Social Performance of Individuals with Learning Disabilities: Through the Looking Glass of KU-IRLD Research

Abstract

Whether or not individuals with learning disabilities exhibit social deficits characteristic of their population at large and whether the limited instructional time available during regular and special education programming should be spent teaching these individuals social skills have been controversial issues for some time. This article addresses these issues “through the looking glass” of a programmatic line of research conducted by staff members and affiliates of the University of Kansas Institute for Research in Learning Disabilities (KU-IRLD) over the past 14 years. The commonalities across the KU-IRLD research studies focusing on this area are initially described to provide a backdrop to summaries of the research findings. The findings are described in relation to major conclusions that can be drawn from them. As the findings are addressed, their relationship to the two issues is clarified. Finally, directions for future research and social skills training are suggested.

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Notes on contributors

Jean Bragg Schumaker

Jean B. Schumaker, PhD, is the Associate Director at the Institute for Research in Learning Disabilities at the University of Kansas. Her research interests include social skill strategy instruction, learning strategy instruction, and motivation strategy instruction as well as instructional methods for mainstream classes at the secondary level.