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…

Overidentification of learning disabilities may be caused by applying a model of disability which does not allow for classroom accomodation. A minority model of disability with classroom modification and accommodation to differences in students who fail to meet behavior and achievement standards is proposed. (Author/DB)

The guidelines focus on procedures for determining eligibility for services of children with specific learning disabilities. A 13-step process is delineated from the classroom teacher's response to individual learner needs through multifactored evaluation team function to annual review and reevaluation. Throughout the process, special emphasis is…

The report, developed by a special Iowa task force, examined issues of definition, criteria, and identification procedures for learning disabilities as a point of departure for the examination of current practices affecting learning disabled students in Iowa. The committee's working definintion of learning disabilities is presented as a basis for…

Data from administration of the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency and the Cornish Test of Motor Planning were taken on 120 children (5-13 years old), 60 of whom had been classified learning disabled (LD). Thirty of the LD Ss had been assigned to adapted physical education. The study sought to do two things: (1) determine whether the…

The manual is designed to assist local New York State Committees on the Handicapped in the identification of learning disabled (LD) children and in the development of recommendations for the provision of special education programs and services in the least restrictive educational setting. The manual provides information on: the most currently…

Of 236 children referred for special education evaluation from 12 suburban and rural school districts, 128 were diagnosed as learning disabled. Results suggest that the number of students referred who are actually placed is lower (approximately one out of two) than previously reported. (Author/JDD)

The paper is intended to provide Oregon schools with guidance on interpretations regarding evaluation of children with specific learning disabilities (LD), as required by the regulations for the Education for All Handicapped Children Act, P.L. 94-142. A list of definitions is followed by guidelines for protection in evaluation procedures with all…

The data reported here represent the major findings of a number of Institute for Research on Learning Disabilities (IRLD) research studies. The relevant research reports are listed in Appendix A. A summary of the findings is provided in Appendix B. These findings are summarized in two general areas: (a) information on contemporary assessment…

This follow-up article reasserts the need for professionals to avoid hasty identification of children with unusual test performances as "learning disabled." A child diagnosed as "learning disabled" at age 7 transferred to a different school, was placed in a gifted program, and is performing well in grade 11. Implications for the evaluation of deaf…

A model is presented for assuring the appropriate identification and referral of students with learning disabilities to special education. The model formalizes a regular education component in six steps for implementation in regular education contexts, followed by seven procedural safeguards once a student has been referred for comprehensive…

The project, mandated by the California State Legislature, selected 61 children (7-14 years old) identified as mentally retarded, emotionally disturbed, or learnining disabled in five school districts to examine the process of identifying children with exceptional needs and the extent of misdiagnosis. Independent assessments were performed by…

The study hypothesized that scatter analysis of the three subtest scale scores on the Meeting Street School Screening Test (gross motor patterning, visual-perceptual-motor, and language) given at the beginning of first grade would prove to be a more accurate predictor of future placement in a learning disabilities program than the cut-off total…

The study examined the characteristics of children currently classified as learning disabled (LD) in Illinois. Student and teacher checklists were completed and records reviewed for 1349 students (ages 5-20). Results are depicted in table form and summarized according to five major objectives: (1) to determine types of regular education remedial…

The paper presents a summary of the two Michigan institutes on ways to implement P.L. 94-142 (the Education for All Handicapped Children Act) and the Michigan Special Education Statute for the assessment and identification of learning disabled (LD) students. Participant discussion is organized into the six areas of requirements for the federal…