National Joint Committee On Learning Disabilities Research Articles

Considerations for Transition From High School to Postsecondary Education

The National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities (NJCLD) affirms the importance of transition as a critical component of successfully progressing from secondary school to college or university for students with learning disabilities. Although NJCLD has addressed secondary to postsecondary education transition planning in a previous paper, several challenges remain. This NJCLD position paper includes information about the laws that affect students with learning disabilities at each level, documentation required, key participants, and programs and resources to assist in the transition process.

The Use of Response to Intervention to Inform Special Education Eligibility Decisions for Students With Specific Learning Disabilities

This is an official position paper of the National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities (NJCLD), of which the Council for Learning Disabilities has been a long-standing, active member. Response to intervention (RTI) is a critical component of a multi-tiered service delivery system. This NJCLD paper presents concerns related to the implementation of RTI and its use as the sole method of evaluation to determine the identification and eligibility for special education as a student with a specific learning disability (SLD) and implications for transition.

Learning Disabilities: Implications for Policy Regarding Research and Practice: A Report by the National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities

This is an official document of the National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities (NJCLD), of which Council for Learning Disabilities is a long-standing, active member. With this position paper, NJCLD addresses points of agreement in the field, common misperceptions, and unresolved issues in scholarship and practice, and makes recommendations for federal and state policy.

تعريب قائمة فحص صعوبات التعلم : العلامات والمظاهر في المراحل الدراسية المختلفة من إعداد المرکز الوطني لصعوبات التعلم((NCLD بالولايات المتحدة الأمريکية

