[rabbitdog]

Did you say you teach English to kids with learning disabilities? Do these kids have learning disabilities? You missed that point. Or were they given to you because "they were so far behind"? Normally, homeschooled children would not be placed in a public school with a teacher who teachers disabled children. Were the children tested before they were placed where they are? One didn't recognize cursive writing? Hardly a reason to put them in a learning disability class. I'm 38 and stopped using cursive writing years ago. I think my cursive writing is sloppy so don't use it and especially since PC's have come along. Why do kids learn cursive writing anyway? What use is it? Kids learn to read print so that's what they naturally learn to write first. Cursive writing is foreign because you barely see it used anywhere. But anyway, the other 4 children I can't amswer for. Unless they were already disabled, which you didn't mention, they are probably about where they should be.

[Thoeting]

They are considered to have learning disabilities due to the discrepency between ability and performance. If a 12 year old child reads at a 2nd grade level and is found to have an I.Q. of 100, he/she can be determined to be learning disabled in the field of reading. All of these kids tested manner such as this.

It is more involved than this, of course, but this is the most concise version I can give.