Background: There is increasing interest in applying neuroscience findings to topics in education. Purpose: This application requires a proper conceptualization of the relation between cognition and brain function. This paper considers two such conceptualizations. The area focus understands each cognitive competency as the product of one (and only…

Among conclusions of this review of findings regarding contemporary neuropsychology and cerebral hemisphere specialization as related to learning disabilities are: (1) differential specialization occurs very early; (2) anomalous hemispheric specialization is not necessarily associated with cognitive deficit; and (3) left- and right-hemisphere…

The mechanisms of both language-based and non-language-based learning disabilities are presented within the framework of central nervous system development and the compromises to that development that arise from genetic, hormonal, antibody, medication, and postnatal compromises. Also reviewed is the need for a taxonomy of learning disabilities.…

A theory of the development of anomalous dominance and its biological associations is explained and the literature is reviewed in an attempt to apply this theory to the study of autism. The review supported the increased incidence of left-handedness, learning disabilities, and immune disorders postulated by the theory. (Author/DB)

Sophisticated neurological research shows that early problems with auditory perception can result in long-range negative effects for the linguistic processes in general, and such long-range effects must be assumed to be correlated with induced degenerative changes in the auditory system and perhaps in the brain's linguistic sector. This research…

Many educational theorists in recent decades have argued for the plurality of forms of knowledge, both in the mind and in the curriculum. Two popular ways of conceptualizing this plurality have claimed that individual students either differ in their "learning styles" or possess "multiple intelligences". Both theories have encountered numerous…

This article presents the rationale underlying the development of neuropsychological assessment strategies (emphasis on the Halstead-Reitan Neuropsychological Test Battery), illustrates via a case study how clinical neuropsychological service may have implications for teaching strategies, and suggests how neuropsychological research can further…

The area of adult learning disabilities is reviewed from a neurobiological and neuropsychological perspective. The paper covers possible pathophysiologic bases in dyslexia, neurobehavioral disorders that may coexist with learning disorders, neuropsychological assessment methods, treatment in the context of brain plasticity and recovery of…

Industrial arts multisensory manipulative experience may provide a missing link in helping children, specifically learning disabled students, remediate their educational problems. Author examines research findings on right and left hemisphere functions and reviews an application of this knowledge in a teaching situation. (CSS)

Research on hemispheric mode functioning indicates that some connections exist between learning disabilities (LD) and right-mode dominance, which suggests that instruction should be offered to develop right hemispheric (spatial perception) abilities in LD persons. The influence on student drawing of the right-left hemispheric shift during reading…

This article discusses recent findings concerning cognitive outcomes in traumatic brain injury (TBI) in children and adolescents, with a particular focus on age differences with TBI. It suggests a relationship between specific learning disorders and brain dysfunction, addresses differential hemispheric functioning with TBI, and outlines recent…

Review features of nonverbal learning disabilities in terms of personal, social, and academic manifestations, including deficits in reading comprehension, graphomotor coordination, mathematics, and science. Examines the neuropsychological and learning components associated with developmental right-hemisphere brain syndrome and outlines effective…

This review of the literature looks at writing disabilities in the context of special education services provided within regular classrooms. A definition of learning disabilities as well as a discussion of effects of left and right brain dominance and of the steps of the writing process begin the paper. Among the findings of the research synthesis…

A review of research makes it increasingly clear that findings from the areas of brain development and hemispheric specialization, student and teacher learning styles, and holistic and meaning-centered approaches to reading and writing are related, as they all contribute to a richer view of how learners learn. In brain research, the popular focus…

This article reviews the identification of students with learning disabilities, gifted children, and problems facing the remediation of their difficulties. An outline is given of an approach that applies neuroscience to understanding and treating the root cause of learning disabilities. A case study of a child labeled dyslexic is presented.…