Group Counseling with the Adolescent Learning Disabled

Abstract

Based on a review of the literature involving group counseling and guidance activities with learning impaired adolescent students, the present article focuses on the cooperative assistance that counselors and special education teachers can provide for the learning disabled. A rationale and set of procedures are suggested to incorporate group activities for the less severely impaired so as to facilitate their reintegration into regular classrooms.

Adolescent discipline: Different family members' perception

“…One intervention having this potential is that of peer support groups. Berg and Wages (1982) reported the use of group counseling with adolescent students having learning disabilities. They cited time efficiency, the value of feedback, acceptance by others, and the discovery that they are not alone in their problems as being the value of the group as a vehicle for dealing with the concerns of learning disabled (LD) students.…”

“…TOC students with a "framework for role modeling" and a strong support system. Because of the developmental level of the members of their groups, Berg and Wages (1982) suggested the group should be structured. Woodward (1981) concurred that "the learning disabled adolescent profits when tasks are structured [and] broken down into discrete steps" (p. 33).…”

Group therapy with adolescents who have learning disabilities and social/emotional problems

“…There is a paucity of literature on group therapy with adolescents who have learning disabilities (Berg & Wages, 1982;Coch6 & Fisher, 1989;Pickar, 1988). Berg & Wages (1982) review the literature on group counselling and guidance activities with learning disabled adolescents.…”

“…Berg & Wages (1982) review the literature on group counselling and guidance activities with learning disabled adolescents. They contend that despite ambiguous results in a limited number of studies, "in a general sense, a case can be made for the use of group work with LD students similar to that made for more traditional populations" (p. 277).…”