Functioning is a construct capturing how an individual's engagement in everyday life emerges from the interaction between the individual and their environment. The World Health Organization's International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) provides a biopsychosocial framework of functioning. Previously, the ICF was adapted…

Early identification of developmental delays and disabilities (DDs) is a key component of well-child visits. Recommendations for assessing children's development during these visits continue to evolve. For almost a century, developmental milestones have been used to identify children with atypical development. More recently, the American Academy…

The current paper describes the process used for developing the Guidelines for Diagnosis and Assessment of Children, Adolescents, and Adults with Learning Disabilities-Consensus Statement and Supporting Documents, and the rationale for some of the decisions. The guidelines were developed by a cross-sectoral working group of psychologists who…

To improve early detection of autism spectrum disorder in preventive care, a Dutch guideline was developed 5 years ago. The guideline provides preventive care physicians at well-baby clinics action-oriented advice and describes a step-by-step approach for children identified at an increased risk for autism spectrum disorder during general…

A recent, widely publicized scandal involved students who obtained fraudulent diagnoses of learning disabilities in an effort to get accommodations on college admissions tests. Although the exact circumstances of the scandal are unusual, the methods used to obtain diagnoses and accommodations illustrate widespread problems with current policies.…

Recent studies of autism diagnosis in New Zealand have revealed inconsistent implementation of best practice standards in autism assessment and high rates of parental dissatisfaction with the diagnostic process. These findings have arisen despite the development and dissemination of the New Zealand Autism Spectrum Disorder Guideline (the…

The purpose of this guidebook is to guide the provision of Speech and Language Pathology services in order to support the educational goals of eligible students with disabilities in the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS). It is designed with the purpose of assuring that all Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) in the District of Columbia…

Proposed guidelines have been published recently (Al-Hilawani, 2016) to help identify and determine for the first time the existence of learning disabilities among students in the Middle East Arab (M.E.A.) countries. These guidelines have been drawn from recent and up-to-date information available on learning disabilities. The purpose of this…

Food selectivity is the most commonly reported feeding problem in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD.) Schreck et al. (2004) surveyed 472 caregivers of children between 5 and 12 years of age. They found that 72% of those children diagnosed with ASD had feeding difficulties, significantly higher than same-age peers without ASD.…

The public education of students with disabilities in the United States is governed by federal policies that promote school improvement, protect students from discrimination, and provide those who need it with special education and related services to meet their individual needs. This article explains the legal aspects of teaching students with…