Over the past 40 years, a variety of school improvement initiatives have been designed and implemented in low-performing schools across the country, mostly with disappointing results. One potential explanation for the poor track record is that school leaders have too often designed improvement strategies without taking the time to understand the…

Introduction: autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and intellectual disability (ID) seem to influence the risk of and vulnerability to exposure to trauma and adverse events. While assessment of a psychiatric disorder in ASD and ID generally is challenging, identification of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) seems particularly so, and knowledge does…

This document discusses specific learning disabilities identification (SLD ID) determination implications and considerations with distance learning and school reentry due to COVID-19.

Concussions continue to be an injury that is confusing for healthcare professionals, athletes and parents alike. This confusion stems from the fact that not every concussion presents or resolves in the same way. What is known, however, is that coaches must have appropriate screening and identifying practices in place for every athlete at every…

Executive functioning abilities have been associated with important behaviors such as adaptive skills and cognitive abilities in children with and without disabilities. Executive functioning has primarily been measured as a strong predictor of later abilities in children with neurodevelopmental disabilities, such as attention-deficit/…

This article examines the validity of IQ-achievement discrepancy and low achievement as criteria for the identification of disabilities in Spanish-speaking English-language learners (ELs) and the factors that moderate the validity of these approaches as bases for identification. While there has been a long history of examining the validity of…

This study used simulation techniques to evaluate the technical adequacy of three methods for the identification of specific learning disabilities via patterns of strengths and weaknesses in cognitive processing. Latent and observed data were generated and the decision-making process of each method was applied to assess concordance in…

This article investigates whether the characteristics of feedback identified by the literature can be found within written assessment records for work and competence-based qualifications. It uses a brief literature review and analysis of the formative feedback within 257 learner portfolios. The characteristics identified by the literature are…

Learning Disabilities (LDs) affect a significant number of students in elementary and secondary school. In order for these students, along with parents and teachers, to understand the nature of their specific difficulties, and have equal opportunity in academic settings, a comprehensive psychological report containing properly informed…

Canadian teachers in inclusive classrooms are encountering more students with ADHD-like behaviours and making more referrals for formal diagnosis of the condition. Previous research suggests that ADHD diagnoses are susceptible to highly inconsistent and arbitrary assessment processes/criteria (Sanford & Ridley, 1995), thus probably…

The reauthorized Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA) established new provisions for specific learning disability (SLD) identification, including: (a) no longer requiring consideration of IQ-achievement discrepancy and (b) permitting response to intervention (RTI) as part of SLD evaluation procedures. We discuss several…

Clinicians must often rely on self-report data to make a diagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adults. Unfortunately, self-report data are subject to intentional distortion. This becomes a concern when assessing for the disorder in the college population due to perceptions that there are benefits to having a documented…

"How many are gifted or talented?" Although very important, this question has received little attention from most scholars in gifted education. Four major variables are identified that directly impact prevalence estimates: (a) the type of definition endorsed--disjunctive or conjunctive, (b) the number of abilities/characteristics included, (c) the…

Presidential address at 1990 annual meetings of the American Association of Suicidology provides overview of how suicide assessment could be improved in the next decade. Focuses on new assessment rationale and techniques to improve suicide assessment. Describes both suicide assessment techniques that have been used for years and newer techniques…

In the context of the educational system and the nature of special education in South Korea, I describe policy, practice, and research about children with learning disabilities (LD). Recently, the study of LD has attracted professionals from multiple disciplines including general and special education, medicine, psychology, and social work. In…