LD, interpersonal understanding and social behavior in the classroom

This study used Baron and Kenny's (1986) criteria for mediation to investig ate the extent to which interpersonal understanding mediates the relation b etween learning disabilities (LD) and social adaptation in the classroom. T wenty-two children with and 22 children without a diagnosis of LD completed a semistructured developmental clinical interview measure of interpersonal understanding. They were also rated by their fourth- and fifth-grade teach ers on a measure of social adaptation in the classroom. Interpersonal under standing and social adaptation in the classroom were found to be positively correlated. Children with LD exhibited less interpersonal understanding an d social adaptation. Although this group difference on social adaptation wa s greatly reduced when interpersonal understanding was statistically contro lled, it remained statistically significant. These results suggest that red uced social adaptation in the classroom and lower interpersonal understandi ng are both associated with a diagnosis of LD. However, they do not conclus ively support the claim that interpersonal understanding mediates the relat ion between LD and social adaptation. Thus, whether the social difficulties of people with LD stem from the same complex phenomena that produce these people's learning problems remains an open question.