A study explored classroom reading assessments, IQ and achievement scores, and placement decision of 26 students referred to Student Study Teams for intervention and determination of special-education eligibility. Congruence was moderate between placement decisions and discrepancy-based determination of learning disabilities and between placement…

A study examined literature on mathematics learning disabilities (LD) and identified specific behaviors of students with mathematics LD. Data are presented from observations of 391 special educators on 1,724 students with LD, 870 with math weaknesses. Difficulty with multi-step problems was the single most important behavior for predicting math…

A study investigating the over-identification of rural minority students as learning disabled used a sample of 123 rural Mississippi students classified as learning disabled. Three possible ways of modifying the assessment protocol were attempted. A discrepancy formula incorporating a minimum full-scale IQ score of 85 balanced the number of…

A comparison of the reading performance of 30 second-graders with learning disabilities and 30 controls found all but three of 10 subtests of the Woodcock Diagnostic Reading Battery produced significant differences between groups. The three subtests that did not reach significance were Oral Vocabulary, Listening Comprehension, and Memory for…

Basic information for regular classroom teachers with students who are both gifted and learning disabled covers definition of this population; incidence; characteristics; and six teaching strategies, such as flexibility in how student demonstrates mastery of material, adapting for reading differences, and using attention-directing techniques. A…

This article describes the characteristics of college students with language learning disorders and other at-risk students who have difficulty learning a foreign language. Research which points to deficits in native language abilities and poor phonological processing skills as the cause of foreign-language learning problems is discussed. (Contains…

This article argues that the regression-based discrepancy method used in the diagnosis of learning disabilities is invalid because it is inconsistent with the underlying underachievement concept of which it is intended to be the operationalization. It is mathematically demonstrated that the regression-based discrepancy method largely reflects…

This article evaluates conclusions in Van den Broeck's article (2002) that argue the regression-based discrepancy method (RDM) used in learning disabilities diagnosis is invalid because it is inconsistent with the underlying underachievement concept of which it is intended to be the operationalization. It concludes acceptable models support the…

This article responds to a critique by Willson and Reynolds (2002) that argued for the use of the regression-based discrepancy method (RDM) for identifying learning disabilities. It argues the statistical and theoretical counterarguments are based on a misreading of the statistical models presented. (Contains 8 references.) (Author/CR)

Poor readers who met low achievement and IQ-discrepancy definitions of reading disability (n=54) were compared with non-impaired readers (n=325) on development of eight precursor and reading-related skills. Results indicate no evidence for differences between the two groups of poor readers in the development on the eight skills, with three…

Discusses the difficulty in validating central auditory processing disorder (CAPD) as a diagnostic label in school-aged children, and examines the extent to which reading, language, and attention disorders in school-aged children involve perceptual dysfunctions limited to a single sensory modality. Multimodal perceptual testing for diagnosis is…

Ninety-one Finnish preschoolers were assessed prior to receiving formal reading instruction. Verbal and nonverbal measures were used as predictors for the time of instruction required to accurately decode pseudowords. Phonological awareness differentiated precocious decoders from early decoders and ordinary decoders. Late decoders differed from…

This guide is designed for adults who suspect or know they have a learning disability and for family and friends who wish to help. It is intended to provide a starting point for gaining information that can lead to obtaining services at the state or local level. It provides information on assessing the problem, a learning disabilities checklist,…

Overreliance on test-based assessment of learning disabilities can produce diagnostic results of questionable validity and prove stigmatizing for the child. An instructional-based model focuses on evaluation of the child's response to teaching. Observation and analysis of the student's reaction yeilds results that are more readily translatable…

Many learning disabled children display sensory or motor hyperactivity. They commonly have perceptual problems in sensory discrimination, memory, sequencing, figure-background relationship, and integration of multiple sensory stimuli. Recommendations are given for psychological diagnosis and educational programming to meet the needs of learning…