ربما لم يحظ مصطلح بالانتشار مثل ما حظي به مصطلح صعوبات التعلم أو إعاقة التعلم Learning disabilities منذ أن قدمه صامويل کيرک Samuel Kirk سنة 1962 في الولايات المتحدة الأمريکية ، لقد أصبح يستخدم على نطاق واسع حول العالم ، ويطلق هذا المصطلح في الوقت الحالي على فئة من التلاميذ الأکثر شيوعا من ذوي الاحتياجات الخاصة الذين لايحققون الحد الأدنى من المتطلبات المتعلقة بتقدمهم الأکاديمي (Vaughn et al., 2000 ؛ , 2014 Shamsuddin& Dzalani ). هؤلاء التلاميذ غير قادرين على تطوير معرفتهم ومهاراتهم الشخصية والأکاديمية للنجاح، وتشير الدراسات إلى أن بعضا منهم يترکون المدرسة دون الحصول على شهادة وقد ينتهي بهم المطاف بالتعرض لخطر قضاء حياتهم في علاقات عمل غير صحية أو الاعتماد على المعونات الاجتماعية والتکافل (Vaughn & Bos, 2014 ؛Grunke & Cavendish, 2016 ). ونظرا للاهتمام الواسع بهذه الفئة فإنه يوجد العديد من الاتحادات المهنية والتجمعات العلمية ومجموعات الدعم المنتشرة حول العالم لمساعدة الأفراد ذوي صعوبات التعلم للتعامل مع التحديات التي تواجههم Grunke & Cavendish, 2016) ( . ويعد المرکز الوطني لصعوبات التعلم بالولايات المتحدة الأمريکية National Center For Learning Disabilities ( NCLD) واحدا من هذه المنظمات المعنية بتقديم الخدمات لذوي صعوبات التعلم . ويصادف عام 2017 ذکرى مرور أربعين سنة علي تأسيس المرکز الوطني لصعوبات التعلم ، حيث ترجع جذور هذه المنظمة إلى سنة 1977 فقد قام کل من Carrie and Pete Rozelle بتأسيس مؤسسة تحت مسمى Foundation for Children with Learning Disabilities وکانت هذه المؤسسة معنية بتقديم التوجيه وزيادة الوعي العام والمنح لدعم الأبحاث والممارسات المبتکرة في مجال صعوبات التعلم. وفي عام 1989 وسعت هذه المؤسسة مهمتها ونطاق عملها، وغيرت اسمها إلى المرکز الوطني لصعوبات التعلم ( NCLD). وکما هو موثق في تقارير المرکز وموقعه على شبکة المعلومات الدولية فإن المرکز على مدار أربعة عقود يعمل على أن يدعم بقوة حقوق أعداد کبيرة من التلاميذ وتمکينهم من النجاح. حيث يعمل المرکز الوطني لصعوبات التعلم((NCLD علي ضمان أن ملايين الأطفال والمراهقين و الکبار الذين يعانون من صعوبات التعلم لديهم کل الفرص للنجاح في المدرســة وبيئة العمل و الحياة. ويقوم المرکز بتزويد الأباء والمهنيين والأفراد الذين يعانون من صعوبات التعلم بالمعلومات المهمة والضرورية والأبحاث والبرامج اللازمة لتعزيز التعلم الفعال ، کما يدعو المرکز إلي تطوير وصياغة السياسات التي تعمل علي حماية و دعم الحقوق و الفرص التعليمي لذوي صعوبات التعلمة. کما يقوم المرکز بنشر عدد من التقارير المتعلقة بصعوبات التعلم عبر الولايات المتحدة الأمريکية ( NCLD ,2009., Cortiella, & Horowitz 2014., Horowitz, Rawe , & Whittaker.2017) وبشکل عام تتمثل رسالة المرکز الوطني لصعوبات التعلم (NCLD ) في تحسين حياة جميع الأفراد ذوي الموضوعات والمشکلات المتعلقة بالتعلم والانتباه من خلال تقديم الدعم والخدمات التي توفر الفرصة لتمکين الآباء وصغار السن وتغيير النظام المدرسي ، وصناعة سياسات وقوانين مؤثرة تتيح لکل فرد أن يمتلک المهارات الأکاديمية والاجتماعية والعاطفية اللازمة للنجاح في المدرسة وفي العمل والحياة. والمرکز عضو فيما يعرف حاليا في الولايات المتحدة الأمريکية باللجنية الوطنية المشترکة لصعوبات التعلم National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities (NJCLD) ، والتي تضم في عضويتها ممثلين لعدد من المنظمات والمؤسسات المهتمة بصعوبات التعلم وهي: - الجمعية الأمريکية للغة والتحدث / الکلام والسمع American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). - جمعية التعليم العالي والإعاقة Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD). - جمعية المعالجين التربويين Association of Educational Therapists (AET)). - مجلس صعوبات التعلم Council for Learning Disabilities (CLD) . - قسم إعاقات التواصل والصم ، Division for Communicative Disabilities and Deafness (DCDD), Council for Exceptional Children . - قسم صعوبات التعلم Division for Learning Disabilities (DLD), Council for Exceptional Children. - الجمعية الدولية للديسلکسيا International Dyslexia Association (IDA). - الجمعية الدولية للقراءة International Literacy Association (ILA) . - جمعية صعوبات التعلم الأمريکية Learning Disabilities Association of America (LDA). - الجمعية الوطنية لمتخصصي علم النفس المدرسي National Association of School Psychologists (NASP). - المرکز الوطني لصعوبات التعلم National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD))

Learning Disabilities and Achieving High-Quality Education Standards

This is an official document of the National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities (NJCLD), of which Council for Learning Disabilities is a long-standing, active member. With this position paper, NJCLD advocates for the implementation of high-quality education standards (HQES) for students with learning disabilities (LD) and outlines the necessary ingredients that contribute to successful outcomes for students with LD in meeting HQES.

