Get your students the support they need! One size does not fit all for helping students with learning disabilities—and it doesn’t work for identifying learning disabilities either. This practical, easy-to-use handbook offers a comprehensive plan, guiding general educators, special educators, administrators, and school psychologists through the eligibility and evaluation stages that ensure students get the best services and support they need to be successful. You’ll find: Guidance on what data to collect and how to collect it Strategies for combining RTI with a comprehensive evaluation to diagnose SLD Detailed case studies—with graphs, figures, and test scores—at the school, classroom, and individual student level
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.
Learning disabilities are among the most common disabilities experienced in childhood and adulthood. Although identifying learning disabilities in a school setting is a complex process, it is particularly challenging in low- and middle-income countries that lack the appropriate resources, tools, and supports. This guide provides an introduction to learning disabilities and describes the processes and practices that are necessary for the identification process. It also describes a phased approach that countries can use to assess their current screening and evaluation services, as well as determine the steps needed to develop, strengthen, and build systems that support students with learning disabilities. This guide also provides intervention recommendations that teachers and school administrators can implement at each phase of system development. Although this guide primarily addresses learning disabilities, the practices, processes, and systems described may be also used to improve the identification of other disabilities commonly encountered in schools.
Practical, up-to-date guidance on identifying Specific Learning Disability Essentials of Specific Learning Disability Identification provides accessible, authoritative guidance on specific learning disability (SLD), with the most up-to-date information on assessment, identification, interventions, and more. Contributions by leading experts examine multiple theoretical orientations and various identification approaches for dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, and other common SLDs. Emphasizing real-world utility, this book provides important information for professionals who work with children and youth at risk; many of the SLD identification practices can be put to work immediately, and the expert coverage offers many strategies and interventions for student support in the classroom. This new second edition has been updated to align with the most current understanding of SLD manifestations, diagnostic assessment, and evidence-based interventions, and includes new material covering nonverbal learning disability, speech-language impairment, general learning difficulties, and differentially diagnosing SLD from other conditions. Early SLD identification and the right kind of help can raise the trajectory of a child's life. This book provides in-depth information to facilitate accurate identification and appropriate intervention to help you help the children in your care. Understand how SLD manifests in academic performance Learn theory- and research-based approaches to SLD identification Examine the latest information about new aspects of SLD determination Utilize appropriate and effective intervention strategies for student support If a child's learning disability is caught early, and the correct type of support is provided, that child gets the chance to develop the skills that lead to achievement in school and beyond. As a high-incidence disorder, SLD affects 10-15 percent of the general population, making successful identification an essential skill for those who work with children. Essentials of Specific Learning Disability Identification provides authoritative guidance and practical methods that can help you start changing children's lives today.
The Second Edition of this critically acclaimed reference features the most up-to-date versions of assessment instruments to measure individual achievement and learning disabilities. The authors' pragmatic approach offers practitioners an innovative, systematic assessment framework that applies Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) cognitive theory and blends cognitive testing and Response-to-Intervention (RTI) methods into one seamless process for diagnosing learning disabilities. Replete with case studies, checklists, and worksheets, this reference assists practitioners in choosing appropriate tests, organizing comprehensive assessments, and interpreting results using a cross-battery approach. This reference concludes with fifteen appendices providing practitioners with a host of useful information and tools, including reproducible worksheets, conversion tables, and learning disability resources. Grounded in CHC theory and a cross-battery approach to assessment, this is an essential resource for school psychologists and other practitioners who need to assess learning disabilities.
From leading authorities, this indispensable work is now in a revised and expanded second edition, presenting state-of-the-art tools and procedures for practitioners. The book shows how to use response to intervention (RTI) to evaluate K–12 students for specific learning disabilities (SLD). The second edition gives increased attention to optimizing the instructional environment in the context of a multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS). Procedures are described for screening at-risk students; using RTI to intensify instruction in reading, writing, and math; identifying SLD; determining eligibility for special education; and planning individualized education programs. Case examples and pointers for practice are woven throughout. In a convenient large-size format, the book includes reproducible tools that can be downloaded and printed for repeated use. New to This Edition *Incorporates contemporary perspectives on SLD, upgraded procedures for implementing an MTSS, new approaches to measuring RTI, and enhancements in using classroom observations. *Chapter on best practices in academic screening, including important dos and don'ts. *Separate chapters on using RTI for reading, written expression, and mathematics. *Chapter on RTI and special education law, focusing on what practitioners need to know. This book is in The Guilford Practical Intervention in the Schools Series, edited by Sandra M. Chafouleas.
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.
Children living in poverty are more likely to have mental health problems, and their conditions are more likely to be severe. Of the approximately 1.3 million children who were recipients of Supplemental Security Income (SSI) disability benefits in 2013, about 50% were disabled primarily due to a mental disorder. An increase in the number of children who are recipients of SSI benefits due to mental disorders has been observed through several decades of the program beginning in 1985 and continuing through 2010. Nevertheless, less than 1% of children in the United States are recipients of SSI disability benefits for a mental disorder. At the request of the Social Security Administration, Mental Disorders and Disability Among Low-Income Children compares national trends in the number of children with mental disorders with the trends in the number of children receiving benefits from the SSI program, and describes the possible factors that may contribute to any differences between the two groups. This report provides an overview of the current status of the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders, and the levels of impairment in the U.S. population under age 18. The report focuses on 6 mental disorders, chosen due to their prevalence and the severity of disability attributed to those disorders within the SSI disability program: attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, oppositional defiant disorder/conduct disorder, autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disability, learning disabilities, and mood disorders. While this report is not a comprehensive discussion of these disorders, Mental Disorders and Disability Among Low-Income Children provides the best currently available information regarding demographics, diagnosis, treatment, and expectations for the disorder time course - both the natural course and under treatment.
Ensure that your students have the support they need! When it comes to designing instruction for students with learning disabilities, one size does not fit all — and that’s also true for identifying and evaluating learning disabilities. Theories and legislation aside, it’s critical for your school team to have a comprehensive plan to make sure every child gets the right kind of attention—and no one falls through the cracks. This compelling, easy-to-use handbook guides general educators, special educators, administrators, and school psychologists through the eligibility and evaluation stages to ensure that students get the best services and interventions they need to be successful. You’ll find: Guidance on what data to collect and how to collect it Strategies for combining RTI with a comprehensive evaluation to diagnose SLD Detailed case studies—with graphs, figures, and test scores—at the school, classroom, and individual student level Everyone on your team has the same goal: to help students with learning challenges achieve success. This comprehensive resource has the tools you need to make that happen. "This book reminds educators that we are responsible for all of our students. When students are not making the progress we expect, this text offers very specific, practical suggestions that educators can follow. This book helps to identify if a student has a specific learning disability and offers suggestions for addressing the student’s difficulty through a team approach. When using the case studies, teachers will see many examples related to their own students and find new resources to try in their classrooms that will assist those who are having difficulty making significant progress." —Marcia B. Imbeau, Professor University of Arkansas
Written by leaders in the field of learning disabilities, this volume addresses various perspectives and issues related to learning disabilities. It includes chapters: Legal Issues and Learning Disabilities; Themes and Dimensions of Learning Disabilities; and, Identification and Assessment of Students with LD.
