The President's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities brought together a total of 61 educators, employers, helping professionals, people with learning disabilities, family members, and government policy leaders in a conference designed to identify issues and develop a strategic plan to improve employment opportunities for people with…

A survey of 135 Pennsylvania regular classroom teachers (kindergarten through grade 8) examined their understanding of learning disabilities (LD) and the degree to which they felt prepared to work with LD students. The survey sought information on: (1) teacher preparation, knowledge, and experience related to identifying and working with LD…

A discussion of foreign language immersion instruction in elementary schools begins with a definition of immersion instruction and its goals. The history of the establishment of such programs in the United States and Canada is briefly described. A variety of program options available within the immersion approach are outlined, including early…

This guide presents practice recommendations developed by a special Iowa study group as a result of change in 1995 from state-developed definition and eligibility criteria for learning disability to the definition and evaluation requirements of federal regulations. The recommendations focus on preferred practices in assessment, evaluation, and…

This volume on the identification of learning disabilities (LD) offers chapters that provide comprehensive reviews of the research evidence underlying different aspects of LD and was the product of a 2001 general conference followed up by a small research forum. Contributors include researchers, parents, practitioners, and administrators. A final…

Procedures that have been used for assessing a discrepancy between ability and achievement of students suspected to have a learning disability are examined. Methodological deficiencies and/or unavailability of conclusive validity evidence are cited to support the conclusion that all of the procedures are worthless for screening purposes. (SEW)

A discussion of language disorders that often occur with learning disabilities focuses on definitions, characteristics, alternative assessment methods, and service delivery models and interventions. Use of standardized test batteries, curriculum-based language assessment, and portfolio assessment is reviewed. Principles and methods to enhance…

This article defines self-advocacy, examines differences between high school and college settings, describes key components in a college-based self-advocacy curriculum, and highlights the primary responsibilities that students with learning disabilities face in making self-determination a reality in college. (DB)

Presented are 12 papers from a conference on the issues of secondary learning disability. Following an introduction are the texts of discussions from the conference's four sections covering an overview of the central issues, definition and identification, learner characteristics, educational priorities and objectives, remedial strategies, model…

The first in a series of reports on the exceptional child and government, the publication is compiled from the laws of the 50 states and is specifically directed to the child with learning disabilities. Not included are the laws of states in which the learning disabled receive services when no specific legal provisions are made (an umbrella law…

Incorporated from questionnaire data, the directory provides detailed information about services provided for children with specific learning disabilities in each state as well as in the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and districts covered by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Information for each state usually includes the following: name…

A recent report of the British Mental Health Foundation identified key issues in service provision for children with learning disabilities and severe challenging behavior. Recommendations addressed issues such as definitions of challenging behavior, early intervention, implications for educational services, residential education, and…

This article explores conceptual and technical issues associated with options for specifying three assessment components for implementing an intervention responsiveness approach to the identification of learning disabilities: the timing of the measurement of student response to intervention; the criterion for demarcating learning as inadequate;…

Developmental and criterion reading and writing measures were administered to 300 primary-level students, revealing that elimination of IQ in the definition of learning disabilities would dramatically affect who is identified as learning disabled. A two-stage assessment model analyzing absolute criteria without IQ and relative criteria with IQ is…

The report describes an Iowa project designed to identify reasonable accommodations for learning disabled students in regular secondary classrooms and to develop strategies for implementing classroom modifications. Project activities consisted of: a review of the literature on mainstreaming and classroom modifications; development of a descriptive…