My research topic is the diagnosis of learning disabilities (LD) in elementary school children. The poorly defined criteria and methods of LD determinations leads to a large number of students labeled with the disability category of LD (Graves et al, 2011; Hutchison, 2021), even though the process is inconsistent and subjective (Graves et al,…

Current understandings of disability experience are centered around individuals who hold the disability identity and membership in the marginalized group. This perspective does not include the experiences of disability allies, such as parents, who act alongside their children to support their access and engagement in the education setting. This…

The terms Language Disorder, Developmental Language Disorder (DLD), Language-based learning disabilities, Specific Learning Disorder, and Specific Learning Disability are commonly used to describe children struggling to learn at school. In this position paper, the definitions and distinctions between these terms are discussed, and key overlaps and…

Special education teachers do not always include assistive technology (AT) in instructional practices to promote the academic success of students with learning disabilities. The purpose of this study was to explore the reasons special education teachers only sometimes include the use of AT in instructional practices. The conceptual framework was…

Colleges and universities typically assist students with learning disabilities. In Canada, such programs are legally mandated to ensure equal access to educational opportunities. However, there is little in the current research literature on the experiences Canadian students with learning disabilities have with using assistive services provided by…

Despite a high rate of concurrent mathematical difficulties among children with dyslexia, we still have limited information regarding the prevalence and severity of mathematical deficits in this population. To address this gap, we developed a comprehensive battery of cognitive tests, known as the UCSF Mathematical Cognition Battery (MCB), with the…

The article discusses recent Higher Education (HE) initiatives to introduce the Sunflower Scheme, which enables students with hidden disabilities to 'discreetly' indicate the existence of a disability to access support. A significant problem related to persons with hidden disabilities lies in their frequent reluctance to disclose their…

Given that self-knowledge is recognized as a key component of self-determined behavior, intentionally teaching students with learning disabilities (LD) about their identified disability can create conditions needed for future self-determined behavior. In the following article, action steps are provided that are useful for fostering development of…

Students with learning disabilities are attending postsecondary institutions at a much greater rate than they have in the past. Although these students can receive accommodations under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the graduation rate for these students is much lower than for their nondisabled peers. This data suggests that traditional…

Academic accommodations for students experiencing disabilities are increasingly available at postsecondary institutions. More studies of the efficacy of accommodations for student success are warranted, however. Given the increased gender gap in university participation, more focus on the unique impact of gender is also needed. Using a sample of…

This study aims to classify subtypes of mathematics disability (MD) using a novel classification method, cognitive diagnostic models (CDMs), and examine whether domain-general skills, namely, linguistic, working memory, and spatial skills, were related to the identification of the subtypes. Participants were 454 children (246 boys; age: M ± SD =…

Children and young people with learning disabilities may not acquire the independent reading and writing skills which are conflated with 'literacy' in international educational policy, calling into question what 'literacy' means in the context of 'special education'. Existing literature explores teacher perspectives, but less is known about parent…

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (2004) allows alternate pathways for school districts to identify and classify students with a specific learning disability (SLD). Response to Intervention (RtI) is one of the frameworks schools can use when eliminating the use of the discrepancy model. The premise of RtI posits that…

Since its initial release in 2006, "Reaching and Teaching Students with Special Needs Through Art" has remained one of NAEA's best-selling books of all time. Now, in 2024, in collaboration with Routledge, NAEA is proud to release an all-new second edition of this important text that offers respectful updates in language and terminology…

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…