Perceptual differences were examined for four boys identified with fetal al
cohol effect (FAE) and labeled learning disabled for educational purposes.
Without a model, all FAE boys built asymmetrical building block designs wit
h no stacking of blocks. When the boys were shown a short videotape of a pe
er building a simple symmetrical structure with one-lever stacking of block
s. none of the FAE boys successfully imitated. They continued to place bloc
ks randomly on the floor surf;ice with no stacking or layering. This limite
d study suggests modeling perceptual tasks may not be an effective teaching
strategy for children identified with fetal alcohol effect and such childr
en may not be able to learn new skills using demonstration or modeling.