Response to intervention (RTI) is a framework for providing interventions and services at increasing levels of intensity until students succeed. The framework helps teachers and schools provide instruction and interventions matched to student needs, monitor progress frequently to guide decisions about changes in instruction or goals, and apply…

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…

Many schools are beginning to use Response to Intervention (RTI) in the classroom, and educators have found that it has made a difference for many students. The purpose of RTI is to identify those children who are struggling in school and to ensure that each of those children receive just the right instruction or intervention to be successful.…

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…

Pragmatic language skills are important for developing relationships with others, and for communicating with a range of interlocutors in a variety of contexts, including preschool and elementary school classrooms. Pragmatic language difficulties frequently are a primary area of disability for children diagnosed with autism, Asperger's syndrome,…

Background: While researchers have attempted to address the difficulties of diagnosing affective disorders in the intellectually disabled population, diagnosing bipolar disorder in an individual with severe intellectual disability (ID) remains a challenge. The aim of this study was to identify what symptoms can predict a diagnosis of mania in the…

This booklet provides basic information regarding attention deficit hyperactivity disorders (ADHD), in their separate modalities, with hyperactivity, impulsivity, and inattention. Explanations are offered concerning short attention span, impulsive behavior, hyperactivity, and beginning new activities before completing the previous one. Theories…

Use of the Slingerland Screening Tests to detect auditory, visual, and kinesthetic handicaps among children in the classroom is advocated in reference to implementation of Tennessee Public Law 839 which mandates educational services for handicapped persons 4 to 20 years of age. (JC)

Learning disabilities are a health threat because they prevent a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, and they should be treated with a variety of remedial strategies reflecting their multiple causes. (MB)

The study investigated the effectiveness of three instruments in discriminating 20 autistic from 20 trainable mentally retarded children (ages 3-12): Autism Screening Instrument for Educational Planning (ASIEP), Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS), and Diagnostic Checklist for Behavior Disordered Children. The CARS and ASIEP provided for a…

Examines referral information for 269 learning disabled students in grades one through five. Referral reasons were classified as academic, behavior, and academic and behavior and were analyzed according to particular concern (e.g., reading deficits, attentional problems, etc.). The majority of students were referred for either academic or both…

Advantages and disadvantages of behavior rating scales and observation systems are presented, followed by preliminary validity data for the Mayes Hyperactivity Observation System, a clinically feasible system to identify preschool children with both Attention Deficit Disorder and Hyperactivity. Hyperactive and normal children were identified with…

The debate over expanding the legal definition of behavior disorders to include social maladjustment is presented; both sides of the issue are addressed including such aspects as confusion in terms, unclear incidence figures difficulty in identification, and legal and ethical ramifications. (CL)

Evaluation of the relationship between hyperactivity and learning difficulties in 1,593 Australian elementary students indicated twice as many males as females with learning difficulties; 11% of the sample were hyperactive; 41% of the subjects with learning difficulties were also hyperactive; and 3.2% of all subjects had both hyperactivity and…