature

This article presents a review of the current literature on life skills curricula and instruction as they relate to students with learning disabilities. The review of life skills literature is organized into two sections: intervention and follow-up/follow-along studies. Based on the available research, several suggestions for designing research programs that address life skills curricula and instruction for students with learning disabilities are outlined.

Students with emotional/behavioral disorders and transition planning : What the follow-up studies tell US

This paper will examine the current literature and implications of follow-up studies of students with emotional/behavioral disorders (EBD) focusing on the postschool outcomes of this population. The examination of the follow-up studies gave a perspective of transition and postschool outcomes for youths with EBD. In our research, we found 22 follow-up studies that examined the EBD population as a subset of a larger pool of youths with disabilities, yet found only eight studies that examined the EBD population exclusively. When compared to the multitude of studies done with other disability categories (e.g., learning disabled, mild or moderately retarded) the adult outcomes of youth with EBD have not been studied as extensively. This synthesis of the literature on follow-up studies should act as a reference in the revision or updating of curriculum and programming for communities, school boards, educators, counselors, parents, and students. A general conclusion drawn by the literature reviewed was that students with EBD also have lower grades, more course failures, a higher grade retention, and a higher dropout rate than other disability groups and the general population. A re-evaluation of school programs (e.g., general/special education curriculum) and policies (e.g., transition planning) must occur if these postschool outcomes for youths with EBD are to improve.

The Efficacy of Group Versus One-to-One Instruction: A Review:

The issue of pup versus one-to-one instruction and training is explored through a review of relevant reseanh in this area. Distinctions between the concept of individualized instruction and one-to-one instruction are presented Discussion of the research focuses on the concerns of effectiveness, eficiency, and social benfits. Implications for educational programming and fiture research are presented.

Self-monitoring and at-risk middle school students. Academic performance improves, maintains, and generalizes.

Using a multiple baseline design across six academic settings, we found that teaching 4 at-risk middle school students to self-monitor markedly improved their academic performance as measured by their grades and related academic behaviors. Furthermore, these improvements generalized to settings where self-monitoring was never introduced, and they maintained the following school year. In this charter middle school setting, self-monitoring proved to be an extremely effective intervention. These findings suggest that it would be equally effective in a variety of settings.

Effects of Self-Monitoring on On-Task Behaviors of At-Risk Middle School Students

The purposes of this study were to evaluate the effects of self-monitoring on increasing the on-task behaviors of four at-risk middle school students, and to examine its indirect effects on academic performance. Additionally, we attempted to develop and validate cost- and time-efficient procedures that typical classroom teachers could use. The data from a multiple baseline design across three academic settings, replicated with four students, revealed immediate increases in on-task behavior as each student began to self-monitor in each sequential setting. The data also revealed slightly higher levels of academic performance and, in most instances, gradually accelerating trends. These findings suggest that self-monitoring is a cost- and time-efficient procedure that classroom teachers can use to teach at-risk students to manage their own behaviors.

WISC-R stability and re-evaluation of learning-disabled students.

This study investigated the temporal stability of WISC-R IQ scores for learning-disabled subjects (N = 113). All study subjects were administered the WISC-R for an initial evaluation (M age = 8 years, 3 months) and a follow-up re-evaluation (M age = 11 years, 7 months). Pearson product-moment correlations yielded coefficients that were considerably lower than those previously reported: r = .55, p less than .001 for the Verbal IQs; r = .63, p less than .001 for the Performance IQs; and r = .58, p less than .001 for the Full Scale IQs. Results of t-test analyses indicated that only the Verbal IQ scores were significantly different when the initial evaluation (M = 89.4) was compared to the re-evaluation (M = 85.3), p less than .001. The results suggest that the WISC-R may be less stable for the learning-disabled population than for other groups and that the average 3-year test-retest time lapse was an influential factor in the reduced reliability of this instrument.

Referral reasons for learning disabled students

Referral information for 269 LD students in grades one through five was examined. Referral reasons were classified according to three major types: (a) academic, (b) behavior, and (c) academic and behavior. These major referral types also were analyzed according to particular concern (e.g., reading deficits, attentional problems, etc.). The results indicated that the majority of students were referred for either academic (42%) or both academic and behavioral (41%) reasons; referrals initiated solely for behavior problems accounted for only 17% of the total. The grade level analysis revealed that academic concerns were less likely to be noted in the first and fifth grades, and that the number of referrals diminished as grade level advanced (51% of the sample was diagnosed by second grade). Referral statements within each major referral type tended to be general, as opposed to specifying particular concerns to be explored in the evaluation. Preservice and in-service training recommendations are given.

Learning Disabilities, Employment Discrimination, and the ADA

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 2990 was intended to prohibit discriminationagainst individuals wifh disabilities. Although the scope of this legislation is broad, there are aspects of Title I and Title I1 of the ADA that may be of particular interest f o persons with learning disabilities who are preparing for employment. This article discusses those aspects and presents case studies to demonstrate how the ADA could potentially be applied to typical situations. Suggestions are given for individuals with learning disabilities, their parents, and teachers with regard to employment preparation in seconda y and postseconda y settings.

Learning for Life The Life Skills Curriculum

We continue to encourage our readers to submit articles for this section of Intervention, which focuses on a specific school, clinic, camp, or individual concerned with special or remedial education.—GW