Comprehensive Assessment and Evaluation of Students with Learning Disabilities: A Paper Prepared by the National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities

The National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities (NJCLD)1 strongly supports comprehensive assessment and evaluation of students with learning disabilities by a multidisciplinary team for the identification and diagnosis of students with learning disabilities. Comprehensive assessment of individual students requires the use of multiple data sources. These sources may include standardized tests, informal measures, observations, student self-reports, parent reports, and progress monitoring data from response-to-intervention (RTI) approaches (NJCLD, 2005). Reliance on any single criterion for assessment or evaluation is not comprehensive, nor is a group assessment, such as universal screening or statewide academic assessment tests, sufficient for comprehensive assessment or evaluation. This paper is intended to inform administrators, educators, parents, and others concerned about the effective identification and education of students with learning disabilities about the components, processes, and participants necessary for comprehensive assessment and evaluation, as well as optimal practices that should further enhance the education of students with learning disabilities. The NJCLD has long recognized that inappropriate assessment and evaluation practices may result in questionable incidence rates for learning disabilities (NJCLD, 2001a). Similarly, the NJCLD (2001a, 2001b) has provided a solid foundation for addressing the issues of assessment, evaluation, identification, and eligibility of students with learning disabilities.

The Documentation Disconnect for Students with Learning Disabilities: Improving Access to Postsecondary Disability Services

This report by the National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities (NJCLD) outlines important concerns about documentation issues related to students with disabilities as they transition from high school to postsecondary settings. These issues center on the “disconnect” between the nature and extent of disability documentation generated during a student's public school career and the documentation required to access services at the postsecondary education level. There is no easy answer to this problem given the legal, practical, and philosophical differences between these two educational settings, and it is clear that new ways of thinking about the documentation for accessing services in postsecondary education for students with learning disabilities (LD) need to occur. One of the main tenets of this paper is that all persons involved in the successful and equitable transition of individuals with LD to postsecondary institutions need to understand each other's constraints and perspectives. This understanding will be greatly enhanced when there is a shared goal of helping all students receive services to which they are entitled and when educators from each level commit to communicating with each other. The purpose of this report is to outline the issues affecting documentation for postsecondary disability services and to suggest ways to bridge the gap between secondary and postsecondary settings.

Learning Disabilities and Young Children: Identification and Intervention

This paper addresses early identification, services, supports, and intervention for young children, birth through 4 years, who demonstrate delays in development that may place them at risk for later identification as having a learning disability (LD). Such delays include atypical patterns of development in cognition, communication, emergent literacy, motor and sensory abilities, and/or social-emotional adjustment that may adversely affect later educational performance. Development in each of these domains may be related to individual variations in rates and patterns of maturation, environmental factors such as language exposure, and quality of learning opportunities. Although the focus of this paper is on developmental rather than academic expectations, it is recognized that adequate development across multiple domains is essential for subsequent school success. It also is important to recognize that when children are exposed to high quality learning opportunities prior to kindergarten, they are less likely to experience school failure and be misidentified as having LD in the early grades. LD has been defined by the National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities (NJCLD) as a heterogeneous group of disorders of presumed neurological origin manifested differently and to varying degrees during the life span of an individual. These disorders are developmental in nature, occur prior to kindergarten, and continue into adult life. Various manifestations of LD may be seen at different ages and as a result of varying learning demands (NJCLD, 1985/2001a, 1990/2001c). Early indicators that a child may have LD include delays in speech and language development, motor coordination, perception, reasoning, social interaction, prerequisites to academic achievement and other areas relevant to meeting educational goals. These indicators may occurconcomitantly with problems in self-regulation, attention, or social interaction (Lowenthal, 1998; McCardle, Scarborough, & Catts, 2001). In effective programs for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers, professionals (1) examine risk and protective factors, (2) conduct systematic observations of individual children, (3) assess developmental status, (4) create rich and varied learning opportunites, (5) plan and deliver services and supports, and (6) provide intervention based on assessment data. These programs are culturally and developmentally appropriate, linguistically sensitive, and based on scientific evidence. This paper describes how such programs can be established and implemented, emphasizes the importance of family and caregiver involvement and responsibilities, discusses issues in professional preparation and development, and articulates critical research needs.

Responsiveness to Intervention and Learning Disabilities

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.

