A Theoretical Model of the Acquisition of Peer Relationships of Learning Disabled Children

Abstract

Children with learning disabilities were divided into three subgroups using a method of analyzing the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) subtest scores. The study examined the differences in the acquisition of positive peer relationships between children with conceptual, spatial, and sequential disabilities. It was found that children with conceptual and spatial disabilities were less likely to be accepted by other learning disabled children than children with sequential disabilities. The results are discussed in terms of a theoretical model developed by the author. Learning disabled children's problems in acquiring positive peer relationships are thought to result partially from their social perceptual and social cognitive deficits, which are a function of the perceptual processing deficits that underly the learning disability.