Responsiveness to Intervention and Learning Disabilities

Abstract

The National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities (NJCLD) is a national committee representing 11 organizations concerned about individuals with learning disabilities. The NJCLD considers and discusses contemporary issues in learning disabilities and develops and disseminates reports and statements related to these issues to influence policy and practice. Debi Gartland, Ph.D., Professor of Special Education at Towson University, Maryland, and Roberta Strosnider, Ed.D., Professor of Special Education at Towson Univeristy, represent the Council for Learning Disabilities on the NJCLD. They co-authored this paper with other NJCLD members. For more information about the paper or the NJCLD, contact Debi Gartland at gartland@towson.edu . The purpose of this NJCLD report is to examine the concepts, potential benefits, practical issues, and unanswered questions associated with responsiveness to intervention (RTI) and learning disabilities (LD). After brief overview of the approach, issues related to RTI implementation, including use as an eligibility mechanism, parent participation, structure and components, professional roles and competencies, and needed research, are addressed. The report is neither a position paper nor a “how-to guide” for implementing an RTI approach.