In this paper the small body of research which looks at how people labelled as having learning disabilities view this social identity is considered. The author argues that this research has implications for our assumptions about self-advocacy groups for people with learning disabilities.

This response focuses on the effects of the current construction of learning disabilities (LD) on families of children from devalued racial/ethnic groups. Agreeing with the arguments of Reid and Valle, we add that parents from such groups are further disenfranchised because they are not participants in the critical discourse surrounding LD and…

The executive functions of inhibition and shifting were studied in arithmetic-disabled children, reading-disabled children, reading plus arithmetic-disabled children, and controls (N = 74). Measures involved the rapid naming of objects, digits, letters, or quantities with or without additional task requirements that reflected inhibition or…

Responsiveness to intervention (RTI) is being proposed as an alternative model for making decisions about the presence or absence of specific learning disability. I argue that there are many questions about RTI that remain unanswered, and radical changes in proposed regulations are not warranted at this time. Many fundamental issues related to RTI…

Batsche, Kavale, and Kovaleski (this issue) have done an outstanding job of summarizing arguments for and against the use of response-to-intervention (RTI) procedures for identifying learning disabilities. In this response, we raise issues relevant to the concept of learning disabilities, the nature of problems associated with standard…

As a judge, the author was continually confronted with offenders whose behavior was unexpected and surprising. This was observed not only during their criminal activity but during their travel through the criminal process. This behavior did not appear to be intentional, but rather an inappropriate response to the circumstances that existed at the…

The IDEA reauthorization of 2004 highlights the application of responsiveness to intervention (RTI) to both early intervention (EI) service delivery and learning disabilities (LD) identification practices, creating the potential for wide-scale execution. Implementation of any educational reform necessitates more than simply changing practices: It…

Education seeks to cultivate dispositions and skills that promote effective participation in democratic institutions, including the capacity to produce thoughtful written arguments about controversial issues. Unfortunately, students' argumentative writing is generally neither effective nor persuasive, and this is especially so for students with…

The understanding and use of historical concepts specified in national history standards pose many challenges to students. These challenges include both the acquisition of content knowledge and the use of that knowledge in ways that require higher order thinking. All students, including adolescents with learning disabilities (LD), are expected to…

The process of submitting documentation to testing agencies as proof of a disability can be time consuming, expensive, and even intimidating to test takers with learning disabilities. Misconceptions about the accommodations review process employed by testing agencies add to the anxiety that many test takers feel around obtaining approval for…

This paper reports on one of the findings of a small study that aimed to explore how people with learning disabilities accessed and were supported to use a pictorial cancer information book. Five people with learning disabilities who were affected by cancer and their paid carers participated in the study. Support staff in the study were the people…

Based on a graduate course, this manual was written to help instructors (professional or volunteer) understand and teach beginning adult learners and other adults with learning problems. The manual is organized into seven sections. The first two sections provide background information on the development of the manual and suggest ways that it can…

This text on multisensory structured language education (MSLE) provides the foundation for MSLE and offers components of instruction and effective teaching strategies that teachers can put into practice for students with dyslexia and others struggling to learn to read, write, and spell. Chapters include: (1) "Multisensory Instruction" (Louisa C.…

A review of literature on learning disabled and emotionally disturbed children is presented, focusing upon the role of the physical education teacher as a part of the educational team responsible for implementing individualized education programs. The close relationship between learning disabilities and emotional disturbances is examined, and…

A reading program was devised to affect gains in reading for eighth grade students who had both perceptual and reading deficiencies. The program was divided into two phases, the first consisting of visual-motor-perceptual training conducted three times a week for twelve weeks, and the second composed of individualized reading instruction five…