Modern Language Aptitude Test scores of regular students (N=244) enrolled in introductory foreign language classes were compared with their foreign language course performance. The fourth and fifth subtests predicted ability to learn a foreign language. Learning disabled (N=51) university students scored poorly on all five subtests. (DB)

The study validated a method of identifying children (in grades four-six) with specific reading disabilities by identifying discrepancies between their reading and listening comprehension abilities. The test requires children to listen to or read alternate sentences. The method may be more appropriate than measures which examine discrepancies…

Investigation of the relationship between a statistically determined severe discrepancy between expected and actual achievement levels and subsequent labeling of 733 students as learning disabled found only a slight majority of labeled students manifesting a severe discrepancy suggesting this criterion is inconsistently applied in making…

This article reviews the efforts made since 1962 to define learning disabilities, discusses 11 prominent definitions, identifies important conceptual elements on which the definitions differ, and calls for a consensual acceptance of the National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities definition. (PB)

Examination of 42 cases of children with Tourette Syndrome with intelligence quotients (IQs) above 70 found that mean IQs were higher than mean math, spelling, reading, and reading comprehension scores. Using a 1.5 standard deviation discrepancy, 51 percent met criteria for learning disability in at least one academic area; 21 percent had a…

The validity of using an analysis of patterns of performance on the Meeting Street School Screening test versus using the composite cutoff score for identification of learning disabilities was analyzed for 1,377 first graders. Use of subtest scatter predicted later learning disability placements less accurately than chance. (Author/DB)

This article asserts that the learning disabilities field must (1) address causality in differentiating learning disabilities from other learning problems, (2) expand prevailing approaches to individualizing instruction so that intrinsic motivation is accounted for in a systematic, comprehensive manner, and (3) move beyond piecemeal programs to…

Assessment batteries of 200 elementary children with learning disabilities were analyzed to identify practices associated with the use of individual intelligence and achievement tests. Among conclusions: Many students identified as SLD have below-average intelligence, do not exhibit discrepancies on the Wechsler scale, and do not have severe…

This response argues that Linda Siegel's paper (EC221505) confuses measures of intelligence with predicted achievement, calls for doing away with the construct of learning disabilities rather than the discrepancy definition model, and overlooks the need to determine which students qualify for special educational services for treatment of learning…

In response to Gresham and Elliott (1989), who concluded that a social skills deficit should not constitute a learning disability, this paper claims that current definitions allow for including social skills deficits. They propose limiting the definition of learning disabilities to intentional learning contexts, thus excluding social skills…

This critique of a paper by Linda Siegel (EC221505) challenges Siegel's assumptions on the relationship of Intelligence Quotient to learning disabilities as being unacceptable and non-literature-based, and points out that discussion of Intelligence Quotient cutoffs may be moot given that 49 states employ no cutoff for learning disabilities. (JDD)

In response to Coles (EC 220 146), the author notes issues concerning: who is labeled "learning disabled," why they are labeled, how they are helped, how the solutions have become the problem, what real learning is, how to use present resources to transform the system, and the contribution of a collaborative ecological approach. (DB)

This study found that 49 adolescents with learning disabilities (LD) scored lower than 49 normally achieving peers on a self-image questionnaire. Later-diagnosed adolescents with LD scored higher than early diagnosed adolescents. LD severity was not related to self-image. Moderate relationships were found between parents' perceptions and…

Factors that may explain the increase in the prevalence of learning disabilities are explained. One factor is related to the newness of learning disabilities as a discipline, and one is related to social/cultural changes (such as substance abuse, poverty, and lack of social support) that have occurred in U.S. society. (JDD)

A survey of 51 state directors of special education found that 76 percent of the states specified a method for determining an ability/achievement discrepancy to identify students with learning disabilities, most frequently the standard score comparison method. Relationships between procedures used and yearly increases in numbers of students…