Three types of definitions of learning disabilities (LD) (ability-achievement discrepancy, low achievement, and scatter) were examined to determine the extent of common variance within 48 school-identified LD children and 96 nonLD children (all elementary students). Both samples had previously been administered a battery of psychoeducational…

Identification, differential diagnosis, and treatment evaluation of emotionally disturbed preschoolers by practitioners are considered. Emphasis is on the need for defining disorders in terms of: (1) a broad normative context to assist general reporting within the profession; and (2) specific settings to provide the information necessary for…

The booklet, designed to accompany a videotape, explains the similarities and differences among students with learning problems, specific learning disabilities (LD), mild mental retardation, or behavioral disorders. Specific implications for special education in Illinois are outlined. The underlying problem of over-identification of LD students is…

Arguments supporting the conceptual validity of learning disabilities are presented against the background of current definitional problems. The need to differentiate between classification and identification and the importance of a shared attribute definition are stressed. It is argued that a taxonomy of learning disabilities and related…

Two classification procedures for identifying children with reading disabilities were compared, differing in their use of intelligence quotient (IQ). Results indicated that abandoning IQ in classification had a very limited impact on the number of children identified as reading disordered, but that use of IQ resulted in more high-IQ children being…

The position paper discusses issues surrounding definition and identification procedures used for students with behavior disorders. Five recommendations address the need for revision of the federal definition, elimination of arbitrary exclusions, focus on sources of data collection, alternative models of service delivery, and priority needs for…

This manual, the ninth edition of a regularly published definition and classification work on mental retardation retains some aspects of the system set forth in the eighth (1983) edition, but departs from previous editions in the following ways: (1) it attempts to express the changing understanding of what mental retardation is; (2) it formulates…

This study of 1,657 children (ages 7-16) found that although children with dyslexia had higher intelligence quotient scores than poor readers, the 2 groups did not differ in performance on reading, spelling, phonological processing, or most language and memory tasks. The performance of both reading-disabled groups was significantly below that of…

Presented in both French and English, the document contains extracts from a review of the literature on students with learning disabilities (LD) and on French speaking exceptional students' programs and needs. The review of LD includes sections on approaches to definition and classification, incidence, and definitional components (intelligence,…

This book examines critical issues in classification and definition of learning disabilities; the development of theory in learning disabilities; the development of cognitive, developmental, and educational models of learning disabilities; and social and public policy in learning disabilities. After an introductory chapter by G. Reid Lyon and…

Changes in the population of children served as educable mentally retarded (EMR) in the public schools are examined. The term "new" refers to children currently classified as EMR, in contrast to children classified as EMR in the late 1960s, predating court actions challenging the criteria for EMR eligibility. "New" EMRs have an IQ of 50-75, while…