This article provides a timely response in regard to the Department of Health's current initiative to financially reward GPs to prioritise and undertake dementia screening for people with learning disabilities over the age of 50 years and for people with Down syndrome over the age of 40 years. Whilst GPs are becoming increasingly aware of their…

Rehabilitation professionals working with students with disabilities and the families of those students face unique challenges in providing inclusive services to special education student populations. There needs to be a focus on adaptive teaching methods that provide quality experience for students with varying disabilities to promote student…

Widely regarded as the standard reference in the field, this comprehensive handbook presents state-of-the-art knowledge about the nature and classification of learning disabilities (LD), their causes, and how individuals with these difficulties can be identified and helped to succeed. Best practices are described for supporting student performance…

Students with varying backgrounds and learning disabilities enter today's classrooms. Teachers may not be prepared to recognize and handle the needs of these students. The purpose of this study is to examine the research on teacher preparedness with the goal of increasing public awareness of the needs of this student population. A review of the…

Using interviews with district and school personnel and documents from state and district web sites in three districts in New York State, the study examines practices for identifying learning disabilities among students who are English language learners and the challenges that arise. Specifically, two research questions guided the project: (1)…

The article provides practical suggestions for teachers working with gifted learning-disabled students. It includes a discussion of whether students can be both gifted and learning disabled, and reviews service options, methods of identification, and programing for this population. (DB)

Explores current policies and practices concerning the definition, identification, and educational needs of students who are both gifted and learning disabled. Recommendations stress the need for less rigid definitions and cutoff scores for program eligibility and the provision of a wide variety of settings (resource rooms, special classes) and…

The position paper of the National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities examines issues in early identification, including assessment during the preschool years, delivery of preschool services, family involvement, and personnel preparation. Recommendations address such aspects as availability of early intervention and the needs of non-English…

SHOP, or Search Handicapped Outreach Program, identifies gifted/learning-disabled students, develops enrichment activities using J. Renzulli's Triad Model, and implements effective delivery models to provide an environment in which the students can utilize their strengths and interact with gifted peers. (JDD)

Problems with restricting learning disabilities to a range of mild handicaps are noted and five areas of controversy affecting severely learning disabled students are addressed: definitions, student characteristics, identification criteria, educational methods and technology, and educational services. (CL)

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 handbook was developed as a resource on learning disabilities (LD) for North Carolina educators. The first section covers guidelines for identifying, diagnosing, and developing services for LD students. The handbook then provides an overview of effective practices for teaching students with learning disabilities and some ideas for structuring…

The report, developed by a special Iowa task force, examined issues of definition, criteria, and identification procedures for learning disabilities as a point of departure for the examination of current practices affecting learning disabled students in Iowa. The committee's working definintion of learning disabilities is presented as a basis for…

A survey of 301 randomly selected local education agencies was undertaken in order to estimate the availability and types of special services currently provided to specific learning disabled adolescents, the identification and placement procedures used, and the primary problems in service delivery. (PHR)

The response to previous articles on the Regular Education Initiative looks at the definition of learning disabilities, identification, mainstreaming of mildly handicapped students, attitudes of general educators toward high risk students, the importance of prevention at the elementary level, and delivery systems. (DB)