Researchers, policy makers, and teacher trainers, who were identified by peers as being on the "cutting edge" of research and programming in learning disabilities, responded to surveys in 1975 (N=91) and 1981 (N=149). In both surveys the "experts" generally endorsed learning disabilities as a viable classification and asserted…

The booklet specifies procedures used in Ohio for determining the existence of a severe discrepancy between intellectual ability and achievement in learning disabled (LD) students. An introductory section outlines state regulations regarding eligibility criteria for determining LD. A three-step procedure is then described (and illustrated in a…

Cumulative files on 276 students (grades 2-12) identified as learning disabled (LD) were analyzed in the project designed to investigate effects of LD selection formulas and the influence of various LD services. Analyses revealed that few (3-5%) of the students were identified as LD by formulas demanding a substantial IQ achievement discrepancy; a…

The study was designed to determine the efficacy of the Bannatyne recategorization in differentiating subgroups of learning disabled from emotionally disturbed children. The sample was comprised of 327 male and female Ss who had been placed in special education classes for either the learning disabled or emotionally disturbed. A three factor…

The extent to which identification as learning disabled is a function of the definition used and the extent to which different classifications would result from use of different definitions were examined in a study involving 51 students (6 to 12 years old) referred for psychological evaluation as a result of academic difficulties. The school…

The paper summarizes several approaches to the identification of learning disability and then discusses the nature of learning disability in the context of competing hypotheses as possible explanations of insufficient or unsatisfactory achievement. Because learning disability may only be inferred as a cause of unsatisfactory learning, the…

A child psychiatrist offers a brief introduction to learning disabilities: their causes, common signals of learning disabilities, student assessment to clarify the existence of a learning disability, and treatment with special educational services or medication. (JDD)

Three types of definitions of learning disabilities (LD) (ability-achievement discrepancy, low achievement, and scatter) were examined to determine the extent of common variance within 48 school-identified LD children and 96 nonLD children (all elementary students). Both samples had previously been administered a battery of psychoeducational…

A study involving 48 school-identified learning disabled (LD) and 96 nonLD elementary students investigated the numbers of students identified by three kinds of LD definitions: ability-achievement discrepancy, low achievement, and scatter. Relationships between each definition and actual school classification were also examined. Data from a…

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)

In response to Hallahan et al, the authors suggest that variability in prevalence is a function of the methods used to examine prevalence differences and that the effect specific discrepancy criteria for learning disabilities have on the number of students identified is the critical issue. (Author/DB)

Two studies were conducted to compare the performance instability of children (grades 3-9) labeled learning disabled/brain injured (LD/BI) to the performance instability of emotionally handicapped (EH) children. In the first study, 50 LD/BI and 37 EH students were measured on three third grade reading passages twice, once within one sitting and…

This study sought to empirically identify subtype and severity patterns prevalent among learning-disabled adults and apply this information to strategies that rehabilitation counselors could use to improve the probability of job success of their clients. Subjects (n=219) were administered standardized measures of intelligence, achievement, and…

Twenty-three learning disabled (LD) children (age 8-12 years) and 15 nondisabled children (age 8-12 years) were individually administered the Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery-Children's Revision (LNNB). Means and standard deviations for each of the test's scales were computed by group, and individual T-tests were calculated for…

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…