Research on the language development of internationally adopted children has increased substantially in the past few years, with a variety of methods used to measure language abilities in this population, including parent and teacher reports, norm-referenced tests, conversational and narrative language samples, and other procedures. These…

This article synthesizes some of the published literature that selectively compares the cognitive functioning of children with math disabilities (MDs) with average-achieving children and poor readers (children with reading disabilities [RDs] or comorbid disabilities [RDs + MDs]). All studies in the synthesis report reading, IQ, and math scores for…

Special education referral and identification rates have risen dramatically over the last thirty years. In fact, several studies report an increase of nearly 200% (Cortiella, 2008; Vaughn, Linan-Thompson, & Hickman, 2003). During the last several years a new model of identifying students with learning difficulties has received much…

In recent years, there has been an alarming rise in psychological disorders diagnosed in children in the United States. As a result, the number of children in school with Individualized Education Plans (IEP) continues to grow in order to meet these children's special needs in the classroom. Despite the rise in psychological disorders, many…

A fundamental assumption in the identification of specific learning disabilities (SLD) has been that the presence of a severe discrepancy between ability and academic achievement is a valid marker for the presence of a SLD. This assumption is based on the notion that discrepant low achievers constitute a unique group of children who are different…

This paper presents a screening tool for well-described responsiveness-to-intervention models and comparison models.

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…

This article reviews research examining the efficacy of early phonological interventions for young students identified with speech and language impairments. Eighteen studies are included, providing results for nearly 500 students in preschool through third grade. Although findings are generally positive, there are large individual differences in…

Background: For early detection of autism, it is difficult to maintain an efficient level of sensitivity and specificity based on observational data from a single screening. The Extraction and Refinement (E&R) Strategy utilizes a public children's health surveillance program to produce maximum efficacy in early detection of autism. In the…

Objective: To examine whether and to what extent specific chronic health conditions place young children at risk of maltreatment. Methods: The study used a sample of Illinois children (born between January 1990 and March 1996) who were through age 3 continuously enrolled in Medicaid, a public health insurance program for low-income families. The…

Malay is an alphabetic language with transparent orthography. A Malay reading-related assessment battery which was conceptualised based on the International Dyslexia Association definition of dyslexia was developed and validated for the purpose of dyslexia assessment. The battery consisted of ten tests: Letter Naming, Word Reading, Non-word…

This paper discusses various approaches to the phenomenon of disability in relation to special needs. Ever since disability researchers launched the social model of disability and criticised the field of special education for preserving an understanding of disability in accord with a medical model, the special education field has been in a state…

A study involving 164 learning disabled students found that it was possible to use a discrepancy method (the most frequently used identification procedure for identifying LD children) that meets the requirements of the regression approach (the most desirable approach). (CL)

Sources of variability in identification of children for learning disabilities include teacher bias, peer tolerance, socioeconomic status, and assessment variability. Implications of these variables for research design and sampling are noted. (CL)

Based on approximately 1,600 referrals of disabled and regular students, 94 empirically derived formulas for assessment of learning disability were used. The most discriminating formula, which included Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, Wide Range Achievement Test and grade level variables, resulted in moderate coefficients. (Author/CL)