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…

Differences in the learning styles of students with and without learning disabilities (LD) at a distance-learning university were examined. Two hundred and twelve students answered self-report questionnaires on their learning styles. Results revealed that students with LD preferred to use more stepwise processing, including memorizing and…

Working memory has been called the "door to learning" (think the library) and is strongly related to performance in reading comprehension and problem-solving. Persons with strong working memory have a wide open door for acquiring all types of new information. They are able to hang on to new information, work with it, integrate it with lots of…

The National Research Center on Learning Disabilities (NRCLD) was funded in late 2001 by the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) to help address the complex nature of the issues and diversity of discussion surrounding specific learning disabilities (SLD). NRCLD's purpose was to continue the research on critical issues raised in white…

Background: This study aimed to test the hypothesis that adding symbols to written text can improve its comprehensibility for adults with learning disabilities. Methods: Nineteen adults with mild or borderline learning disabilities attempted to read four short passages of text, two of which had Widgit Rebus symbols added to them. Following each…

The recent revision of the Individuals with Disabilities Act (Individual with Disabilities Education Improvement Act; IDEIA) in the United States (U.S.) has created the opportunity for an unprecedented change in the way in which learning disabilities (LD) are identified. As a result of this revision, intense and often polarizing debate has…

This study examined the effectiveness of instruction focused on teaching students with learning disabilities (LD) to solve 1- and 2-step word problems of varying types. Three students with LD in Grade 8 participated in the study. During the treatment, students received instruction in diagram generation and a strategy that incorporates diagrams as…

The purpose of this article is to review the literature on issues surrounding the sexuality of people with moderate to severe learning disability (SLD), and evaluate available assessment and training methods. This research arose from an increasing number of referrals for clinical intervention in the training and education of appropriate social and…