Learning Disabilities – Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

Abstract

This article attempts to survey the field of learning disabilities in terms of an integrative approach to the various disciplines which have been concerned with the etiology, diagnosis, and treatment of children with communication problems, reading problems, and sensory-motor disturbances. A behavioral view of the inseparability of diagnostic and remedial procedures and a survey of some of these procedures are presented, as well as a crystal ball view of future trends in the field of learning disabilities.

Learning disabilities: Some problem areas for consideration

“…Of further interest is Bateman's (1967) list of 'learning-related' symptoms which focus on deficient motor, sensory, language, and association skills. She notes that problems in these areas are often found in cases of learning disabilities, but that not all LD children necessarily manifest such difficulties, and conversely, that children who do have problems in, say, language or motor skills, are not necessarily always learning disabled.…”

Use of the Peabody Language Development Kits in Specific Language Dysfunction

“…An effort to divide this global behavior into chartable subskills is demonstrated in the development of the Illinois Test of Psycholinguistic Abilities (ITPA). The use of this instrument for language-subskill analysis has been discussed by Bateman (1964Bateman ( , 1965, Kirk and Bateman (1962), and Kirk and McCarthy (1961).…”

Use of Adaptive Behavior and Discrepancy Criteria to Determine Learning Disabilities Severity Subtypes

“…A discrepancy exists when an individual's estimated ability differs significantly from his or her actual performance (Bateman, 1964). Although the discrepancy factor is not stated in the Public Law 94-142 definition of learning disabilities, it is a key component in the P.L.…”