Although indexes of scatter on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised computed for 100 learning disabled (LD) elementary children were significantly greater than values previously reported for the normal standardized sample, the substantial overlap suggests the inadvisability of continuing the search for a characteristic LD profile.…

The review cites methodological and statistical flaws in studies attempting to identify subtest patterns on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised indicative of learning disabilities (LD) and concludes that no LD pattern has been found and the search for such a pattern is not justified. (Author/CL)

This study examines the participation of culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students with labels of Learning Disability (LD) in their English, Math, and Social Studies classes. The conceptualization of LD as a biological pathology in the dominant special education discourse has contributed to normative perceptions and reductionistic…

Touted as a more effective approach to determining eligibility for specific learning disability (SLD) than establishing a severe discrepancy between ability and achievement, response to intervention (RTI) represents various models that share these common characteristics: (a) multiple tiers of scientific, research-based interventions; (b)…

Two general models exist for implementing Response to Intervention (RtI) for struggling students, the standard protocol model and the problem-solving model. This study examined the long-term outcomes of one example of the problem-solving method, the Instructional Support Team (IST), in a field setting. Academic records of 32 students were reviewed…

An examination of the peer discrepancy concept and the percentages of students (grades 1-6) declared eligible for special education with varying discrepancy ratios revealed that a 2.0 to 3.0 times discrepancy is a reasonable level for identifying low-performance students. (CL)

A broad consensus has been achieved regarding the importance of early primary and secondary interventions for children in academic domains for the purposes of improving overall academic competencies and preventing low achievement that often leads to a diagnosis of specific learning disability (SLD) and long-term special education placement. The…

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 allows schools to use a child's response to research-based intervention (RTI) as a part of procedures to identify students with learning disabilities. This paper considers whether RTI-based assessment models meet ethical and legal standards for acceptable assessment practices.…

This phenomenological study investigated barriers to higher education faced by 11 college students labeled with learning disabilities (LD) using their voice as the primary data. Data were analyzed and interpreted through a disability theory perspective revealing barriers stemmed largely from external social causes rather than individual pathology.…

The policies underlying the specific learning disability (SLD) regulations in the 2004 reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) are analyzed. The analysis focuses on the Response-to-Intervention (RTI) provision ("if the child responds to scientific, research-based intervention") as a diagnostic model,…

The importance of early identification of children at risk for reading failure is clearly established in the literature. The purpose of this longitudinal retrospective study was to further define the relationship between the development of prereading skills and later reading outcome in two groups of children; a group of reading-disabled children…

The paper reviews the existence and complicating nature of nonverbal learning disorders, noting difficulties faced by such individuals in elementary and secondary school. Problems in identifying these disorders are reviewed. (CL)

A review of research on the link between learning disabilities and juvenile delinquency notes methodological problems and unanswered questions and cites implications for prevention and intervention both in the schools and the juvenile justice system. (CL)

A survey of 307 research studies in learning disabilities (LD) was conducted to determine the nature and characteristics of the LD identification criteria used. It was concluded that LD research presents a divergent picture of the nature and characteristics of LD and reflects little consensus regarding identification criteria. (Author)

Discrimination analyses indicated that the subtests chosen for hypothesized age-related deficits classified from 77 percent to 89 percent of the cases as compared with the school district's selection. (Author)