This paper provides an overview of interdisciplinary assessment procedures and criteria for diagnosis of central auditory processing (CAP) disorders. It describes use of a CAP test battery consisting of four measures with results integrated with a comprehensive speech-language pathology assessment. Practical strategies for classroom utilization…

This article reviews research on children with specific language impairment (SLI), a significant limitation in language ability in the absence of accompanying hearing impairments, low nonverbal intelligence, or neurological damage. Research is discussed on the heterogeneity of the children with SLI, diagnostic criteria for SLI, auditory…

This article summarizes some of the limited research on early language screening of at-risk children. Results of the review indicate the vast majority of literature related to this area dealt with speech as opposed to language screening. Further investigation of formal and informal screening methods is urged. (CR)

This article identifies some of the underlying emotions of our school administrators, congressional leaders, and communities that result in the neglect of students who are in dire need of special education and related services. The systematic underestimation and underidentification of students with emotional or behavioral disorders are…

Discusses the possibility that many English-as-a-Second-Language learners who are viewed as poor language learners are in fact struggling because they have a learning disability. This article is a basic primer on learning disabilities. It describes classroom behaviors associated with several common learning problems, and the results of research…

Examined the perceptions of 20 early-childhood special-education professionals regarding different types of student assessment. Found that subjects perceived the activity-based assessment to be significantly more able than the norm-referenced test to assess functional skills of children with special needs, to provide information about the child's…

Data are reported on the long-term (6-month) test-retest reliability of the Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scale (BERS), which is a strength-based assessment instrument. Participants included 95 typical elementary students and 26 children at risk of having or having emotional or behavioral disorders. Moderate to high test-retest correlations were…

This article examines some problems associated with assessing students with emotional or behavioral disorders (EBD) for special education eligibility. Major issues include over-identification of students as EBD and the continuing overrepresentation of students of minority ethnicity. Movement away from the traditional norm-referenced approach to…

Handwriting problems are readily apparent to classroom teachers but may be only the tip of the iceberg for children who have significant coordination difficulties. School is a daily frustration for these children as their finished work does not reflect their abilities, they struggle with the simplest of tasks and are victimized by their peers.…

Identification of children with developmental disabilities is the first critical step in providing early intervention services. Currently, only 20% of Taiwanese children who could potentially benefit from early intervention have been identified. One possible reason for this low identification rate is the lack of a culturally appropriate,…

Most people spend all year looking forward to the time of holidays and the celebration and reflection it brings. Although family traditions abound with hearty food and holiday cheer, the holidays can also be stressful for parents of children who have attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In this article, the author provides several tips…

This article presents an example of two boys who have received a list of diagnoses including Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), autism, Asperger's syndrome, Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), and clinical depression. Both boys received a variety of interventions ranging from behavior modification plans to counseling and medication,…

Children and adolescents with emotional disturbance (ED) exhibit chronic and diverse academic, emotional, behavioral, and/or medical difficulties that pose significant challenges for their education and treatment in schools. Historically, children with ED have received fragmented inadequate interventions and services that often yielded unfavorable…

This narrative inquiry sought to explore the views of eight young New Zealanders, aged nine to 14 years, who had experienced specific difficulties with learning. Narrative research procedures were used to gather and interpret the stories the young participants told about their experiences. Findings revealed that young people become aware of their…

This study examines the on-line processing of sentences with movement using an auditory anomaly detection task (after Boland, Tanenhaus, Garnsey, & Carlson, 1995). Eight agrammatic aphasic participants (four of whom had undergone treatment focused on comprehension and production of filler-gap sentences) and 24 young normal participants listened to…