Prevention Model Takes Off in Schools: A New Approach for Learning Disabilities

Prevention Model Takes Off in Schools: A New Approach for Learning Disabilities

The Office of Special Education Program's LD Initiative: A Context for Inquiry and Consensus

Memo: Problems in Assessment of Children [T]he fundamental problem in the assessment of the learning disabled is making the initial determination that a child is or is not learning disabled. This appears ... critical for at least two reasons. First, from a service point of view, an adequate diagnostic procedure assures us that appropriate children are being served. Second, from an administrative point of view, one can be assured when one speaks of learning-disabled children, one is referring to an identifiable group. Obviously, people are currently classifying children as with a variety of approaches. [S]ome of these approaches suffer from such conceptual problems that their validity must be questioned. Most ... suffer from sufficient technical problems such as to make them less than adequate. Just as important as the initial decision that a learning disability exists, however, is the determination of appropriate programming. There is little reason for educators to be concerned about whether children are learning disabled unless it somehow relates to the education program that children receive. Decisions concerning appropriate programming for children would undoubtedly [be] best made using criterion-referenced instruments. At this point, [they] are not available. The requirements in PL 94-142 for Protection in Evaluation Procedures, Least Restrictive Environments, and Individual Education Programs make the whole decision-making process for classification, placement and programming exceedingly complex. A critical concern ... is ... [how] assessment information relates to and is integrated with decision-making. Many people have voiced concern over the critical nature of early identification of the learning disabled. I ... [agree] that this is extremely important. However ... we cannot hope to engage in early identification with all of its attendant difficulties unless and until we have resolved our definitional and operational problems. ********** The U.S. Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) recently relocated their offices. Among the historical treasures found in the move was a carbon copy of a letter written by then junior staffer Lou Danielson to a university professor. Although Lou's letter was written in 1977, 27 years ago, it could well have been composed today. Indeed, points nearly identical to Lou's were made in a letter written during the 1997 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) reauthorization process by the National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities (NJCLD). OSEP's comprehensive response to the NJCLD letter has become known as the LD a multiyear process involving many activities and numerous stakeholders intended to probe, document, and discuss what we know about the identification and classification of children with learning disabilities (LD). Below, we describe OSEP's Initiative, including the creation of the National Research Center on LD. Background In 1975, Congress passed the Education of All Handicapped Children Act (Public Law 94-142), now known as the IDEA. A central intent of the law was to guarantee a free appropriate public education for all children with disabilities. This would be accomplished by supporting states and localities to improve child outcomes by protecting the rights, and meeting the individual needs, of all children and youth with disabilities and their families. Early and accurate identification of children with disabilities was viewed as critical to ensuring that they receive services essential to their success. Much progress has been made over the past three decades in providing effective programming, special education, and other related services to children with disabilities. In 1997, the reauthorization of IDEA changed the focus of the law from providing access to services to improving results and accountability. Essential to achieving improved results is the accurate and early identification of children with disabilities. …

State and District-Wide Assessments and Students with Learning Disabilities: A Guide for States and School Districts

The National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities (NJCLD) is a national committee representing 11 organizations concerned about individuals with learning disabilities. Approximately 350,000 individuals constitute the membership of the organizations represented by NJCLD. 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 University, 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 NJCLD, contact Debi Gartland at gartland@towson.edu .

Self-Organization and Learning Disabilities: A Theoretical Perspective for the Interpretation and Understanding of Dysfunction

Central nervous system dysfunction is common to most definitions of learning disabilities (i.e., the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, P.L. 101–476 (IDEA), the National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities (NJCLD), the Interagency Committee on Learning Disabilities (ICLD), although not always explicitly stated. Yet, many practitioners and diagnosticians of learning disabilities (LD) do not have a sufficiently comprehensive understanding of the neurological system to be able to interpret disabling conditions from this view. “Specific” learning disability may be an erroneous concept when one considers the underlying dynamic and recursive interactions within the neurological system. A self-organizing systems (SOS) perspective offers a comprehensive framework for understanding and interpreting the complexity of LD and suggests that classification schema tend to undermine the complex nature of the learning disorder. In this article, self-organizing systems principles are explained, and research is reviewed concerning reading and math disabilities and the roles of language, attention, working memory and executive functioning as they relate to LD. Assessment practices are also considered in light of conceptualizing learning disabilities from a self-organizing systems framework.

