This paper offers criteria for states attempting to develop more effective special education funding formulas. It notes that balancing criteria to meet program objectives is difficult, with a major focus on one criterion often coming at the expense of other criteria. An effective formula should be: understandable, equitable, adequate, predictable,…

This guide accompanies a five-part video series on learning disabilities (total length of 40 minutes), designed to help in the identification of children who may have learning disabilities and in the development of appropriate actions on their behalf. The guide introduces three children, whose true stories are told in the videos to illustrate the…

This study describes the timelines established by states for the processes of referral, assessment, eligibility determination, Individualized Education Program development, and placement of students with disabilities in special education. The purposes of the study, based on survey data from 50 states and the District of Columbia, were to summarize…

This paper presents results of a preliminary study which evaluated medical birth data as potential predictors of developmental outcome, and developed and tested an instrument designed for this purpose. Forty low birthweight children, all of whom had experienced neonatal intraventricular hemorrhage, were evaluated at school age (66 months) on the…

This paper addresses the prevalence and identification of social skills deficits in students with learning disabilities. It begins by discussing the definition of learning disabilities and then reviews literature on the social difficulties of this population. Findings indicate that approximately 75 percent of children with learning disabilities…

This publication discusses the role of Language Sample Analysis (LSA) in identifying language disorders, providing detail necessary to initiate a focused intervention program, and providing a method for monitoring progress in language intervention. Section 1 provides an overview of the LSA process and types of language disorders, while Section 2…

Performance of 100 college freshmen on the Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-Educational Battery, Part II, Tests of Achievement, were analyzed by subtests and cluster scores to determine appropriateness for assessing achievement of handicapped students. Minor inversions in item order and pronounced ceiling effects on all subtests yielded lowered subtest and…

Using a counterbalanced order, 34 learning disabled students were given the Peabody Individual Achievement Test and the Woodcock Reading Mastery Tests. When scores in reading recognition and comprehension subtests were compared, Peabody scores were higher, indicating that fewer students were certifiable as learning disabled by Peabody scores than…

Birthdates and educational histories of special education students (N=291) were analyzed to determine how school entrance age affected placement in special education programs. Analyses were significant for learning disabled and emotionally disturbed, but not mildly mentally retarded students, suggesting that parents and educators must insist on…

The relationship between 13 demographic social variables and the numbers of students placed in four objective and four subjective special education classifications for one school year was examined using 50 states and Washington, DC. None of the objective, but two of the subjective classifications were strongly associated with socioeconomic…

This accessible text provides guidance on the inclusion of young children with special educational needs or disabilities in a variety of early education settings. The author highlights the complexity of early identification and assessment of children described as having special educational needs. Practitioners are encouraged to consider make…

This edition covers the basics of screening used to identify which children may have learning problems or disabilities. It offers advice for selecting an appropriate screening instrument and for setting up a screening program. The book contains reviews of current developmental screens, plus an entirely new annotated bibliography. For the first…

This document contains preconference seminar outlines for the 47th Annual Education Law Association (ELA) Conference. The first of four sections, "Americans with Disabilities Act Update--Higher Education and Employees," by Christopher P. Borreca, presents legal issues related to the Americans with Disabilities Act, an adequate definition…

This executive summary discusses the definition of learning disabilities (LD) and how students are identified as having a learning disability. It begins by outlining four major methods that are used to compute the discrepancy-based definition of LD and the flaws of the discrepancy-based model. It then describes an approach to defining LD that is…

This information packet provides an overview of learning disabilities. Information includes the following: (1) the definition of learning disability; (2) incidence of learning disabilities; (3) criteria used to decide whether a person has a learning disability; (4) common causes of learning disabilities; (5) the importance of early identification;…