The vast majority of students with learning disabilities at the postsecondary level demonstrate reading decoding, reading fluency, and writing deficits. Identification of valid and reliable psychometric measures for documenting decoding and spelling disabilities at the postsecondary level is critical for determining appropriate accommodations. The…

One of the challenges to the transition to postsecondary education for students with learning disabilities is the ever-increasing gap between the assessment information that is collected at the secondary level and the demands for documentation prevalent at the postsecondary level. This article discusses the: (a) differences between secondary and…

Cannabis is a widely used illicit drug among adolescents, many of whom perceive little risk from cannabis. Cannabis use is associated with poor academic performance and increased school drop-outs. It is also associated with high-risk behaviors in adolescents like crime, violence, unprotected sexual encounters, and car accidents. Many of these…

Deaf students with multiple disabilities have a long history of limited opportunity, including limited access to educational opportunities available to their deaf peers. This article places the individual needs of deaf students with multiple disabilities in the context that guides much of deaf education--the importance of language acquisition.…

This explanatory sequential mixed-methods study explored how the encoding of text ideas is affected when students with learning disabilities (LD) take notes from Web-based text. In the quantitative phase of the study, 15 students took three kinds of notes--typed, copy and paste, and written--with each kind of notes addressing a different topic.…

Carolyn Anderson is a speech and language therapist who is currently working as a senior lecturer at the University of Strathclyde. In this article she provides an early account of her ongoing research into communication between teachers and pupils with severe and complex learning disabilities. Video recordings were made of teacher-pupil…

Purpose: There is a substantial minority of children for whom lexical retrieval problems impede the normal pattern of language development and use. These problems include accurately producing the correct word even when the word's meaning is understood. Such problems are often referred to as "word-finding difficulties" (WFDs). This article examines…

Information on admission to psychiatric inpatient units is lacking from the literature on contemporary services for people with intellectual disability and mental health needs. Here we report on predictors of admission for a cohort of 752 adults from this population living in community settings; 83 were admitted. We also report on two subsamples…

Debate continues over the hypothesis that children with language or literacy difficulties have a genuine auditory processing deficit. Several recent studies have reported deficits in frequency discrimination (FD), but it is unclear whether these are genuine perceptual impairments or reflective of the comorbid attentional problems that exist in…

This article synthesizes published literature comparing the cognitive functioning of children who have math disabilities (MD) with that of (a) average-achieving children; (b) children who have reading disabilities (RD); and (c) children who have co-morbid disabilities (MD+RD). Average achievers outperformed children with MD on measures of verbal…

This study compared two approaches for teaching a history unit on the Civil Rights Movement (1954-1965) to middle school students with learning disabilities (LD) in general education settings. The curriculum was designed to make the content challenging, but accessible. The major text was the documentary, Eyes on the Prize (DeVinney, 1991).…

This survey design study involved preservice special education service providers who were in degree seeking programs in the departments of special education, physical therapy, and occupational therapy. Participants provided views and belief structures on diversity issues identified through a review of literature, including (a) English language…

This unique resource provides a comprehensive review of current knowledge about phonological awareness, together with practical guidance for helping preschoolers to adolescents acquire needed skills. Up-to-date findings are synthesized on the development of phonological awareness; its role in literacy learning; and how it can be enhanced in…

This report examines how the "good practice" model of work-based learning (WBL) and its tools can be used with students having learning difficulties and disabilities. The model is a partnership model involving three prime partners: production professionals (employers), learning professionals (trainers and teachers), and the…

This federally funded project analyzed data from a computerized individualized education plan (IEP) system, to examine factors relating to excellence in special education, with the goal of improving student assessment, evaluation, and outcomes in special education. This final report focuses on three research questions. The first question is…