Little information is available on the levels of basic living skills of learning disabled adolescents. Using direct observation techniques, this study analyzed the differences in levels of occupational skills between LD youths and their non-LD peers. The results showed low levels of employment-related skills for both groups of high school adolescents. However, the non-LD high school students performed significantly better on the job-related skills than their LD peers. These differences were more marked for nonsocial interaction skills than for social skills. These findings suggest the need for methods of teaching LD youths the skills of finding and retaining employment.
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