Second-generation intervention research requires methods for overcoming challenges to understanding complex learning ecologies and interactions of students. Eco-behavioral assessments (EBAs) are one solution to past intervention research challenges. EBAs record the effects of ecological variables in students' behavior and daily interactions. The…

This paper examines two illustrations of teacher-led function-based interventions to explore the extent to which teachers are able to design and implement function-based interventions with limited support from university personnel. Results of these A-B-A-B intervention designs suggest a functional relation between the introduction of the…

Data from 65 colleges and universities across the United State were used to study course substitution practices for postsecondary students with disabilities. Data indicate that the majority of surveyed institutions (90.8%) allow course substitutions, yet only 50% had written policies directing substitution decisions. At responding institutions (N…

Since 1990, Vermont legislation has required all schools to establish an Educational Support System (ESS) that provides a comprehensive set of supports and services designed to meet the needs of students with disabilities as well as those at risk of school failure. Given the need to promote the success of an increasingly heterogeneous group of…

A longitudinal study was conducted on 82 children to investigate, firstly the numerical competence of young children and the predictive value of (pre)-numerical tests in kindergarten, and, secondly, whether children's knowledge of the numerical system and representation of the number size is related to their computation and logical knowledge and…

Learning disabilities is the theme of the latest issue of "Focus on Basics," the World Education publication that brings together research, policy, and practice in adult basic education. Starting with an update on research on neurobiology and dyslexia, this issue also examines how the adult basic education system supports students with…

As the Hispanic population of the United States continues to increase dramatically, school professionals may misinterpret and may perceive culturally different classroom discourse skills as indicative of language learning disabilities. A possible misunderstanding of pragmatic behaviors of culturally and linguistically diverse Hispanic students may…

Inclusive education in the Dutch education system has achieved new meaning in the last decade or so. Until 1998, the Netherlands recognized 19 types of special education. Then, two Educational Acts were passed, in 1998 and 2003, that decreased the types of special education by including measures to enhance inclusion of students with special…

This is the 31st Annual Report to Congress on the Implementation of the "Individuals with Disabilities Education Act," 2009. Section 664(d) of the "Individuals with Disabilities Education Act" ("IDEA") (P.L. 108-446), as reauthorized in 2004, requires that the Department of Education report annually on the progress…

Provisions for children with specific learning difficulties were studied in 27 secondary schools in 5 regions of Scotland. Specific learning difficulties were seen as functional weaknesses in students who might otherwise be intellectually able. Questionnaires were completed by the schools to determine: number of students with specific learning…

Information is provided on a practicum that addressed the lack of access to computer-aided instruction by elementary level students with learning disabilities, due to lack of diverse software, limited funding, and insufficient teacher training. The strategies to improve the amount of access time included: increasing the number of computer programs…

This special newsletter issue on learning disabilities and juvenile justice includes statistics indicating unfavorable outcomes for many individuals with learning disabilities, presents findings of the Incarcerated Youth Task Force Report, and describes five successful programs for teaching reading. Articles include: "Parents Don't Care!--Or Do…

This study utilized a sociocultural approach to writing instruction and examined its effects on the motivation of students with learning disabilities. The concept of the Zone of Proximal Development was used to measure changes in five third and fourth grade students' motivation toward literacy activities. Students wrote in journals daily and…

This paper reviews the literature on the teacher's role in mediating learning for students with learning disabilities in whole language instructional programs, with specific emphasis on teaching students the parts of language and generalizing this knowledge to various contexts. Principles identified in the review include the following: the dynamic…

Each of the four issues of this newsletter published in 1993 consists of one article dealing with a particular policy debate. Number 1, "Canadian Special Education Policies: Children with Learning Disabilities in a Bilingual and Multicultural Society" (Linda S. Siegel and Judith Wiener), discusses social and cultural factors affecting…