Peer Status of Learning Disabled Children and Adolescents: A Review of the Literature

Peer status of learning disabled children has been a focus in the literature since Tanis Bryan investigated the issue in 1974. This article reviews 25 studies investigating peer status of learning disabled children. The studies either compare the peer status of learning disabled and nondisabled children or identify correlates of peer status in learning disabled children. The review reveals that the underlying assumption of most of the studies is a unidirectional relationship between peer status and social skills. The results are reinterpreted in terms of a bidirectional model based on Bell and Harper's (1977) reciprocity theory. Peer status is seen to be the outcome of reciprocal Interactions between the learning disabled child and family, teachers, and peers.