Meta-analysis procedures were employed to synthesize findings of research for improving reading comprehension of students with learning disabilities published in the decade following previous meta-analytic investigations. Forty studies, published between 1995 and 2006, were identified and coded. Nearly 2,000 students served as participants.…

Aim: The aim of this study was to examine geographical variability in the support for families caring for children with severe disabilities as well as the relationships between this variability and local government social and educational performance indicators. Method: Data were collected from a cross-sectional, self-completed postal survey of the…

A review of previous definitions and professional and lay use of the term "learning disabilities" covers the importance of correctly defining and using the term; precise definition of terms of function; problems with commonly used terminology; and proposal of a new and more precise definition of specific and learning disabilities. (CB)

Prison inmates (N=565) classified as underachievers or adequate readers were administered the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised. Analysis of recategorized WAIS-R scores suggested that, as a group, the underachieving readers exhibited a pattern different from that of genetic dyslexic Ss and different from that of reading and learning…

The paper examined the extent to which IQ scores of learning disability groups can be explained by the bivariate normal probability distribution. (CL)

The author describes methods she used to hide the fact that, because of a learning disability, she could not read. Through trial and error, the author learned the conditions and ways in which she was able to study and thus was able to largely overcome her disability. (PHR)

Studies pointing to the relationship between caffeine-sugar intake and learning disorders are cited and suggestions to facilitate better nutrition in children are offered. Among suggestions made is that teachers be educated in matters of food, nutrition, and reading through inservice programs. A nutritional questionnaire is included. (SBH)

Examines which of three types of severe discrepancy approaches best accounted for students' identification as learning disabled (LD). Results showed that the best explanation for school-based LD identification practices was a relative achievement discrepancy. Implications of these findings for LD identification practice based on an ecological…

This article introduces a special issue on employment of individuals with learning disabilities, produced in response to a conference sponsored by the President's Committee for the Employment of People with Disabilities and the implementation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Key issues include transition into the workforce, social skills,…

Reid and Valle (in this issue) illustrate how discourse within the field of learning disabilities (LD) determines what can and cannot be said and shapes what counts as knowledge or truth. Because basic assumptions about disability often remain unquestioned, Reid and Valle ask us to focus on the epistemological foundations of the field of LD. They…

Repeated reading is an evidenced-based strategy designed to increase reading fluency and comprehension. The author conducted a meta-analysis to ascertain essential instructional components of repeated reading and the effect of repeated reading on reading fluency and comprehension. This analysis indicates that repeated reading can be used…

This study examined the role of attachment-based factors (children's attachment style, children's appraisal of teacher as a secure base, and teacher's feelings of closeness to child) in explaining differences in Israeli children's socioemotional adjustment (self-rated sense of coherence, loneliness) and academic functioning (teacher-rated). The…

With the promotion and wider acceptance of the concept of normalization and community integration, an increased number of adults with learning disabilities are living in the community and facing more social and health care problems. The authors describe the introduction of new guardianship laws in Hong Kong with the creation of a Guardianship…

Bringing the science of schooling into standard practice for students with learning disabilities (LD) is a threefold process that requires understanding the nature and features of high-quality instruction, encouraging their use, and developing and maintaining systems that can sustain them. Examples are drawn from the LD research base to illustrate…

In the opening discussion of this special issue, I take stock of science and schooling for students with learning disabilities (LD) before probing four ideas to foster effective instruction in contemporary schools: (a) Turn to science as the best trick we know for solving educational problems; (b) specify clearly what we hope to achieve in our…