Research Issues In Learning Disabilities

In this chapter, we described issues in conducting intervention research with students with learning disabilities on the secondary level. We main tained that interventions should be well-grounded in theories of learning as well as characterizations of learning disabilities (Pressley, Scruggs, & Mastropieri, 1989); that they should first be conducted in a series of highly controlled, laboratory-like experiments to carefully assess the potential utility of the intervention; and that, if the intervention is suc cessful in highly controlled settings, it should then be evaluated in class room applications. We maintained that research designs should evolve as the research questions become more applied, and that the results of laboratory research should be used to support the findings of classroom applications. Finally, we described several research designs that we have found useful in conducting classroom intervention research. There is a great deal more to conducting intervention research, of course, than experimental or quasi-experimental design. Intervention strategies likely to be effective must be identified, relevant literature must be reviewed, experimental materials must be developed, and cooperative schools, teachers, parents, and students must be located. Nevertheless, inadequate research designs can invalidate the best and most successful efforts in all of these areas, while effective and practical research designs can do much to document the best practices and advance our knowledge of effective interventions with students with learning disabilities. References Brigham, F. J. , Scruggs, T. E. , & Mastropieri, M. A. (1992).

This volume has been developed as a direct result of a conference sponsored by the International Academy for Research in Learning Disabilities, held at the University of California at Los Angeles. The text provides a review and critique of current research in the areas of intelligence, social cognition, achievement, and subtyping as they relate to learning disabilities. In addition, the concept that social behavior is an aspect of intelligence and the relationship between language and reading are discussed in detail by noted experts.

Recently, in the area of learning disabilities, a subarea of special educa tion, an interesting development has become discernible. This develop ment centers on the increasing focus of learning disabilities professionals on theory building and empirical research, and it is reflected in the spate of books currently being published. With their clear emphasis on con ceptual and methodological issues along with directions for future re search, these newly published books differ essentially from the bulk of learning disabilities textbooks. They include S. Vaughn and C. Bos (Eds. ), Research in Learning Disabilities: Issues and Future Directions, published in 1987 by College-Hill; T. E. Scruggs and B. Y. L. Wong (Eds. ), Intervention Research in Learning Disabilities, published in 1990 by Springer-Verlag; and L. Swanson (Ed. ), Learning Disabilities: Theore tical and Research Issues, published in 1991 by Lawrence Erlbaum Asso ciates. As reflected in these three books, the discipline began with a service orientation and has evolved beyond that to come of age with aspirations of becoming a scientific discipline. These books can be taken to voice the concerted efforts ,of learning disabilities professionals to promote theory building and empirical research. Undeniably these books provide valuable information on conceptual issues and research in learning disabilities. Nevertheless, they appear to have one drawback, namely, they focus exclusively on learning disabilities research in North America.

This is the first textbook to give equal attention to the intellectual, conceptual, and practical aspects of learning disabilities. Topical coverage is both comprehensive and thorough, and the information presented is up-to-date. Provides a balanced focus on both the conceptual and practical aspects of learning disabilities (LD)**The research covered is far more comprehensive and of greater depth than any other LD textbook**The work is distinctive in its treatment of such important areas as consultation skills and service delivery

Identification of Learning Disabilities: Research to Practice is the remarkable product of a learning disabilities summit conference convened by the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) in August 2001 and the activities following that summit. Both the conference and this book were seen as important preludes to congressional reauthorization of the historic Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) scheduled for 2002 and subsequent decision making surrounding implementation. The OSEP conference brought together people with different perspectives on LD (parents, researchers, practitioners, and policymakers) and resulted in this book, which examines the research on nine key issues concerning the identification of children with learning disabilities. Coverage includes alternative responses to treatment, classification approaches, processing deficit models, and approaches to decision making. Chapter Structure-- Each of the first nine chapters is organized around a lengthy, issue-oriented paper, which presents the most current research on that topic. These primary papers are then followed by four respondent papers that reflect a variety of viewpoints on the topic. Summarizing Chapter -- A small group of researchers (listed in the final chapter) dedicated an enormous amount of time to summarizing the research and developing key consensus statements regarding the identification of children with learning disabilities. Their work is sure to have a tremendous impact on future discussions in this area. Expertise-- The following well-known scholars have helped summarize the vast amount of research presented in this book as well as the consensus statements derived therefrom: Lynne Cook, Don Deshler, Doug Fuchs, Jack M. Fletcher, Frank Gresham, Dan Hallahan, Joseph Jenkins, Kenneth Kavale, Barbara Keogh, Margo Mastopieri, Cecil Mercer, Dan Reschley, Rune Simeonsson, Joe Torgesen, Sharon Vaughn, and Barbara Wise.

Diagnosing learning disabilities (LD) in children has never been an easy task. The multiple approaches in use complicate the assessment process, raising the risk of young students getting the wrong services, or none at all. It is clear that more accurate diagnosis and classification methods are needed to advance the prevention and treatment of difficulties in reading and mathematics. Diagnostic Assessment of Learning Disabilities in Childhood takes important steps to cut through the confusion. This timely resource weighs the strengths and weaknesses of commonly used assessment methods including the aptitude-achievement discrepancy, cognitive processing, RTI and low achievement approaches and introduces the author's academic impairment model as a promising alternative. A chapter on comorbid disorders in students with LD guides readers in the fine points of differential diagnosis. And to make the coverage especially practical, the book's features link the theoretical to the real-world practice of LD assessment, among them: Overviews of LD identification and definitions. Analysis of widely used diagnostic approaches with strengths and weaknesses. Examples of assessment protocols and report writing. Case examples illustrating diagnostic issues. Q&A sections with leading experts in the field. Useful summaries, appendices and resource links. Diagnostic Assessment of Learning Disabilities in Childhood is an invaluable reference for school and clinical child psychologists, special education and allied educational professionals and researchers and graduate students in school, educational and clinical child psychology who are dedicated to higher measurement standards and greater opportunities for children’s academic success.

Intervention Research in Learning Disabilities is based on proceedings of the Symposium on Intervention Research sponsored by the Division for Learning Disabilities (DLD) of the Council for Exceptional Children and held at Purdue University, November 14-16, 1988. It presents a wide range of critical issues and insights, both theoretical and practical, related to research with learning disabled individuals. The book is divided into four broad sections: issues in intervention research, academic interventions, social and behavioral interventions, and postsecondary interventions. It considers both present and future directions of such research. Topics explored include variance and verities in learning disability interventions, instruction derived from the strategy deficit model, enhancement of academic performance with mnemonic instruction, the content enhancement model for promoting content acquisition, interactive teaching and learning, social skills training (and an alternative approach to social skills training), the use of schema in research on the problem solving of learning disabled adolescents, and intervention effectiveness at the postsecondary level.