The number of students assigned to special education has increased in the past decades, in spite of efforts for more inclusion. For students with mild learning or behavioral difficulties, special education assignment might be prevented if appropriate support is provided in general education. In this study, research on programs that could reduce…

This article draws upon data from a large scale project called "Network 1000". Network 1000 seeks to survey the changing needs and opinions of visually impaired adults. Data have been collected from 1007 visually impaired people across Great Britain. This analysis focuses upon a sub-sample of approximately 250 adults aged between 18 and…

Data from questionnaires completed by 44 Child Service Demonstration Centers were analyzed, providing information on the number of children served, the definition of LD (learning disabilities) used, the kinds of assessment data collected and the purpose for which they were used, the specific assessment devices used to collect data and the purpose…

The article looks at the concept of discrepancy between ability and achievement in conceptualizations of learning disabilities. Comparison of ability and achievement scores found generally small average discrepancies, though some wide ranges were evident. Implications of the findings for current and future use of discrepancies as estimators of…

The history of the strategy of grade retention for low achieving students is briefly reviewed and conflicts concerning its efficacy are summarized. Current research aimed at identifying specific criteria (including some found to be correlates of learning disabilities) which aid educators in making retention decisions is described. (Author/DB)

Questionnaire data from 100 directors of special education were analyzed to examine the manner in which decisions are made about learning disabled (LD) children in school settings. Information was obtained on the membership of teams making screening, placement, and instructional planning decisions; major steps involved in the assessment and…

E. Burns' (1984) attempt to explain the below average mean IQ scores reported for samples of learning dsabled (LD) students through the use of the bivariate normal probability distribution was examined. Alternative explanations which focus on issues related to the referral, identification, and placement of children are presented.(Author)

Proceedings from the Minnesota Roundtable Conference on Assessment of Learning Disabled children include two major presentations reviewing research and reactions to those presentations from conference participants. J. Ysseldyke's presentation "Psychoeducational Assessment and Decision Making" reviews basic considerations underlying his…

A synthesis of eight studies, involving 442 students, that examined the perceptions of students with learning disabilities concerning their educational settings resulted in five overall findings, including (1) most students preferred to receive specialized instruction outside of the general education classroom for part of the school day and (2)…

Six years of research on issues in assessment and identification of learning disabilities are summarized. The focus of the summary is on referral processes. The first chapter highlights major findings on questions of how many students are referred, student characteristics, reasons for referral, and the nature of the referral process (pre-referral…

Examines the predictive validity of a screening test for children with mild learning problems. Scores on a cognitive battery were evaluated in terms of the accuracy with which they predicted the classification of children into regular or special education. A classification accuracy level of 79% was achieved for the exceptional children, and 70%…

This review summarizes the current literature on the effect of single-parent homes on the academic achievement and learning disability placement of students. One finding of the review is that the research is inconclusive on the effect of single-parent homes on student academic achievement or on learning disability program placement. A…

A review of studies of the self-concepts of learning disabled children (LDC) found that LDC have lower self-concepts than do non-handicapped students, with the greatest differences in academic, rather than general, self-concept. Results are discussed in terms of factors associated with self-concept development and the negative effects on…

This paper (1) presents a critical analysis of the literature on school readiness and school failure; (2) discusses the problems that ill conceived policies based upon readiness studies present to the education of learning disabled, regular class, and gifted children; and (3) offers guidelines for policies and programs. Methodological issues…

The review of the literature focuses on research assessing the effects of learning disabilities on a child's self-concept. After an introduction, definitions of "learning disabilities" and "self-concept" are offered. The literature on effects of learning disabilities on self-concept in elementary, middle, and high school age children is then…