Research suggests that English learners (ELs) with learning disabilities (LD) may benefit from culturally responsive evidence-based instructional approaches. ELs with LD often present with learning challenges that influence language acquisition and literacy development. One way to address the distinctive proclivities of these students is to…

Articles in this issue examine (1) the primary sources of variability in reading and language achievement among Spanish-speaking English learners (ELs) in the United States, (2) the extent to which poor performance at the end of grade 2 is identifiable in developmental trajectories beginning in kindergarten, (3) the relations among core reading…

The growing number of children in primary schools in Germany who have German as their second language (L2) has raised questions about the fairness of performance assessment. Fair tests are a prerequisite for distinguishing between L2 learning delay and a specific learning disability. We evaluated five commonly used reading and spelling tests for…

Short term memory (STM) and working memory (WM) performance consistently predict language abilities in children with developmental language disorders. However, causality is not fully established. Moreover, evidence from the fine-grained analysis of STM/WM tasks and comprehension of complex sentences, suggests that long term memory (LTM)…

The assumption that educational policies and practices in the global North are viable in the global South has promoted a universal template for inclusive education, or Education For All. In India, lived realities do not conform to this universal template, resulting in the emergence of low-income English language learners who are being labeled as…

This article examines the 50 year history of the "British Journal of Learning Disabilities," which was launched as Apex, the "Journal of the Institute of Mental Subnormality," in 1973. Changes in language and terminology are tracked and the journal is placed in the context of wider policy and social developments. Three general…

The present work attracted our attention motivated by the need of seeking ways of helping people learning EFL, with certain "disabilities" than undertaking a research project by itself. The needs for implementing those special program in our country is out of the question, since to the extent that our society and country has been…

This article describes a case study of teaching German at the college level for four semesters with a student born blind (with increasing hearing loss). It presents an assessment tool to measure the qualitative and quantitative efficacy of disability/blindness-inclusive language teaching methods using multimodality and Universal Design principles.…

This examination of the literature on foreign, or second, language learning by native English-speaking students with disabilities addresses the benefits of language learning, the practices and policies of language exemption, the perceptions of students and educators regarding those practices, and available resources for supporting students with…

Purpose: This lead article of the Clinical Forum addresses some of the gaps that exist between clinical practice and current knowledge about instructional factors that influence learning and language development. Method: Topics reviewed and discussed include principles of learning, generalization, treatment intensity, processing interventions,…

This policy brief examines the prevalence and characteristics of English learner students with disabilities in Oregon. The analysis compares data for students currently classified as English learners (current ELs), students ever classified as ELs (ever ELs; the combined group of current and former ELs), and students never classified as ELs (never…

The evaluation of minority children for special education by law should be nondiscriminatory. To be in compliance with federal mandates such as the Individuals with Disability Education Act (IDEA), No Child Left Behind (NCLB), and Public Law 94-142, minority children who are also English language learners (ELLs) should be assessed in their native…

Teachers of students with learning disabilities (LD) who also are emergent bilingual (EB) are tasked with meeting students' individual learning needs and developing academic language. Teachers require specialized knowledge in second-language acquisition and the specific learning strategies to support students' learning disabilities. Reading…

This paper addresses the serious and pervasive problem of the mis-identification of English Language Learners (ELLs) as Learning Disabled (LD). Recent increases in immigration make this problem all the more urgent. The paper outlines problems with current methods of differentiating between learning disabilities and language acquisition processes.…

Conventional wisdom in education has suggested that students who are classified as learning disabled (LD) will exhibit inordinate difficulties learning a foreign language (FL). Even when not explicitly stated, the notion that those classified as LD have a disability for FL learning is implied. However, while beliefs about this purported disability…