Learning disabilities can be overcome although solutions are complex and costly. The range of individual disabilities is wide, and improper screening and diagnosis is common. A learning disability is a disorder affecting understanding or the use of spoken or written language. Approximately 5 percent of adults have such disabilities. In addition,…

In a study of reading clinicians' collection and diagnosis procedures, three types of clinical agreement were examined: group agreement, intraclinician agreement, and interclinician agreement. Eight senior and respected practicing clinicians were involved in the study, which used simulated cases of reading problems based upon real cases. The…

This document presents a brief synthesis of recent literature on attention deficit difficulties with hyperactivity, particularly literature concerning classroom interventions. It describes diagnostic criteria for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, its incidence, behavioral characteristics of students who exhibit attention difficulties and…

Fourteen brief articles focus on the young handicapped child and his family. Articles have the following titles and authors: "Elements of Early Care and Education" (W. Fowler); "Mothers and Fathers--The Special Child's Special Resources" (M. Lamb); "Child Development--Knowledge and the Special Educator" (A. Honig); "The Handicapped Child in the…

This paper discusses how states and jurisdictions define "developmental delay" and "at risk" in their definition of eligibility for services to infants and toddlers under Part H of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. It reviews the procedures and criteria used to determine developmental delay and outlines the…

Three types of evaluation methods are discussed in terms of their use in evaluating both cognitive and affective learning in developmental programs: standardized tests; criterion-referenced tests; and naturalistic inquiries. Section I looks at the complexities of learning and the inherent difficulties in judging the quality and quantity of what is…

This special issue of the "CEDS/Newsletter" is devoted to the theme of "preschool, early childhood, and infant assessment." It emphasizes the need for early assessment and intervention with young handicapped children. An article by Linda Pearl, "Issues in Infant Assessment," covers the purpose of infant assessment,…

It is often difficult to distinguish those students with learning problems due to individual differences in learning styles or achievement difficulties from those students with specific disorders; failure to do so sometimes results in inappropriate referral of language minority students to special education. It also contributes to disproportionate…

The issue of Directions contains 11 articles on assessment of hearing impaired individuals. Entries have the following titles and authors: "Classroom Assessment Techniques for Hearing Impaired Students--A Literature Review" (B. McKee, M. Hausknecht); "Informal Assessment of Hearing Impaired Students In the Classroom" (B. Culhane, R. Hein);…

Thirteen research reports related to mathematics education are abstracted and analyzed. Two of the reports deal with acquisition of number concepts; three deal with instructional techniques; and one each pertains to diagnosis, logical connectives, teacher behaviors, spatial preferences, mathematical language, formal thought, and curriculum…

The issue of Exceptional Education Quarterly addresses several major issues affecting the measurement of exceptionality in the schools. (SB)

This newsletter issue focuses on the assessment of school-aged children to: (1) determine if a child has a disability and is eligible for special services, and (2) provide information that can drive educational programming. Section 1 is an introduction which addresses a definition of assessment, how students are identified for assessment, federal…

This document uses a question-and-answer format in clarifying the meaning and use of the term "informed clinical opinion," which appears in the regulatory requirements for the implementation of Part H of the Education of the Handicapped Act Amendments 1986 (Public Law 99-457) as an integral part of an eligibility determination. The paper…

This volume contains papers presented at a symposium on public policy and educating handicapped persons. Included are: (1) "Public Policy and the Special Education Task for the 1980s: Report of the Wingspread Conference" (M. C. Reynolds et al.); (2) "The Emerging System for Educating Handicapped Children" (L. E. Lynn, Jr.); (3) "Effectiveness of…

This newsletter contains six articles about correctional education for learning-disabled adults. In "Correctional Education: A Worthwhile Investment; An Interview with Steven Steurer," the executive director of the Correctional Education Association (CEA) explains the benefits of correctional education and some of the CEA's efforts to improve the…