Background/purpose. Students with learning disabilities (SLDs), bilingual learners (BLs), and English language learners (ELLs) represent heterogeneous groups. With the rising number of SLDs and the expansion of English as a second language instruction in Saudi elementary schools, a critical challenge emerges: How can learning disabilities (LDs) be…

Purpose: The intent of this article is to explain the complexity of the diagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and developmental language disorder (DLD) in multilingual (ML) children and adolescents and to offer strategies for speech-language pathologists charged with diagnosis of language impairment in these children.…

The investigators sought to determine whether education evaluators, mainly school psychologists, complied with federal, state, and professional practice guidelines when assessing English learning (EL) school-aged children suspected of a learning disability in three northern California school districts. In accordance with the Individuals with…

Purpose: Part C early intervention (EI) providers, including speech-language pathologists, are often involved in autism screening practices and discussing autism with families of toddlers. The purpose of this study was to understand EI providers' perspectives of screening for autism. Method: Using a phenomenological qualitative design, we explored…

This study investigated the prevalence and stability of latent classes among elementary-aged English learning (EL) children whose first language is Spanish. To this end, EL children (N = 267) in Grades 1, 2, and 3 at Wave 1 (Year 1) were administered a battery of vocabulary, reading, math, and cognitive measures (short-term memory, working memory,…

It is estimated that ten percent of learners have some sort of learning disability; on average, this is two or three students per classroom (Butterworth and Kovas 2013). This means that, inevitably, all English language instructors will encounter students with learning disabilities in their classrooms and could encounter students with learning…

Articles in this issue examine (1) the primary sources of variability in reading and language achievement among Spanish-speaking English learners (ELs) in the United States, (2) the extent to which poor performance at the end of grade 2 is identifiable in developmental trajectories beginning in kindergarten, (3) the relations among core reading…

Asian American immigrant parents supporting children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) has been understudied. The purpose of this qualitative study was to probe the perceptions of Mandarin-speaking immigrant mothers and fathers raising children with ASD in the United States. Ten participating parents were first-generation native…

The disproportionate identification of learning disabilities among certain sociodemographic subgroups, typically groups that are already disadvantaged, is perceived as a persistent problem within the education system. The academic and social experiences of students who are misidentified with a learning disability may be severely restricted,…

English language learners (ELLs) with disabilities are a growing part of the K-12 school population and will be included in the next generation of accountability assessments, just as they are now included in state assessments. These learners have some unique characteristics and may demonstrate their knowledge and skills in particular ways because…

While the literature on learning disabilities and on second-language acquisition is relatively extensive within the field of education, less is known about the specific characteristics and representation of English learner students with learning disabilities. Because there are no definitive resources and processes for identifying and determining…

Educating dual language learners (DLLs) and English learners (ELs) effectively is a national challenge with consequences both for individuals and for American society. Despite their linguistic, cognitive, and social potential, many ELs--who account for more than 9 percent of enrollment in grades K-12 in U.S. schools--are struggling to meet the…

The sample for this study was made up of the persons who recommended English language learners (ELLs) to the special education program. The study reviewed how decisions were made in regards to ELLs being referred to special education programs. This research study also assessed the magnitude of disproportionate representation of ELLs in the middle…

Purpose: To provide an analysis of the accuracy and effectiveness of using the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals-Fourth Edition (CELF-4) to identify students as having language-based disabilities. Method: The CELF-4 is analyzed within the current standards set by the federal law on special education, the available research, preferred…

Many risk factors have been identified for children entering Kindergarten. Many at-risk children eventually get classified as having a Specific Learning disability. Some of these risk factors include having a primary home language other than English (Hosp & Reschly, 2004), having non-intact families (Pong, 1997), being of minority status…