Title: Socio Emotional Problems of Students with Learning Disability Life in the classroom is different for students with

h learning disabilities (LD) than for their classmates. Students with LD display many atypical characteristic s that tend to interfere with their behavior, performance, and learning abilitie s and are frequently inconsistent in their abilities. They also differ from thei r classmates by engaging in fewer task-orientated behaviors, having lower self-c oncepts, and being less socially mature. Further, students whose language is imp aired may have appropriate understanding of social situations but may have diffi culty communicating effectively with others. Their social adjustment is importan t to understand because it has an effect on the individual s ability to achieve acad emically. Mainstreaming might hinder a student s ability to succeed academically. When student s with LD are pulled out of their regular education classrooms to go to the reso urce room, it creates social problems for the student which in turn affects thei r ability to learn. However, inclusion in and of itself is not sufficient to red ress these children's social relationship difficulties. This is mainly because s uccessful inclusion relies greatly on the power of positive peer modelling. But if the peer models are not so positive, or if the student with LD is not able to extract the right lessons from what is observed, the impact of modelling is red uced. Further, improving social relationships involves building skills, and this cannot take place effectively through modelling alone. A cycle of instruction, rehearsal and practice, and feedback is needed. Learning disabilities may lead to emotional distress. Gorman (1999) stated that students with LD, as early as Grade 3, have negative academic self-concepts that may be generalized from low self-views in specific academic subjects. Learning disabilities have also been linked to greater anxiety and depression in children . Students with LD tend to experience more stress and frustration during adolesc ence due to an increased rate of academic failure and a lessened degree of selfesteem. Specifically, they tend to feel that events are happening beyond their c ontrol. Social and emotional characteristics of students with LD may have a profound imp act on their overall performance. Anxiety is a constant companion, due to fear o f failure and low self-esteem. Therefore, the ability to learn, apply, and solve math may be impaired. This results in confused thinking, disorganization, and l earned helplessness. Over the past decade, advances in cognitive-behavioural, preventive, and brain r esearch have converged to provide a more thorough idea of the skills children ne ed for positive social relationships. In particular, the work of the Collaborati ve for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning has found that these skills are also essential for effective classroom interaction and a productive classroom cl imate. The term "social-emotional learning" (SEL) was developed for use in resea rch and practice in emotional intelligence as applied to the schools because it reflected a strong recognition of the role of both social and emotional factors in successful academic learning. Some of the skills involved in SEL that highlights the possible connection betwe en SEL and learning disabilities are; recognizing emotions in self and others, l istening and communicating accurately and clearly, taking others' perspectives a nd sensing their emotions, including identifying problems correctly, setting pos itive and realistic goals and resisting negative peer pressure. Researchers and psychologists maintain that social and emotional competencies "allow us to modul ate emotions, solve social problems creatively, to be effective leaders and coll aborators, (and) to be assertive and responsible." The good news is that social and emotional skills can be learned and enhanced at any age. Infants, children a nd adults alike can develop their social and emotional understanding; however, t he earlier a person imbibes the SEL process, the greater the advantages. Many sc hools need to implement and infuse social and emotional learning competency buil ding into their daily curriculum; and parents too can bring social and emotional learning into their daily lives.