The purpose of this first issue of the 2005-2006 school year is to describe the Learning Disabilities Association's (LDA) activities available to any Adult Basic Education (ABE) program manager, instructor, tutor, or learner in the state of Minnesota at no cost through supplemental service grant funds. Activities of most interest to ABE providers…

Students with specific learning disability ("SLD") account for approximately half of all students that districts have determined to be eligible for special education under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act ("IDEA"). Since the late 1970s, the IDEA regulations have required states to use severe discrepancy--based on…

This study analyzed symptom complaint patterns and perceived academic impairment in a sample of 189 university students diagnosed with various learning disorders (LD). Each participant underwent an extensive standardized assessment battery and was diagnosed according to the fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental…

This paper reviews research on the classification of students with learning disability (LD). It first examines the evolution of LD definitions and the evidence for three components of LD classification: discrepancy, heterogeneity, and exclusion. It suggests that classification hypotheses involving discrepancy and exclusion have weak validity and…

This article examines the purposes of the high-stakes tests that are given annually to students in elementary, middle, and high schools. It also describes the need to improve the test scores of all students, including those with disabilities. To improve results, educators are applying progress monitoring methods, including Curriculum-Based…

This article documents the eligibility procedures and student assessment result of a project for identifying university students with learning disabilities. Many legal issues are relevant in the classification of young adults with disabilities, including the use of standardized procedures for establishing disability status which are meant to…

Learning disability is a complex phenomenon to understand. There are many connotations of learning disabilities thus even today it creates confusion in the mind of the general public and the professionals. Learning disability is a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or using spoken or written…

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationships between the Cognitive Assessment System (CAS) and writing achievement in junior high students (aged 11-15 years) with and without written expression disabilities. Ninety-six students with (n=48) and without (n=48) written expression disabilities were administered the Das-Naglieri:…

This 5-month action research project examined effects of a short-term interactive vocabulary instruction on reading comprehension with four intermediate grade students identified as having learning disabilities in reading. Participants read a narrative text and an expository text without vocabulary instruction and then received vocabulary…

Student scores on the Woodcock-Johnson Achievement Test showed four years of declining scores. Data collected from a teacher pre-questionnaire indicated problems in the areas: elementary mathematics curriculum, the curriculum adoption process, training of teachers in using purchased texts and manipulatives, confidence of teachers in utilizing…

Children today are very different from children of even five years ago. More and more children are recognized as having learning difficulties, and their self-esteem is more fragile than ever. Children used to TVs, VCRs, cellular phones, computers, and Gameboys demand high-interest activities rather than the "skill and drill" methods of a decade…

The approach to learning disabilities emphasizes the potential for learning by any organism in extraordinary environmental conditions regardless of the severity of the handicap. (MC)

In a study to determine whether learning disabilities can be predicted from kindergarten teachers' anecdotal reports, 37 boys later diagnosed as learning disabled, were selected and their kindergarten class identified. (Author/MC)

An overview of research on the relation between measurable perceptual-motor skills in young children and academic success reveals a primitive state of the art. (Author)

The major thrust of special education today lies in early identification and treatment aimed at returning the student as soon as possible to the main street of the educational program. This project focuses on kindergarten children. (Editor)