Providing appropriate education for students with learning disabilities in regular education classrooms. National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities.

This statement was developed by the National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities (NJCLD). Representatives of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) were Rhonda S. Work, Chair; Mabel L. Rice; Stan Dublinske, ex officio. Ann L. Carey, vice president for professional and governmental affairs, was the monitoring vice president. Other member organizations of the NJCLD include the Association on Handicapped Student Services Programs in Postsecondary Education; Council for Learning Disabilities; Division for Children with Communication Disorders; Division for Learning Disabilities; International Reading Association; Learning Disabilities Association of America; National Association of School Psychologists; Orton Dyslexia Society. This statement was approved by the ASHA Legislative Council in November 1990 (LC 26-90) [see Note 1].

School Reform

The newly articulated goals for education in the United States, many of which are set forth in America 2000: An Education Strategy, cannot be achieved without important school reform. The National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities (NJCLD) joins with others in calling for school reform and for the development of strategies to improve education. The NJCLD urges that the needs of students at risk for school failure, including those with learning disabilities, be addressed when setting new goals, policies, and practices. This is essential if schools are to meet the diverse learning needs of these students, optimize their achievement, and ensure effective educational outcomes. To ignore the abilities and potentially rich contributions of students with learning disabilities will create imbalance and inequity within the educational system, restrict the quality of life for individuals, and diminish the nation's competitive status within a global economy.

Learning Disabilities and Presumed Central Nervous System Dysfunction

Although learning disabilities have historically been presumed to be due to central nervous system dysfunction, it has only been within the past decade that this origin has been acknowledged in a consensus definition. Based on the 1981 National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities (NJCLD) definition, a modified definition proposed by the National Institute of Health (NIH) Interagency Committee in 1987 included the statement that learning disabilities are “… presumed to be due to central nervous system dysfunction …” This article provides an overview of the literature in support of this notion and focuses on the postmortem and neuroimaging studies that provide the most provocative evidence of a neurological conceptualization of learning disabilities. Although relatively few in number, these studies suggest that significant advances may be forthcoming in integrating neuropsychological evidence of the deficits that characterize various subtypes of learning disabilities with technological advances in brain research such that a more accurate understanding of the neurological basis of learning disabilities may emerge.

The National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities: history, mission, process.

The National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities (NJCLD) is a national committee of cooperating organizations concerned with individuals with learning disabilities. The current organizations with representation on the NJCLD are as follows:

Learning disabilities: issues on definition. National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities.

The enactment of P.L. 94-142 has mandated changes in the assessment and education of individuals with varying handicapping conditions. The law has provided the basis for securing a systematic methodology for the identification, assessment, and education of children with handicaps. Of specific interest to the National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities (NJCLD) are those individuals identified categorically within the law as having learning disabilities.

Introduction and Commentary

The National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities (NJCLD) was established in 1975 through the efforts of the Council for Learning Disabilities (formerly the Division for Children with Learning Disabilities) and the Disabled Reading Committee of the International Reading Association. Eight major national-level organizations are presently represented on the NJCLD, including: The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), the Association for Children and Adults with Learning Disabilities (ACLD), the Council for Learning Disabilities (CLD), the Division for Children with Communication Disorders (DCCD), the Division for Learning Disabilities (DLD), the International Reading Association (IRA), the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP), and The Orton Dyslexia Society (ODS).

1984–1985 President's Message Council for Learning Disabilities: The Year in Review

This year has been a memorable one for the Council for Learning Disabilities (CLD). Several important innovations are worth highlighting. First, many of the organization's operational procedures have been streamlined. Second, plans are under way to maximize the return on monies in the treasury. Third, an Executive Secretary has been hired to facilitate operations and to provide easy and consistent access to the organization and its leadership. Fourth, several changes have been instituted with respect to the formation of state/province and local chapters. Fifth, improvements have been made in both the financial and editorial policies governing CLD's publications. Finally, a concerted effort to provide leadership on substantive issues facing the field has led to the approval of two new position papers generated by the National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities (NJCLD) and the development of several CLD-initiated projects.