Learning Disabilities and Challenging Behaviors

A Guide to Intervention and Classroom Management

By Nancy Mather, Ph.D., & Sam Goldstein, Ph.D.

"One of the best books about learning disabilities...that I have seen in a long time. Its greatest strength is in its practical suggestions.... These authors have done a splendid job of providing a readable text for both the beginner and the advanced student in the field of learning and behavioral difficulties." —Regina Cicci, Ph.D., in IDA Perspectives "these authors have done a splendid job of providing a readable text for both the beginner and the advanced student in the field of learning and behavioral difficulties." —IDA

Two reasons educators want to implement this book's Building Blocks model in their classroom: They'll have an innovative framework to help them understand the reasons why students in K-12 struggle. They'll have the proven strategies to help students learn. The Building Blocks model is practical, supported by research, and easy to implement. It identifies ten areas important to school success (the building blocks), divided into three levels: the foundational level includes attention and impulse control, emotion and behavior, self-esteem, and learning environment blocks the symbolic processing and memory level contains the visual, auditory, and motor skills blocks the conceptual level comprises using strategies and thinking with language and images A detailed questionnaire for each block helps identify a student's strengths and limitations, cultivate their strengths, address the weaker areas, and develop appropriate accommodations and instructional interventions. Each chapter contains proven teacher strategies to give educators direct information to meet students' individual needs. Once educators understand the causes of students' classroom challenges, educators can design individualized and effective interventions. Appropriate Courses Introduction to Special Education Learning Disabilities — Introduction (Special Education) Inclusion / Mainstreaming Special Education: Behavior and Emotional Disorders — Introduction Special Education: Learning Disabilities — Methods Special Education: Mild/ Moderate Disabilities — Methods Paperback 416 pages / 8 1/2 x 11 2001

Table of Contents --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

About the Authors About the Contributors Preface Acknowledgments A Note to Teachers

Section I: Introduction The Building Blocks of Learning: A Framework for Understanding Classroom Learning and Behavior Theoretical Foundations

Section II: Foundational Blocks Understanding and Managing Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Understanding and Managing Emotional and Behavior Problems The Mindset of the Effective Educator: Strategies to Promote Self-Esteem and Resilience with Robert Brooks The Learning Environment

Section III: Symbolic Blocks Visual, Auditory, and Motor Skills Instruction in Decoding and Encoding, Reading Fluency, Calculating, and Handwriting

Section IV: Conceptual Blocks Thinking with Language, Images, and Strategies with Karyl Lynch and Ann M. Richards Instruction in Reading Comprehension, Written Expression, and Math Problem Solving with Karyl Lynch The Classroom Environment as a Microcosm of the World