Behavior Patterns of Learning Disabled and Non-Learning-Disabled Adolescents in High School Academic Classes

Abstract

The present study sought to describe the classroom behavior patterns of learning disabled adolescents in mainstream academic classes. The school survival skills of the 36 LD students in regular high school classes were measured through direct observation. These observational data were compared with data on emotionally disturbed students and a control sample of nonhandicapped students in the same mainstream classes. The LD students tended to come to class ill-equipped and attend to the lesson about 60% of the time. They followed teachers' procedural directions, but avoided giving information and seldom volunteered comments or questions. This characterization has been confirmed by other research studies. However, the current data suggest that this passive behavior may be quite normal for high school students in regular track academic classes. Moreover, in on-task behaviors, compliance to procedural requests, responses to informational requests, asking questions, and making unsolicited, content-appropriate comments, the LD group's performance was not significantly different from that of the control sample. Differences among LD and ED students were found; the LD group was significantly less active than the ED group in class.