As the population of English language learner (ELL) students continues to rise, so does the number of ELL students with disabilities. This unique group of students represents over 1.3 million students in the public school system in the U.S. This article focuses on a study, which utilized an exploratory qualitative approach using semistructured…

The wait for ASD evaluation dramatically increases with age, with wait times of a year or more common as children reach preschool. Even when appointments become available, families from traditionally underserved groups struggle to access care. Addressing care disparities requires designing identification tools and processes specifically for and…

Purpose: Parents of children with developmental language disorder (DLD) have unique support needs. While support groups have a strong evidence base, they have not been adapted for use with this population. Our goal was to explore support needs among parents of children with DLD and their perspectives on participating in a support group. Method: We…

While the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, Second Edition (ADOS-2) is considered a "reference standard" measure to observe symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), little is known about the utility of its Other Abnormal Behaviors or "E codes." This study investigated the unique influence of each E code (overactivity,…

In the SEND Code of Practice (DfE/DoH, 2015), the area of Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) needs refer to a wide range of emotional, behavioural, and social challenges that can impact learning, engagement and participation, mental health, and wellbeing for children and young people. This rapid evidence assessment (REA) reviews how…

Objective: To evaluate potential risk-factors of ADHD among primary school-children (PSC) in state schools in Colombo district of Sri Lanka. Method: A case-control study was conducted with 73 cases and 264 controls selected randomly among 6 to 10-year-old PSC from Sinhala medium state schools in Colombo district. Primary care givers completed the…

Background: Developmental language disorder (DLD) is one of the most common neurodevelopmental conditions. Due to variable rates of language growth in children under 5 years, the early identification of children with DLD is challenging. Early indicators are often outlined by speech pathology regulatory bodies and other developmental services as…

The identification of specific learning disabilities (SLD) remains fraught with controversy and uncertainty about professionals' capacity to appropriately identify special education eligibility. For students from linguistically minoritized backgrounds, the "exclusionary clause" prohibits the identification of learning difficulties…

Autism spectrum disorder is diagnosed more in males than females, this difference is even more prevalent if the female is of at least average intelligence. The problem addressed by this qualitative exploratory case study was the under-identification of females with autism due to their masking behavior. This problem directly impacts females who…

The rate of children being diagnosed with autism is growing rapidly. Currently, 1 in every 36 children born will go on to have an autism diagnosis (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2023). Teachers and early educators working with young children do not have the training required to identify children at risk for this developmental…

Researchers intending to identify the unique characteristics of dyscalculia rely upon the problematic and imprecise proxy of low mathematics achievement. Although detailed case studies of adults with dyscalculia have offered insight into its characteristics, we do not yet know if these characteristics are unique to dyscalculia and could be used to…

Despite intensive study in the fields of neuroscience, psychology, genetics, and education, simple truths about dyslexia have been slow to emerge, with some early results not holding up to further scientific scrutiny. Research conducted with and applied to adult learners is especially thin, as intensive scientific scrutiny has increasingly focused…

This extended literature review is an overview of historical restrictions and current limitations of properly identifying African American students for special education. This review examines implications of overidentification and under-identification of African American students in predominately minority learning environments and predominately…

Identification of likelihood for autism in the U.S. early intervention (EI) system facilitates referrals to diagnostic assessments and targets autism-specific needs. However, performance of autism screeners in high-likelihood preschool children and barriers to implementation need to be further studied. The current effectiveness-implementation…

This study investigates the familiarity with and application of Dynamic Assessment (DA) among Speech and Language Pathologists (SLPs) in Sweden, focusing on its use in diagnosing language disorders in children. Using a mixed-methods approach, survey data were collected from 565 SLPs, revealing that 72% were familiar with DA. However, a significant…