Three papers present the positions of national organizations on full inclusion of students with learning disabilities in regular education classrooms, including the Learning Disabilities Association of America, Council for Learning Disabilities, and National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities. All three papers call for a continuum of…

Recent literature on four intervention approaches--cooperative learning, prereferral teams, consulting teachers, and peer tutoring--recommended for accommodating atypical learners in general education settings is reviewed. It is concluded that the research to date does not justify reducing special education services. (Author/DB)

The author reviews problems in mainstreaming exceptional children and discusses conditions necessary for success. The importance of highly individualized teaching methods and use of special instructional materials is stressed. (CL)

This article reviews the efforts made since 1962 to define learning disabilities, discusses 11 prominent definitions, identifies important conceptual elements on which the definitions differ, and calls for a consensual acceptance of the National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities definition. (PB)

The author contends that, while visual defects should not be confused with defects in visual perception, the identification and treatment of visual problems is an important element in the diagnosis and remediation of learning disabilities. (Author)

This overview offers a perspective on the distinguishing characteristics, past and present, of the learning disabilities field in the United States. The discussion focuses on why an advocacy movement has been necessary and emphasizes the need to establish clinical and scientific validation of learning disabilities, to preserve the hard-won…

This article argues that the regression-based discrepancy method used in the diagnosis of learning disabilities is invalid because it is inconsistent with the underlying underachievement concept of which it is intended to be the operationalization. It is mathematically demonstrated that the regression-based discrepancy method largely reflects…

This commentary re-examines Linda Siegel's four basic assumptions (in EC221505) inherent in the Intelligence Quotient-achievement discrepancy commonly used to define learning disability. The commentary also discusses the uses of alternative measures of intelligence and the role of Intelligence Quotient in the identification of learning-disabled…

Guidelines, developed by the Council for Learning Disabilities Research Committee, for the minimum description of participants with learning disabilities in educational research. Subjects should be described both in the report narrative and in an accompanying table. Editors of professional journals are urged to require that all manuscripts contain…

While the normative frame of reference is adequate for diagnosis, a behavioral approach may be more suited to the prescriptive phase of assessment. The behavioral frame of reference is described and its relevance to prescriptive assessment is discussed. (Author)

This introduction to a series of articles on the scaffolding metaphor in learning disabilities research introduces each article and raises two main concerns: the lack of careful delineation of how scaffolding becomes operational in research studies and constraints in the use of scaffolding arising from communication problems. (DB)

A special education administrator raises questions about separating learning-disabled students from the regular education classroom for specialized instruction, proposes strategies to accommodate learning difference and address specific learning needs in the regular instructional program, and suggests the need to reevaluate the benefits derived…

These concluding comments on the series of articles introduced by Linda Siegel's paper (EC221505) summarize the bases for disputing the utility of intelligence tests. The learning disabilities field's resistance to abandoning use of Intelligence Quotient tests is also acknowledged, and improved assessment measures and further research are called…

This article provides a critique of holism within the learning disabilities field, based on its incipient subjectivism. It examines the issue of objective, scientific study in relation to the works of Richard Iano, Mary Poplin, and Lous Heshusius and recommends consideration of the perspective of critical realism, based on the writing of Roy…

Critically evaluates recent research aimed at empirical identification of homogeneous subtypes of learning disability. It is suggested that researchers strive for more commonality in the methods and measures used for subtype analysis leading to a single classification scheme to reduce heterogeneity and improve educational efforts. (Author/DB)