AbstractThe purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that the performance of learning disabled (LD) children on academic tasks depends on the presence or absence of a match between optimal response mode and method of task presentation. In this study the Detroit Tests of Learning Aptitude (DTLA) and the procedure described by Owen, Braggio, and Ellen were used to determine the optimal response modes of LD children. On the basis of pretest-posttest comparisons, the performance of LD children on the DTLA could be characterized as one of three different optimal response modes (covert, vocal, or visual-manual). Then, it was shown that by knowing the LD child’s optimal response mode, it was possible to predict performance on a paired-associate task. For all children the level of correct performance on the paired-associate task was higher when the stimulus items were presented using a method of task presentation similar to the LD child’s optimal response mode, and lower when the method of task presentati...