Conventional wisdom suggests that students classified as learning disabled will exhibit difficulties with foreign language (FL) learning, but evidence has not supported a relationship between FL learning problems and learning disabilities. The simple view of reading model posits that reading comprehension is the product of word decoding and…

Much has been written about gifted students with learning disabilities, but there have been few large-scale empirical investigations, and the concept has proven controversial. The authors reviewed the available empirical literature on these students, focusing on (a) the criteria by which the students were identified and (b) the students'…

The purpose of this study is to provide an up-to-date review of the literature on postsecondary students classified as having learning disabilities (LD). The review focused on the criteria by which students were classified as LD and the cognitive and achievement characteristics of the participants. From almost 400 studies, only 30% were empirical…

This study examined the consequences of classifying postsecondary students as learning disabled (LD) using five objective sets of criteria: IQ-achievement discrepancies (1.0 to 1.49 SD, 1.5 to 1.99 SD, and greater than or equal to 2.0 SD), DSM-IV criteria, and chronic educational impairment beginning in childhood. The participants were 378…

Recently, talk of a new type of learning disability (LD)--a foreign language learning disability, or FLLD--has made its way into the LD and foreign language (FL) literature. However, no empirical evidence has been published to support the concept of a "disability" for FL learning by those professionals who use the term. In this article, the author…

A replication study compared 86 petition students who received course substitutions for the college foreign language (FL) requirement with 40 nonpetition students who fulfilled the requirement by passing FL courses. Findings indicate more than half of all the students did not meet criteria for learning disability classification. (Contains…

Seven sophomores at risk for problems with learning a foreign language were taught using a multisensory structured language approach. Over two years, they made significant gains on native language phonological/orthographic measures and a foreign language aptitude test. Despite gains, the students did not catch up with typical students on these…

A study involving 158 college students with learning disabilities who were granted foreign language course substitutions found there were few cognitive and academic achievement differences among students with differing levels of IQ-achievement or achievement-achievement discrepancy on Modern Language Aptitude Test and American College Testing…

Two studies examined students with learning disabilities who were allowed to substitute other courses for the college foreign-language (FL) requirement. Both studies found similar demographic, cognitive, academic achievement, and FL-aptitude profiles for the students. Article concludes that educators should not assume that students with LD require…

Discusses cognitive, affective, and linguistic influences on foreign language learning. It proposes the Linguistic Coding Differences Hypothesis (LCDH) model for understanding foreign language learning problems. The empirical support for the LCDH model is reviewed. Diagnostic, pedagogical, and policy implications are addressed. (Author/DB)

A comparison of 46 college students with learning disabilities (LD) who received permission to waive a foreign language (FL) requirement with 21 students with LD who fulfilled the requirement found that more students who had petitioned had a 1.0 standard deviation discrepancy between IQ and achievement and were referred only for FL learning…

A study of 86 college students with learning disabilities (LD) that received permission to substitute courses for a foreign language (FL) requirement found that there were no differences in cognitive and academic achievement among students with different levels of discrepancy, graduating grade point average (GPA), or college FL GPA. (Author/CR)