ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY FOR FURTHER READING ON LEARNING DISABILITIES

• Beitchman, J.H., Cantwell, D.P., Forness, S.R., Kavale, K.A., & Kauffman, J.M. (1998). Practice parameters for the diagnostic assessment and treatment of children and adolescents with language and learning disorders. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 37 (10 suppl), 42S-62S.

This is a detailed set of consensus guidelines developed by the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and based on available research evidence for best practice in the diagnosis and treatment of children and adolescents with learning disorders.

• Forness, S.R. (2001). Special education and related services: What have we learned from meta-analysis? Exceptionality, 9, 185-197.

This is a brief summary of findings from 24 meta-analyses on various interventions for child¹s learning or behavior disorders in school or related services. Meta-analysis is a technique that statistically summarizes collected findings across all studies on a given intervention, such as social skills training or direct instruction in reading and arithmetic. The summary statistic, called an effect size, can then be used to compare approximate effectiveness of one intervention with others for similar types of children. It is written primarily for special educators as a guide for best practice.

• Fuchs, L.S., & Fuchs, D. (1998). Treatment validity: A unifying concept for reconceptualizing the identification of learning disabilities. Learning Disabilities Research and Practice, 13, 204-219.

This paper summarizes recent research by these two investigators in which instruction of children with learning disabilities is based on their daily response rate in specific areas of reading or math. This is termed curriculum-based measurement. In this article, they propose this approach as a more valid way to diagnose learning disabilities based on children¹s response to various levels of remediation. It is written primarily for professionals and practitioners in learning disabilities.

• Greenhill, L.L. (2000). Learning disabilities: Implications for psychiatric treatment. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Press.

This is a very detailed and comprehensive review of current topics and issues in dyslexia, a term which refers primarily to reading disorders or learning disabilities in which reading is the primary disorder. It focuses on phonologic awareness, brain imaging studies, and genetic aspects of reading disorders as well as on some aspects of behavioral disturbance. It is intended primarily for psychiatrists, psychologists, and others interested in research on learning disabilities.

• Grigorenko, E.L. (2001) Developmental dyslexia: An update on genes, brains, and environments. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 42, 91-125.

This is a very detailed and comprehensive review of current topics and issues in dyslexia, a term which refers primarily to reading disorders or learning disabilities in which reading is the primary disorder. It focuses on phonologic awareness, brain imaging studies, and genetic aspects of reading disorders as well as on some aspects of behavioral disturbances. It is intended primarily for psychologists and others interested in research on learning disabilities.

• Hallahan, D.P., Kauffman, J.M., & Lloyd, J.W. (1999). Introduction to learning disabilities (2nd ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon (515 pages).

This is one of the best of the introductory textbooks in learning disabilities. It covers all aspects of learning disabilities from identification and diagnosis to treatment and remediation in the schools. It is intended for beginning teachers of children with learning disabilities.

• Kauffman, J.M. (2001). Characteristics of emotional and behavioral disorders of children and youth (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill Prentice-Hall (624 pages).

This is one of the best introductory textbooks in children¹s emotional or behavioral disorders. It covers all aspects of these disorders from identification and diagnosis to treatment and school programs. It also has separate chapters on each of the major psychiatric diagnoses. It is intended for beginning teachers of children with emotional or behavioral disorders.

• Kavale, K.A., & Forness, S.R. (1995). The nature of learning disabilities: Critical elements of diagnosis and classification. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum (432 pages).

This is a comprehensive review of theory and research on definition, diagnostic or measurement issues, and classification in learning disabilities. It is intended for educators, psychologists, and researchers in the area of learning disabilities.

• Lyon, G.R. (1998). Learning disabilities. In K.L. Freiberg (Ed.). Educating exceptional children (10th ed., pp.49-70). Guilford, CT: Dushkin-McGraw-Hill.

This a relatively brief but thorough review of important issues in learning disabilities, with a focus on phonological awareness and on initial research findings from the NICHD Learning Disability Research Network. This is a consortium of scientists from several universities who are working on diagnosis, classification, genetics, brain imaging, and treatment in this area. It is intended for educators and psychologists as a summary of major issues and research topics in learning disabilities.

• MacMillan, D.L., Gresham, F.M., & Bocian, K.M. (1998). Discrepancy between definitions of learning disabilities and school practices: An empirical investigation. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 31, 314-326.

This is a report of a study on children carefully diagnosed as having learning disabilities, emotional disturbance, or mental retardation and how they were eventually identified and placed in special education. It is an excellent introduction to some of the issues involved in how schools often mistakenly classify children with learning disabilities in the public schools. It is intended for special educators and other professionals in learning disabilities.

• Troia, G.A., Roth, F.P., and Graham, S. (1998). An educator¹s guide to phonological awareness: Assessment measures and intervention activities for children. Focus on Exceptional Children, 31(3), 1-12.

This is a brief but comprehensive introduction to phonological awareness, the ability to accurately distinguish and recognize sounds of language necessary to successful reading. This is currently considered one of the most critical skills related to the development of learning disabilities. It is intended for special education teachers and also contains an appendix listing phonological awareness assessment instruments, intervention materials, and selected children¹s books using these principles.

• Yell, M.L., & Shriner, J.G. (1997). The IDEA amendments of 1997: Implications for special and general education teachers, administrators, and teacher trainers. Focus on Exceptional Children, 31(1), 1-19.

This is an excellent overview of recent changes in the federal law that mandates special education for children with learning disabilities or related disorders in the public schools. It covers the individualized education program (IEP), assessment, changes in school disciplinary procedures for children in special education, and related issues. It is intended for all school and related professionals.