This article introduces a series of papers on cognitive process-based instruction for students with learning disabilities. Cognitive process-based instruction is defined and differentiated from the process training advocated by S. Kirk in the 1970s. The method's basis of sound theory and academic tasks is stressed. (DB)

In response to Crockett's analysis of the relation of science and the instruction of students with learning disabilities, we discuss reasons why teaching in special education is infrequently affected by science and research, and we propose a model of naturalistic decision making and make recommendations for bridging the gap between research and…

More than 20 years ago, psychologists first described gifted students with learning disabilities (LD). In the past decade, several sets of identification criteria have been proposed for this population. Many of the suggested assessment practices are unsupported by research in psychoeducational assessment, and some have been directly contradicted…

Informal assessment can make a valuable contribution to the assessment process in special education. Informal procedures are characterized by their ability to be tailored to the needs of specific assessment situations and are especially useful in student evaluation for this reason. (Author)

The paper argues that prevailing models of teaching in special education rely on a technical conception of teaching, whereas technical skills should play a subsidiary role in service to teachers' broader understanding of the meaning of education and to their creative skills in bringing about experiences rich in educational potential. (JDD)

The paper reviews research efforts directed at identifying perceptual and cognitive components in reading and their dysfunction in disabled readers. Disruption in the processing sequence is identified, and a compensatory training technique for the reading disabled is described. (Author)

Problems in the application of traditional process-oriented approaches to diagnosis and treatment of learning disabilities suggest a need to alter the manner in which these basic processes are conceptualized and measured. (Author)

Criticisms of traditional approaches to the assessment of student abilities and instructional program design are reviewed and alternative, dynamic approaches are suggested. A major feature of the suggested approaches is assistance to influence student performance and thus reveal the potential for change. The approaches are categorized and examined…

The author reviews implications of the previous four papers on the neuropsychological approach to learning disabilities (ED 161 035-038), notes the importance of an interdisciplinary approach, discusses potential valuable test batteries, and emphasizes the need for appropriate training in neuropsychology psychologists and teachers. (CL)

This critique of Edwin Ellis' model for integrative strategy instruction for adolescents with learning disabilities comments on the feasibility of the model in the public school context, the completeness of the model in considering elements of classroom ecology, internal integrity or consistency, evaluation of student assessment, and evaluation of…

The article critiques some of the flaws of mainstreaming, such as grade-level curriculum demands, reporting systems, standardized tests, teacher training, and the individualization of instruction. (Author/SBH)

In this paper I comment on recent recommendations that students' responsiveness to instruction (RTI) provides a basis for identification of students as learning disabled. I repeat an earlier argument (Gerber & Semmel, 1985) that teachers embedded in schools are naturally variable in their capacity to respond to differences in students' response to…

The article elucidates 14 principles drawn from the structuralist, constructivist, and holist literature and applies them to the teaching of learning disabled students. (Author/DB)

In response to two papers decrying reductionism and advocating holistic constructivism in models of learning disabilities, the article applauds trends toward a shifting paradigm in the field but warns against advocating any single approach as the only valid path to effective learning. (DB)

An overview of the historical development of educational therapy as a treatment model for individuals with exceptional needs is presented, and two major disciplines--the psychoeducational model and the mental health approach--are critiqued. A more comprehensive model of education is proposed. (Author/CL)