Bernice Y.L. Wong - Böcker

Bringing together over 25 years of research into the social aspects of learning disabilities (LD), this book presents a range of topics that reflect on the richness of research interests in the discipline. In honor of Tanis Bryan, the pioneer in research on social competence of children with LD, the researchers that follow her lead systematically examine critical issues in the social relationships of these children. The book begins by placing the work of Bryan and her research associates' in context, in terms of the prevailing theoretical frameworks and social political influences that led to the enormous impact of the work. The chapters that follow discuss: *social cognition in children and adolescents with LD; *self-understanding and self-esteem in children and adults with LD; *the lonely plight, peer influence, and friendship patterns of children with LD; *parental understanding and how this understanding shapes their scaffolding of learning in their children with language disabilities;*a new intervention approach toward enhancing self-concept and reading comprehension in LD students through bibliotherapy; *important and timely information on interventions for enhancing peer relations and preventing drop-out in adolescents; *models in longitudinal research with implications for research on social dimensions of LD; and*the important role of teachers in enhancing classroom social experiences for students with LD.Summarizing research findings and their implications in the various areas in the field, this book will be an excellent text for a special topics course in graduate programs in learning disabilities, special education, psychology, and social work. In addition, it will be a highly important resource for university/college teachers, researchers, graduate and honors students, and professionals in learning disabilities, social psychology, and social work.

Bringing together over 25 years of research into the social aspects of learning disabilities (LD), this book presents a range of topics that reflect on the richness of research interests in the discipline. In honor of Tanis Bryan, the pioneer in research on social competence of children with LD, the researchers that follow her lead systematically examine critical issues in the social relationships of these children. The book begins by placing the work of Bryan and her research associates' in context, in terms of the prevailing theoretical frameworks and social political influences that led to the enormous impact of the work. The chapters that follow discuss: *social cognition in children and adolescents with LD; *self-understanding and self-esteem in children and adults with LD; *the lonely plight, peer influence, and friendship patterns of children with LD; *parental understanding and how this understanding shapes their scaffolding of learning in their children with language disabilities;*a new intervention approach toward enhancing self-concept and reading comprehension in LD students through bibliotherapy; *important and timely information on interventions for enhancing peer relations and preventing drop-out in adolescents; *models in longitudinal research with implications for research on social dimensions of LD; and*the important role of teachers in enhancing classroom social experiences for students with LD.Summarizing research findings and their implications in the various areas in the field, this book will be an excellent text for a special topics course in graduate programs in learning disabilities, special education, psychology, and social work. In addition, it will be a highly important resource for university/college teachers, researchers, graduate and honors students, and professionals in learning disabilities, social psychology, and social work.

Recently, in the area of learning disabilities, a subarea of special educa­ tion, an interesting development has become discernible. This develop­ ment centers on the increasing focus of learning disabilities professionals on theory building and empirical research, and it is reflected in the spate of books currently being published. With their clear emphasis on con­ ceptual and methodological issues along with directions for future re­ search, these newly published books differ essentially from the bulk of learning disabilities textbooks. They include S. Vaughn and C. Bos (Eds. ), Research in Learning Disabilities: Issues and Future Directions, published in 1987 by College-Hill; T. E. Scruggs and B. Y. L. Wong (Eds. ), Intervention Research in Learning Disabilities, published in 1990 by Springer-Verlag; and L. Swanson (Ed. ), Learning Disabilities: Theore­ tical and Research Issues, published in 1991 by Lawrence Erlbaum Asso­ ciates. As reflected in these three books, the discipline began with a service orientation and has evolved beyond that to come of age with aspirations of becoming a scientific discipline. These books can be taken to voice the concerted efforts ,of learning disabilities professionals to promote theory building and empirical research. Undeniably these books provide valuable information on conceptual issues and research in learning disabilities. Nevertheless, they appear to have one drawback, namely, they focus exclusively on learning disabilities research in North America.