Learning Disabilities: A Questionable Construct

Klatt, Heinz-Joachim

doi:10.1111/j.1741-5446.1991.00047.x

Cited by 13 publications

(5 citation statements)

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“…It is inconsistent with competing theories that discount global conceptions of neurological dysfunction in favor of localized cognitive deficits (Mather & Roberts, 1994) and with those that focus on specific subtypes of learning disabilities based upon discrete patterns of neuropsychological assets and deficits (Rourke, 1994). It is also inconsistent with theories that reject neuropsychological constructs entirely (Coles, 1987;Klatt, 1991). Thus, the WDI as a reflection of a homogeneous pattern of Wechsler performance has most relevance to the theoretical position that global neuropsychological impairments account for learning disabilities.…”

mentioning

confidence: 87%

Diagnostic Utility of the WISC-III Developmental Index as a Predictor of Learning Disabilities

Watkins

1996

J Learn Disabil

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Wechsler's Deterioration Index (WDI) was developed as an indicator of cognitive impairment in adults but has been applied to children, because neuropsychological deficits have often been hypothesized to account for learning difficulties during the development period. Renamed the Wechsler Developmental Index, this measure has been used to discriminate among groups of children with and without learning disabilities. The present study replicated those findings with the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Third Edition, but also applied more appropriate diagnostic efficiency statistics to analyze the actual diagnostic utility of the WDI. These analyses revealed that the WDI performed at chance levels when distinguishing 611 students diagnosed with learning disabilities from those diagnosed with emotional disabled (n = 80) or mental retardation (n = 33), as well as from 2,200 simulated random nondisabled cases. It was concluded that mean group differences were not adequate and that ipsative indicators must be definitively validated in experimental environments before they can be applied in practice.

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confidence: 87%

Diagnostic Utility of the WISC-III Developmental Index as a Predictor of Learning Disabilities

Watkins

1996

J Learn Disabil

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“…The logical relation shifts from All students with SLD have learning problems to All students with learning problems have SLD, which is patently not true if SLD is properly viewed as a categorical designation (Kavale & Forness, 1985b). No other category in special education has demonstrated similar confounding resulting in the very existence of SLD being called into question by being referred to by such terms as "myth" (McKnight, 1982), "questionable construct" (Klatt, 1991), or "imaginary disease" (Finlan, 1993).…”

Section: Sld Parametersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Responsiveness to Intervention and the Identification of Specific Learning Disability: A Critique and Alternative Proposal

Kavale

Holdnack²,

Mostert

2006

Learning Disability Quarterly

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JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.. Sage Publications, Inc. and Hammill Institute on Disabilities are collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Learning Disability Quarterly. Abstract. Responsiveness to intervention (RTI) is being pro-posed as an alternative model for making decisions about the presence or absence of specific learning disability. We argue that many. questions about RTI remain unanswered, and that radical changes in the proposed regulations are not warranted at this time. Since many fundamental issues related to RTI have not been resolved, a better strategy may be to more rigorously implement existing identification criteria (e.g., discrepancy and psychological processing deficits) in a structured psychometric framework. Suggestions for how to modify present procedures are provided.

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“…Unlike the targeted critiques of the MR and SED definitions, LD definitions appear to be subjected to more generalized criticisms. The critiques are often so pervasive (e.g., Reger, 1979;Senf, 1977;Siegel, 1968) that they lead to the suggestion that LD does not exist as an independent entity and the depiction of LD as myth (McKnight, 1982), questionable construct (Klatt, 1991), or imaginary disease (Finlan, 1993). Unlike MR and SED where debate about definition has been more periodic, LD has seen almost constant debate about definition, which has deflected attention away from equally important issues and has made it the &dquo;phantom category&dquo; in special education (Keogh, 1987a).…”

Section: The Issue Of Definitionmentioning

confidence: 99%

What Definitions of Learning Disability Say and Don't Say

2000

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In this article, we analyze critically available definitions of learning disability (LD). The general problem of definition is discussed first followed by a discussion of individual LD definitions from the earliest to the latest. We conclude that LD definitions fail to provide substantive insight into the nature of the condition. The reasons for this failure are discussed in relation to the nature of definition and the difficulties in providing operational definitions of LD that are meaningful and significant. Finally, means for resolving the problem of definition are discussed.

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Learning Disabilities: A Questionable Construct

Cited by 13 publications

References 14 publications

Diagnostic Utility of the WISC-III Developmental Index as a Predictor of Learning Disabilities

Diagnostic Utility of the WISC-III Developmental Index as a Predictor of Learning Disabilities

Responsiveness to Intervention and the Identification of Specific Learning Disability: A Critique and Alternative Proposal

What Definitions of Learning Disability Say and Don't Say

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