The MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventories (CDI) are widely used, parent-report instruments of language acquisition. Here, we focus on the word-inventory sections of the instruments, and show two different approaches to modeling CDI data, based on real-world needs. First, we show that Words & Gestures data collected…

Engagement and academic achievement are generally correlated among elementary school students without learning disabilities (LDs). However, it is unclear if this pattern holds for students with LDs, who have lower achievement and engagement than their peers. This study examined whether links between achievement and student-reported behavioral…

Engagement and academic achievement are generally correlated among elementary school students without learning disabilities (LDs). However, it is unclear if this pattern holds for students with LDs, who have lower achievement and engagement than their peers. This study examined whether links between achievement and student-reported behavioral…

Despite growing calls to increase diversity in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, students with learning disabilities (SWLDs) remain underrepresented in STEM at the postsecondary level. Considering this call for increased diversity as a means to expand and strengthen STEM success, we used the High School Longitudinal…

Students with specific learning disabilities (SLD) represent roughly five percent of U.S. public school students aged 3-21. Current federal policy outlines guidelines for identification of SLDs, while ultimately leaving specific procedures to the determination of state and local education agencies. Research into how the method used in…

This systematic review examines the teacher-student relationship (TSR) from an attachment perspective and explores its impact on academic (dis)engagement, (under)achievement and Early School Leaving (ESL) over time. It addresses two objectives: (1) examining the longitudinal influence of TSR on academic outcomes and (2) assessing its effect on…

Learning disabilities (LD) researchers have produced a knowledge base about the academic side of LD. A gap exists concerning the experiences of individuals with LD, particularly their feeling-meaning-making about having LDs. Based on a three-year qualitative study using critical ethnographic methods, I center Sophia Cruz's experiences with LD and…

We investigated the variability across states in the prevalence of learning disabilities (LD) as reported by the U. S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP). This expanded upon the work of Hallahan and colleagues on interstate prevalence rate variability of special education disability categories by focusing on a…

This case study focuses on Grade 12 students aged 15 to 19 years in 2015/2016 in British Columbia, examining disparities in high school completion between students with and without disabilities and diverse abilities (DDAs). It looks particularly at those receiving a Dogwood Diploma (a certificate of graduation) or an Evergreen Certificate (a…

Current definitions of specific learning disability (SLD) identify a heterogeneous population that includes individuals with weaknesses in reading, math, or writing, and these academic difficulties often co-occur in many of the same individuals. The Colorado Learning Disabilities Research Center (CLDRC) is an interdisciplinary, multisite research…

Recent sociometric research has described students with special educational needs (SEN) as less accepted and experiencing more social difficulties than their classmates without SEN. This study addresses the social participation of students with moderate learning difficulties (MLD) in regular schools while also focusing on the quality of their best…

There is a notable overlap and co-occurrence of mental health and learning challenges in adolescence. Existing research highlights associations between learning disabilities and mental health problems; however, limited research explores additional variables, such as familial influences. Using a developmental relational systems framework, this…

Using a second cohort of Australian school students, this study repeated the propensity score analysis reported by Dempsey, Valentine, and Colyvas (2016) that found that 2 years after receiving special education support, a group of infant grade students performed significantly less well in academic and social skills in comparison to matched groups…

Students who report high levels of intrinsic motivation (IM) perform better on academic tasks compared with students who report low levels of IM. However, there is a paucity of data on IM for several disability categories (e.g., intellectual disability). The focus of this study was to use a nationally representative sample of students with…

In this multi-year study, we taught English/Language Arts teachers of students with learning disabilities in middle school to incorporate 15 min of daily vocabulary activities with students in their intact special education English/Language Arts classes. During Year 1, teachers taught 48 words to their sixth grade students, who learned and…