Learning Disabilities ― From Identification to Intervention

Reviewing the state of the science of learning disabilities (LD) and describing effective educational practices, this authoritative text has been significantly revised and expanded with more than 70% new material. Foremost LD experts identify effective principles of assessment and instruction within the framework of multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS). With a focus on what works in the classroom, the book explores the full range of reading, mathematics, and writing disabilities. It synthesizes knowledge from neuropsychology, cognitive neuroscience, and special and general education. Illustrations include eight color plates. As a special supplement, a chapter on the history of the LD field from the first edition is provided at the companion website.

New to This Edition
*Heightened emphasis on intervention, including significant new developments in reading comprehension and math.
*Reflects major scientific advances in understanding LD.
*Chapter on principles of effective instruction and MTSS.
*Chapter on automaticity in reading, math, and writing.
*Chapter on challenges in real-world implementation of evidence-based practices.
*Chapter on the validity of the LD construct.

Jack M. Fletcher, PhD, is the Hugh Roy and Lillie Cranz Cullen Distinguished University Professor of Psychology at the University of Houston. Since the 1970s, Dr. Fletcher, a child neuropsychologist, has completed research on many issues related to learning disabilities, including definition and classification, neurobiological correlates, and intervention, and has written over 400 articles in peer-reviewed journals. He is Principal Investigator of the Texas Center for Learning Disabilities, has served on and chaired the Mental Retardation/Developmental Disabilities study section of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), and is a former member of the NICHD National Advisory Council and the President’s Commission on Excellence in Special Education. He is a recipient of the Samuel T. Orton Award from the International Dyslexia Association and the Albert J. Harris Award from the International Literacy Association. Dr. Fletcher is a past president of the International Neuropsychological Society.

G. Reid Lyon, PhD, is Distinguished Scientist Emeritus in Neuroscience and Cognition at the Center for Brain Health, University of Texas, Dallas. He is also Distinguished Professor Emeritus at Southern Methodist University, where he served as Associate Dean of the Annette Caldwell Simmons School of Education and Human Development and Chair of the Department of Education Policy and Leadership. He served on the Maternal and Child Health study section of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and chaired the NICHD Learning Disability Research Centers study section and the NICHD Reading Development and Disorders study section. Dr. Lyon has published over 135 articles, books and book chapters addressing dyslexia, classification and definition of learning disabilities, developmental neuroimaging, neurophysiological correlates of reading interventions, and the development of gist reasoning in adolescents. He is a recipient of the Director's Award for Scientific Leadership in Neuroscience and Learning Disabilities from the National Institutes of Health and of the Norman Geshwind Award, the Samuel T. Orton Award, and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Dyslexia Association.

Lynn S. Fuchs, PhD, is the Dunn Family Endowed Chair of Psychoeducational Assessment, Special Education, and Human Development at Vanderbilt University. She is among the most highly cited researchers in the social sciences (according to Thomson Reuters); has published more than 350 articles in peer-reviewed journals; and serves on the editorial boards of many journals, including the Journal of Educational Psychology, Scientific Studies of Reading, Elementary School Journal, Journal of Learning Disabilities, and Exceptional Children. Her research focuses on classroom-based assessment as well as instructional methods for students with reading disabilities and math disabilities. In addition, Dr. Fuchs has conducted programmatic research on assessment methods for enhancing instructional planning and on instructional methods for ­improving reading and math outcomes for students with learning disabilities.

Marcia A. Barnes, PhD, is Professor in the Department of Special Education at Vanderbilt University. Previously, she was Professor & H. E. Hartfelder/Southland Corp Regents Chair in the Department of Special Education and Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies in the College of Education at the University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Barnes’s research focuses on math and reading comprehension disabilities in children with and without brain injuries. She also studies the typical development of reading comprehension skills, and has created several paradigms for assessing inference-making in children. She has published 120 peer-reviewed papers, chapters, and books. She is a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Learning Disabilities and the Journal of Educational Psychology and has served on several national grant review panels in the United States and Canada.