The reading and mathematics achievement and specific mathematics competencies of 74 children were followed during second and third grades. Although children with moderate mathematics deficiencies (MMD-only) and children with moderate mathematics and reading difficulties started out at the same level in mathematics, the MMD-only group surpassed the…

A survey of 218 learning disabilities experts found only 30 percent believed IQ-reading achievement discrepancy should be a marker of reading disability. Over two thirds selected three markers: reading achievement, phonemic awareness, and treatment validity. Over 75 percent believed exclusion criteria should remain part of the definition with…

A daily 5- to 6-minute individual reading fluency intervention with 49 middle school students with learning disabilities used repeated readings focused on phonics, sight phrases, and oral reading. Intervention was for 6-9 months, 10-18 months, or 19-25 months. Significant growth in reading level and reading rate was found for all three of the…

In this study of concept mapping and expository writing, 12 eighth-grade students with reading difficulties composed descriptive essays under three conditions: no-map support, hand-map support, and computer-map support. Both hand-maps and computer-maps resulted in increases in number of words, number of T-units, and holistic writing scores.…

The double-deficit theory of reading disabilities (RD) was examined in 56 children with reading disabilities and 45 controls (ages 8-11). Students differed on all phonological analysis tasks and rapid naming of digits and letters, but also differed on orthographic tasks, attention ratings, arithmetic achievement, and all WISC-III factors except…

This article examines what science offers general and special educators who teach reading. It reviews scientific findings about reading and their practical implications and considers some broader ways that science may be useful to educators. Suggestions for educators interested in becoming more astute consumers of research are provided. (Contains…

This article proposes a two-factor theory of mathematics disabilities based on the premise that weak cognitive representations lead to poorer retrieval of information from long term memory. Comparison of children with math disabilities alone (MD) and those with both math and reading disabilities (MD/RD) suggests that weak phonological processing…

Poor readers who met low achievement and IQ-discrepancy definitions of reading disability (n=54) were compared with non-impaired readers (n=325) on development of eight precursor and reading-related skills. Results indicate no evidence for differences between the two groups of poor readers in the development on the eight skills, with three…

This article addresses two sets of organizing principles to guide prevention and intervention in beginning reading: (1) the complexity in our alphabetic writing system, and (2) the complexity in our schools. The first set is related to instructional design, while the second set is related to a schoolwide model. (Contains references.) (Author/CR)

Three studies investigated children's responsiveness to general education reading instruction as an indicator of need for more intensive interventions and found that the response-to-instruction model tested was valid. Results indicated that children at-risk (n=47) who received specially designed general education instruction had better outcomes…