Presents an overview of a screening process developed by a postsecondary institution that has a comprehensive support program for students with learning disabilities. The steps in the process are outlined, as are the successes and limitations. Recommendations for programs that are considering adopting a screening process are provided. (Author/CR)

This article discusses issues in the identification of learning disabilities in students with low vision and examines the academic performance of one 8-year-old student and the methods that his multidisciplinary team used to document a dual diagnosis of low vision and learning disabilities. (Contains references.) (Author/DB)

The purpose of this article is to examine models designed for the determination of a learning disability and compare them to specific criteria to determine whether the given diagnostic process is ecological in nature. The traditional child-centered deficit model (CCD), Relative Achievement Discrepancy model (RAD), and Responsiveness to…

School psychologists in North America are facing a transformation of their professional practices brought about by impending changes in operational definitions of learning disabilities (LD). This multimethod study explores the learning disabilities-related beliefs and practices of school psychologists in Western Australia, where these changes have…

The use of the term "response to intervention" focuses on its potential utility for diagnosis of learning disabilities. In this context, "response to intervention" can be understood as a diagnostic approach for determining which students are entitled to special educational services. It is important to notice that the validity of the RTI diagnostic…

As a school leader, what do you need to know about Response to Intervention (RTI) and your role in leading instruction for struggling learners? In this article the authors offer guidance about the content of the RTI initiative based on policy, research, and practice. They provide a brief history of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act…

Using strict and lenient mathematics achievement cutoff scores to define a learning disability, respective groups of children who are math disabled (MLD, n = 15) and low achieving (LA, n = 44) were identified. These groups and a group of typically achieving (TA, n = 46) children were administered a battery of mathematical cognition, working…

Responsiveness to intervention (RTI) is addressed through federal law and refers to a tiered approach to instruction. Students who do not make adequate academic progress and who are at risk for reading and other learning disabilities receive increasingly intensive instructional services. This brief was developed to help you understand…

Students identified as gifted who also display one or more areas of disability remain under-identified both in special and gifted education programs. All too often school personnel do not have the resources necessary to make decisions about this unique group of students commonly called the twice-exceptional. The purpose of this article is to…

The purpose of the study was to ascertain methods of identification used by teachers of the deaf and hard of hearing who were working with students with learning disabilities, the training these teachers had received, and the accommodations and modifications they had implemented for their students. A 10-item survey was designed to solicit opinions…

Learning disabilities (LD) has been recognized as a category of special education in Taiwanese law since 1984, and policies ensure educational services for children and youth who have LD. The official definition and identification criteria established in Taiwan's laws closely correspond with those of the United States, but practice differs,…

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)

Teachers of the learning disabled (N=150) reported that major identification criteria in recent learning disability (LD) placements were intraindividual variability, achievement-potential discrepancy, below grade level academic achievement, and exclusion of other handicapping conditions. Teachers serving only LD students reported more emphasis on…

Five formulas for identifying discrepancies for eligibility as learning disabled (LD) were applied to 137 children (ages 6-14) already diagnosed as LD. Among results cited was that 64 percent were not identified as LD by any formula. Issues concerning the use of discrepancy formulas for LD screening are discussed. (Author/JW)

Discrepancies between ability and achievement were examined in second grade scores, and again in fifth grade test scores, for two groups of low achievers: learning disabled (n=20) and non-learning disabled (n=20). The two groups differed significantly in relative discrepancy scores in fifth grade, but not in second. (Author/JW)