Learning Disabilities: The Roads We Have Traveled and the Path to the Future

Abstract

This chapter helps the reader to understand learning disabilities, the problems, the pitfalls, and the dead ends. It provides arguments and evidences that the identification of learning disabilities has been made an unnecessarily complex and complicated process. The chapter discusses the major types of learning disabilities, outlines the role of IQ tests in the identification of learning disabilities, suggestions for how can help individuals with learning disabilities, and some directions for the future. It demonstrates that the complicated process can be made much simpler, less costly, and more efficient and provides a simple system to identify learning disabilities. The chapter summarizes the issues associated with the use of IQ tests in the definition of learning disabilities. It also demonstrates some of the problems with the use of IQ tests with a specific case, as outlined in Siegel and argues that in the field of learning disabilities, travelled along some roads that are dead ends.