A survey of 51 state directors of special education found that 76 percent of the states specified a method for determining an ability/achievement discrepancy to identify students with learning disabilities, most frequently the standard score comparison method. Relationships between procedures used and yearly increases in numbers of students…

Characteristics of 718 students labeled as learning disabled before implementation of Indiana's statewide guidelines were compared with characteristics of 790 students identified after guideline implementation. After implementation, students identified had more severe academic problems and severe ability/achievement discrepancy, though one-third…

This investigation (with 30 normal students and 30 students with reading disabilities, ages 7-15) examined the relationship between intelligence and phonological coding when ability was defined according to the Planning, Attention, Simultaneous, Successive (PASS) cognitive processing model. Findings indicate that phonological problems may not be…

Normally achieving, learning-disabled and mildly retarded students (n=148, ages 6-9) were trained to select the odd picture of a 3-picture array. Mildly retarded subjects showed large, consistent performance differences from the other groups, but learning-disabled subjects could not effectively be distinguished from normally achieving peers.…

A preventive model is proposed to avoid special education through concentrated early intervention. Several operating programs are described as examples of the practicality of the approach. Issues including numbers of students who could be serviced by such a model and the ongoing role of special education alongside "neverstreaming" are…

In response to Larry Silver (EC 231 774) concerning whether attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder is a learning disability via a related disorder, this article proposes an interactional perspective that stresses the educational needs of the child within his/her total environmental context. It also summarizes the current empirical and clinical…

Presents evidence to show variability across states in the use of the severe-emotional-disturbance designation for students and the frequency of comorbid and trimorbid cases being classified as learning disabled. Findings are presented from ongoing projects to illustrate differential profiles for comorbid children. (Author/CR)

This article reviews "Facing Learning Disabilities in the Adult Years" by Joan Shapiro and Rebecca Rich, a book that discusses the definitions, causes, and characteristics of learning disabilities as well as many interventions for successful adult adjustment. The information is aimed at helping families and professionals, as well as the adults…

Evaluation of 357 students with either learning disability (LD), serious emotional disturbance (SED), or both (SED/LD), ages 6 to 18, found that children with LD differed from those with SED mainly in terms of severity of problem, not type of problem. Results suggest that students with both LD and SED are under-identified and underserved. (DB)

Identifies subgroups of children with reading disabilities using the regression method--children who were poor in phonological, compared to orthographic, word decoding were identified as phonological-type participants, and children who were poor in orthographic, compared to phonological, decoding were identified as surface-type participants.…

This article examines a 1995 treatment validity model as a framework for identifying learning disabilities. This model: (1) examines both student performance and responsiveness to instruction; (2) delays special education referral until the effects of individual student adaptations in the regular classroom have been explored; and (3) verifies that…

It is argued the proposed definition of dyslexia is restricted to developmental dyslexia in which a student struggles to learn to read and does not apply to acquired dyslexia in which a previously normal reader loses reading functions. The need for classification schemes for defining specific learning disabilities is emphasized. (Contains…

In the midst of unprecedented knowledge generation in the field of education, the definition of learning disabilities and the methods used for its identification have essentially remained the same for nearly 30 years. Working from a sociohistorical perspective, the authors' distinct professional positions within education (university academic,…

Although little is known about learning disabilities (LDs) in English language learners (ELLs), there is a substantial knowledge base about the identification, assessment, and intervention of and for LDs in monolingual native English-speaking students. Building on this knowledge, participants at an October 2003 National Symposium on Learning…

Using U.S. Department of Education data, the current study examined changes in the rates of special education eligibility classifications. This was done to determine if classification substitution might be an explanation for increases in the number of students being found eligible for special education using the Autism criteria. Results reveal…