The identifying features of nonverbal learning disabilities (NLD) were evaluated with 29 NLD children, 27 children with reading and spelling disabilities, and 27 nonclinical children. Four tests were found which accurately discriminated the NLD group from the others. Deficits in visual-perceptual-organizational psychomotor coordination and complex…

A study of 62 children (ages 7 to 12) with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and 62 controls found that behavioral variables established robust, statistically significant differences between groups. Children with ADHD also scored worse on 31 out of 61 neuropsychological variables, but obtained better scores on WISC-R Comprehension…

This article critically analyzes available definitions of learning disability. The general problem of definition is discussed first, followed by a discussion of individual definitions from the earliest to the latest. It is concluded that the definitions fail to provide substantive insight into the nature of the condition. (Contains extensive…

Four studies examined reading disabilities in elementary school children from the perspective of componential skills of reading. A principal-components analysis of the performance of 139 children on reading-related tasks yielded two factors: decoding and comprehension. Factor analyses indicated that orthographic skills and processing speed could…

A study examined the stability over 19 months of academic subtyping classification of 80 children (ages 9 to 13) representing four subtypes of arithmetic disabilities (AD). Approximately half of the sample retained AD regardless of identification method. Children with deficits in arithmetic, reading, and spelling disabilities exhibited the…

This study of 38 right-handed children (age range 90 to 201 months) with dyslexia found characteristic patterns of organization of intellectual functions, of hemispheric specialization, and of reading errors in the subtypes, identified as linguistic dyslexia, perceptual dyslexia, and mixed dyslexia. (DB)

A study involving 1,123 children investigated the relationship between naming speed and phonological awareness skills and the implications for the classification of children at risk of reading disability. Results found a positive correlation between naming speed and phonological awareness and indicate this relationship will affect any comparison…

Past, present, and future concerns regarding the definition of learning disabilities (LD) are documented. Research on efforts to clarify the LD label is discussed, including the questionable utility of the discrepancy model. An approach is presented for operationalizing the definition of LD of the National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities.…

Reviews the methods, technologies, and operating tenets of case studies of reading disabilities completed during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Results suggest that the assumptions of anatomical and functional modularity for cortical processes become guiding principles for diagnosing and correcting reading difficulties. (Author/CR)

Four studies involving 45 subjects found that children (ages 9-14) with nonverbal learning disabilities syndrome exhibited specific patterns of impairment in mechanical arithmetic and in psychosocial functioning, whereas children with poor performance in reading and spelling exhibited patterns of academic deficits (including arithmetic), but not…

A study that followed 1,008 children from prekindergarten through grade seven or eight for 13 years found that defining reading comprehension disability in terms of a discrepancy between group-administered tests of listening and reading comprehension provided a fairly accurate estimate of the stability, gender ratio, and prevalence of the…

This article introduces a special issue dealing with selected aspects of writing disorders. It provides an overview of following articles and issues confronting the written language field, including definitional issues, assessment issues, neurodevelopment components, brain-behavior linkages, lifespan issues, and interventions. Recommendations are…