This review documents the learning disabilities (LD) identification criteria and procedures utilized in empirical research including students with LD published from 2001 to 2013 in three journals dedicated to the study of LD. Results reveal several troublesome findings related to transparency in reporting and the coherence of the LD construct.…

The article reviews issues regarding the role of attention in reading problems manifested by learning disabled students. Characteristics of attention (including arousal, alertness, vigilance, selective attention, and capacity) are considered. (CL)

A comprehensive review and analysis of significant research on malnutrition and learning. Indicates that nutritional factors contribute to depressed intellectual level and learning failure. (DM)

The article reviews the empirical evidence implicating conductive hearing impairments as causal agents in learning disability, language dysfunction, and central auditory problems. It is concluded that there are few, if any, valid data linking conductive hearing impairment to any of these problems. (Author/DLS)

Noting that one reason for the discrepant results found in research on reading difficulties is the variety of approaches used to assess reading and spelling problems, this paper examines two of these approaches in terms of their implicit assumptions and inherent failings. The paper first discusses the etiological approach, which tries to identify…

Reviews literature that describes the rational and nonrational factors sustaining the myth that stimulant medication is ineffective for hyperactive adolescents. Discusses methodological problems and factors--such as increasing size, misbehavior and misattribution, and perceived relationship to drug abuse--that influence treatment decisions. (JAC)

Examined research into the memory deficit of retarded readers within a working memory framework. Results showed fairly consistent evidence that reading retardation can be associated with a deficit in long-term storage of phonological information, which may affect retarded readers' ability to utilize the articulatory loop. (JAC)

Two methodological problems often arising in dyslexia research are considered. The first problem concerns the validity of experimental measures and the related problem of interpreting null results. The second problem involves the effects of sampling from a disabled population if the disorder under investigation has multiple unknown origins.…

An examination of Orton's early hypothesis of inconsistent cerebral dominance for linguistically disabled children in light of some 50 years of research is provided. Although a hypothesis based on data from nonintrusive measures of functional asymmetry with learning impaired children is postulated, caution in this area is suggested. (Author/AL)

Synthesizes findings from 36 studies that validated the Dunn and Dunn Model of Learning-Style Preferences. Questions are raised regarding the validity of the model, the nature of the literature base, the interpretation of the meta-analytic findings, and the conclusions. The article concludes that the model has not been adequately validated.…