Pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) have the greatest need for excellent teaching and are entitled to provision that supports achievement at, and enjoyment of, school. The attainment gap between pupils with SEND and their peers is twice as big as the gap between pupils eligible for free school meals and their peers.…

In 2011, pepnet 2 launched the Deaf Learner Initiative (DLI). The goals of this initiative were to examine the existing paradigms, programs, pedagogy and relevant research related to the educational and vocational needs of deaf learners. The DLI was comprised of a variety of activities including the Deaf Learner Symposium, the creation of three…

Parents often are left wondering how to determine if their child's behaviors are "normal" or possibly diagnostic of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or other problems. This article presents a list of general guidelines that allow parents to determine the possibility of whether their children are experiencing either ADHD or a…

Responsiveness to intervention (RTI) is addressed through federal law and refers to a tiered approach to instruction. Students who do not make adequate academic progress and who are at risk for reading and other learning disabilities receive increasingly intensive instructional services. This brief was developed to help you understand…

Today, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most common and most studied psychiatric disorder of childhood, affecting approximately five percent of school-aged children. That means that there are probably at least two children with ADHD in any average elementary school class. In the last 20 years, there has been an explosion in…

A review of learning disabilities in gifted children provides definitions of "learning disabilities" and "giftedness", a classification of gifted students with learning disabilities, the importance of a multidimensional approach to identifying students with gifts/learning disabilities, characteristics, programming guidelines, teaching strategies,…

The 16 chapters of this comprehensive guide to teaching students with learning disabilities cover the following topics: (1) an overview of the field of learning disabilities (characteristics, causes, prevalence, prognosis, and resources); (2) research in the field of learning disabilities (how the brain works, how children learn); (3) relevant…

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,…

This information brief aims to describe common learning disabilities that can cause reading problems and to assist the reader in accessing organizations that can provide appropriate help. The paper begins with a note about the many reasons why a person might have difficulty in developing reading skills. It then presents an article by Larry B.…

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 digest discusses the occurrence of other disabilities which, in combination with diminished hearing, can create additional learning problems for children with hearing impairments. Topics on educational strategies for these children address: (1) the prevalence of other disabilities in children with hearing loss, including learning…

This paper discusses the characteristics of children who are gifted and have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Seven principles to reach and teach gifted learners with ADHD are recommended: (1) remembering that these learners have needs just like other children in their age groups; (2) having realistic expectations in helping these…

This handbook of procedures related to dyslexia is designed to provide guidelines for Mississippi school districts, teachers, and parents in the identification and instruction of students with dyslexia, to assist regular educators in gaining current information concerning dyslexia, accommodations and modifications, and to provide information on…

This kit is intended to provide parents of children with learning disabilities, particularly reading disorders, with appropriate information, tools, and references. The kit includes eight strategy-based booklets featuring steps to success, parent-child activities, frequently asked questions, and resources. The eight booklet titles are: (1)…

Special education is now an established part of public education in the United States--by law and by custom. However, it is still widely misunderstood and continues to be dogged by controversies related to such things as categorization, grouping, assessment, placement, funding, instruction, and a variety of legal issues. The purpose of this…