THE BASIC VIEWPOINT OF THIS CONFERENCE IS THAT CHILDREN WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES MUST BE EVALUATED INDIVIDUALLY ACCORDING TO THEIR SPECIFIC DYSFUNCTIONS AND PLACED IN EDUCATIONAL SETTINGS ACCORDING TO THEIR INDIVIDUAL NEEDS. IN THE FEATURED ADDRESS, "NEW APPROACHES IN EDUCATION FOR THE CHILD WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES," BARBARA BATEMAN DESCRIBED THREE MAJOR TYPES OF PROBLEMS OF CHILDREN WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES--VISUAL-MOTOR, AUDITORY-VOCAL, AND READING. IN THESE AREAS, SPECIAL EDUCATION MUST TEACH SKILLS NORMALLY LEARNED AUTOMATICALLY. IDEALLY, THESE CHILDREN SHOULD BE IDENTIFIED AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE TO PREVENT SCHOOL FAILURE AND OTHER NEGATIVE EXPERIENCES. EARLY DETECTION WOULD ENABLE TEACHERS TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF CRITICAL LEARNING PERIODS WHEN CERTAIN SKILLS ARE MORE EFFICIENTLY TAUGHT THAN AT ANY OTHER TIME. WHILE SOME CHILDREN WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES NEED RESIDENTIAL FACILITIES, MANY DO NOT. INDIVIDUAL NEEDS SHOULD BE CONSIDERED. DIAGNOSTIC TEACHING IS THE RECOMMENDED METHOD WITH BRAIN-INJURED CHILDREN. THIS INVOLVES LOCATING THE LEARNING DIFFICULTY AND DESCRIBING THE PROBLEM BEHAVIORALLY. MODIFICATION OF THIS BEHAVIOR THEN TAKES PLACE. THE ILLINOIS TEST OF PSYCHOLINGUISTIC ABILITIES IS A GOOD DIAGNOSTIC TOOL. SEVERAL TRENDS IN THE EDUCATION OF CHILDREN WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES ARE--(1) THE CREATION OF GROUP SCREENING TESTS, (2) INCREASED FOCUS ON PREVENTIVE TEACHING, (3) MORE COOPERATION AND COMMUNICATION AMONG VARIOUS DISCIPLINES (ALTHOUGH COMMUNICATION BETWEEN TEACHERS AND RESEARCHERS IS LACKING), (4) RAPID ADOPTION OF FADS, AND (5) RESEARCH ON BETTER QUESTIONS AS MORE ATTENTION IS PAID TO INDIVIDUAL NEEDS. A 15-ITEM BIBLIOGRAPHY IS INCLUDED. (RS)