Over the last 30 years, controversy has reigned over the rights of children with learning disabilities to be educated alongside their peers in a mainstream classroom. Whether this is called integration or inclusion has been another hotly debated discussion among professionals. There have been calls for the abolition of special schools. This paper…

Professional confusion, as well as case law confusion, exists concerning the fidelity and integrity of response to intervention (RTI) as a defensible procedure for identifying children as having a specific learning disability (SLD) under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Division is generated because of conflicting mandates…

This paper presents the position that inclusion is limited; inclusion does not go far enough. The inclusive classroom has been assessed to be of benefit both to the teacher and student. There are, however, limits set on inclusion. In most classrooms only children with learning disability are included omitting those with severe disabilities,…

In planning modifications in typewriting classes to accommodate special needs students, content, environment, and methods need to be considered. (SK)

The author describes his concerns over mainstreaming, especially as the practice applies to LD students. He quotes other special educators' misgivings about mainstreaming and decries the lack of long range planning in the field. (CL)

The author considers the future of learning disabilities, particularly in relation to mainstreaming, the perceptual deficit hypothesis, and the psychoneurology of learning. (SBH)

An interview with L. Lieberman, a teacher educator and author, touches on such topics as departmentalization at the secondary and elementary level, the use of triple level tests to allow students to stay in mainstreamed settings, and the importance of emphasizing skill development rather than subject matter instruction in secondary resource rooms.…

The author reviews issues related to grading learning disabled students that may cause problems between special and regular education teachers. He suggests that too many regular teachers have confused and arbitrary grading policies and that a pass/fail approach may be a wiser alternative. (CL)

Three papers present the positions of national organizations on full inclusion of students with learning disabilities in regular education classrooms, including the Learning Disabilities Association of America, Council for Learning Disabilities, and National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities. All three papers call for a continuum of…

A special education administrator raises questions about separating learning-disabled students from the regular education classroom for specialized instruction, proposes strategies to accommodate learning difference and address specific learning needs in the regular instructional program, and suggests the need to reevaluate the benefits derived…

The paper questions whether the school consultation model which provides services to learning disabled students has a sound theoretical base. Included are an examination of 10 different models of consultation and their relationship to theory and a review of studies on facilitating the mainstreaming of learning disabled and other low achieving…

The author expresses concerns regarding three issues in the field of learning disabilities: (1) the nature and quality of research in this field; (2) the divisive actions of leaders in the field; and (3) issues of mainstreaming resulting in both parental and professional backlashes. (Author)

To assess a child's readiness to integrate, a "competency based assessment" is described. Here, the standards of a particular regular class are measured and the handicapped child's competencies are compared to those standards. (Author)

Reviews definitions of learning disabilities and program delivery practices, particularly mainstreaming. A short case study is appended. Part of a theme issue on the disabled. (SJL)

Argues that multimodal education which emphasizes the commonalities among children is needed to help handicapped children experience a feeling of belonging in the regular classroom. Discusses a number of educational programs and a sample lesson which have multimodal properties. (SS)