Assessment of learning disabilities is traced. Among the critical issues examined are definitions, eligibility criteria, placement bias, and interpretation of P.L. 94-142 (The Education for All Handicapped Children Act) guidelines. Recommendations are offered for an adequate definition and determination of LD. Future directions, including…

Briefly reviews conceptual and operational limitations of classic approaches to classifying learning disabled children. Examines new classification research with learning disabled populations which is investigating alternative classification schemes through systematic and empirical hypothesis-testing paradigms, and sparking renewed interest in…

The article examines advances and remaining psychometric problems in social skills assessment technology for students with learning disabilities. Assessment is related to a proposed definition of learning disabilities by the Interagency Committee on Learning Disabilities which identifies social skills deficits as a primary learning disability. (DB)

Investigation of the relationship between a statistically determined severe discrepancy between expected and actual achievement levels and subsequent labeling of 733 students as learning disabled found only a slight majority of labeled students manifesting a severe discrepancy suggesting this criterion is inconsistently applied in making…

A national sample of 118 teachers of learning disabled (LD) students described their school districts' criteria for identifying LD students and indicated their agreement or disagreement with the criteria. Four basic categories of definitions were reflected in the categories provided by the 118 teachers: ability-achievement discrepancy, achievement…

Three-hundred kindergarten children were screened with a test battery in order to identify children at high-risk of experiencing learning disabilities. (Author/DB)

The paper sets forth the position of the National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities regarding definitions of learning disabilities (LD) as found in P.L. 94-142, the Education for All Handicapped Children Act. The paper cites difficulties with the current definition, suggesting that misinterpretation has given the impression that individuals…

The author argues for an epidemiology data base (which looks at cognitive, aptitude, family condition, school condition, and personal characteristic variables) as a strategy for research with learning disabled (LD) adolescents and young adults. An operational definition, advantages, and problems of this type of research strategy are outlined. A…

Presented is a position paper on learning disabilities developed by the Region 9 Task Force (State education directors or their designates from Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Rhode Island and Vermont). It is explained that the Task Force met in March 1976 to share state and regional concerns about definitions,…

Responding to J. Lerner's article on differences between the fields of reading and learning disabilities (EC 081 334) the author suggests that Lerner fails to distinguish between corrective reading and remedial reading, misunderstands learning disabilities as including only learning problems with neurological bases, and misconstrues task analysis…

Applies the judgment analysis technique (JAN) to the decision-making procedure of learning disabilities (LD) specialists. Each group of learning disabilities specialists, as formed by JAN, represented a different judgmental policy or a different construct of learning disabilities. (Author/RK)

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…