This report discusses the outcomes of a study of 147 children (ages 7-10) with learning disabilities that investigated the extent to which students legally classified with learning disabilities concurrently manifested mixed lateral dominance (MLD). The study was conducted to determine if MLD was a possible predictive factor for early…

This guide from Iowa is intended to: clarify changes in the state's new rules on special education; make the state's definition of mental disability operational; provide practical guidelines on preferred practices for determination of mental disability and the need for special education services; and highlight prescriptive assessment practices…

This paper examines statistics that appear to show a 20 percent decline in the number of students identified as mildly mentally retarded. Evidence is provided which suggests that the primary reason for these declining figures is that these children are being classified as learning disabled. Relatively loose criteria for the learning disabilities…

This report discusses the findings of a study that investigated whether the New York State Education Department's Office of Vocational and Educational Services for Individuals with Disabilities (VESID) has improved its oversight of special education by implementing a system for evaluating the performance of special education programs, and whether…

This children's book tells the story of 10-year-old Jimmy who is having problems at school and believes he is stupid. After a parent-teacher conference, he is tested and found to have a learning disability. The book discusses the characteristics of learning disabilities and the help Jimmy receives from a tutor. It concludes with Jimmy performing…

This brief paper summarizes warning signs of learning disabilities in preschool children, elementary school children, and secondary school children. It notes that learning disabilities are presumed to arise from dysfunctions in the brain resulting in significant difficulties in perceiving information, processing and/or remembering information,…

Recent national studies show that nearly 2 million children have preventable learning "disabilities," and the number of students classified as learning disabled could be reduced by as much as 70 percent with rigorous early reading instruction. In predominantly white school districts, minority students are classified as learning disabled…

This manual, the 10th edition of a regularly published definition and classification work on mental retardation, presents five key assumptions upon which the definition of mental retardation is based and a theoretical model of five essential dimensions that explain mental retardation and how to use the companion system. These dimensions include…

This brief paper analyzes the types of information about disproportionality of particular racial/ethnic groups in special education that states provided in the Biennial Performance Reports (BPRs) submitted to the U.S. Department of Education in 2002 (covering the academic years 1991-2000 and 2000-2001). A section on the study's background notes…

This report introduces the General Education Development Testing Services (GEDTS) Administrator screening model for adults with learning disabilities. The screening model is designed to identify adults whose educational achievement is significantly below overall potential due to an informational processing deficit and who are thus eligible for…

This notebook is the 3rd volume of a three volume set containing strategies to provide an educational environment and assessment and counseling services for the learning disabled (LD) adolescent and adult. Part I focuses on a beneficial educational environment. Chapter 1, on the academic environment, addresses what is necessary for a supportive…

Two papers summarize a symposium on special education services and interagency systems of care for children and adolescents with severe emotional disturbance (SED) in California. The first paper, "Opening the Floodgates? The Influence of a System of Care on Referrals to Special Education" (Iris Zanglis, Michael J. Furlong, Michelle Wood,…

This study evaluated 102 patients (ages 5 to 13) at the Medical University of South Carolina's Pediatric Neurology Clinic for incidence of psychiatric or language disorders. Parents completed the Pediatric Symptom Checklist (PSC), the Child Behavior Checklist, and the Language Problems Scale; phone interviews were conducted to determine child…

This final report describes accomplishments and activities of a four-year federally funded project to provide technical assistance to Colorado children and youth with deafblindness. Accomplishments are detailed for each of the following six project goals: (1) identification of children with deafblindness; (2) development and maintenance of…

This report summarizes survey data on state policies and procedures related to the provision of services to students with Attention Deficit Disorder and Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD). Information was received from 41 states and 3 non-state jurisdictions in the fall of 1998. Findings indicate: (1) at least 21 states have written…