Proposed guidelines have been published recently (Al-Hilawani, 2016) to help identify and determine for the first time the existence of learning disabilities among students in the Middle East Arab (M.E.A.) countries. These guidelines have been drawn from recent and up-to-date information available on learning disabilities. The purpose of this…

Processing Strengths and Weaknesses (PSW) models have been proposed as a method for identifying specific learning disabilities. Three PSW models were examined for their ability to predict expert identified specific learning disabilities cases. The Dual Discrepancy/Consistency Model (DD/C; Flanagan, Ortiz, & Alfonso, 2013) as operationalized by…

IDEA 2004 opened the door for states, and in some cases districts, to choose among three different methods for identifying children with Specific Learning Disabilities (SLDs). This study provides an in-depth look at SLD identification practices in a state that allows school psychologists to use any of the three methods. Eighty-four school…

The purpose of the White Paper is to provide additional information for and guidance to the federal government, professional organizations, practitioners, and the public. The Learning Disabilities Association of America (LDA) is hopeful that this document will facilitate legal, regulatory, policy, and training decisions, and ultimately, service…

The study of children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) has emerged as a vibrant line of inquiry over the last three decades. DCD is defined as a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by poor motor proficiency that interferes with a child's activities of daily living (sometimes also known as dyspraxia). Common symptoms include…

Children with math disabilities (MD) represent a heterogeneous group and often display deficits in one or more cognitive domains. Math proficiency requires a number of different cognitive processes, including quantitative knowledge, working memory, processing speed, fluid reasoning, and executive functions. Assessment practices that do not address…

The 2004 Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA) and subsequent regulations published in 2006 have significantly changed the identification process for students suspected of having specific learning disabilities. Rather than using a discrepancy model contrasting intellectual and achievement test results, assessment…

The search for "markers", or indicators of learning disabilities, has shown that teachers can be good indicators, but literature has not shown which markers or indicators are most noticed or receiving most of teachers' attention. This investigation asked preservice teachers to describe their own first memories of students with learning…

A debate exists in the research community about replacing the traditional IQ/achievement discrepancy method for learning disability identification with a "response-to-intervention model". This new assessment paradigm uses a student's level of improvement with small-group or individual programming to determine a possible need for…

A review of the literature on gifted students with learning disabilities concludes that the literature is presently unable to provide empirically based guidelines for identifying and serving children who are both gifted and learning disabled. Several key problems are discussed, including identification, characteristics, and intervention.…

Presents an overview of a screening process developed by a postsecondary institution that has a comprehensive support program for students with learning disabilities. The steps in the process are outlined, as are the successes and limitations. Recommendations for programs that are considering adopting a screening process are provided. (Author/CR)

In the context of legal requirements that postsecondary students provide documentation of any learning disability, this article discusses components of a comprehensive learning disability evaluation at the postsecondary level with examples of actual documentation submitted to two institutions. Emphasis is on diagnosis based on multiple data…

This paper reviews ongoing research designed to specify the cognitive, behavioral, and neuroanatomical phenotypes of specific genetic etiologies of learning disability. The genetic disorders at the focus of the research include reading disability, neurofibromatosis type 1, Tourette syndrome, and fragile X syndrome. Implications for identifying…

The Clock Drawing test was administered to 143 regular education students (grades 1-4) to determine approximate grade levels at which skill on the test may be expected and to 30 students with learning disabilities. For the regular children, scores improved most between first and second grade. The disabled children scored significantly lower than…

A three-stage identification process is recommended for students suspected of having learning disabilities. This process examines discrepancy, causality, and the need for special education, and it complies with legal requirements. (Author)