This text reviews current research and theory related to written language development and disorders, and offers guidance for writing instruction based on the information from the review. Coverage includes writing development from early childhood into adult years. Specific topics include spelling development and disorders; written syntax, text cohesion, coherence, and structure; writing curricula, with a focus on the process approach; handwriting disorders; the use of computers to foster written language development; and a review and critique of standardized written language tests. The nine contributors are specialists in neurology, education, special education, learning disabilities, and applied special technology. Annotation copyrighted by Book News Inc., Portland, OR.

This book connects experts in the field of child assessment to provide child psychiatrists with knowledge in evaluation and educational programming. The book provides a review of the latest science behind: common learning disabilities, including etiology and guidelines for assessment/diagnosis; neurodevelopmental disorders, like learning disabilities, ADHD; psychiatric disorders in childhood such as mood and anxiety disorders; and impact learning and development protocols. The Massachusetts General Hospital Guide to Learning Disabilities evaluates the interventions that are effective in addressing these learning challenges in the context of multiple factors in a way that no other current text does. Special topics such as special education law and managing the needs of transitional age youth allow psychiatrists to support their patients’ and their families as they navigate the system. By offering a better understanding the learning needs of their patients, this texts gives readers the tools to consult with families and educators regarding how to address the learning needs of their patients at school and in other settings. The Massachusetts General Hospital Guide to Learning Disabilities is a vital took for child psychiatrists, students, assessment professionals, and other professionals studying or working with children suffering from learning disabilities.

A critical review of the literature on written expression disorders of individuals with learning disabilities. The purpose of the book is to shed light on issues concerning definition, assessment and interaction for individuals with writing disorders. The integrated model of written expression offered draws on the work of cognitive psychology, neurolinguistics and sociolinguistics. The model illustrates the interrelationship between cognitive and affective processing networks that influence the selection and use of linguistics and information structures in producing a written text. Particularly noteworthy aspects of this book are: the emphasis on the role of writing in developing higher mental functions (other texts on writing disorders have placed greater emphasis on lower-order aspects); not only the addition and integration of the sociolinguistic dimension into the model of writing but also the inclusion of guidelines for assessing this dimension; specification of needed research in which both populations and tasks have been carefully defined; and, finally, notice of the importance of a continuum for defining, assessing and treating each component of written expression. This state-of-the-art work on disorders of writing is of interest to both researchers and clinicians concerned with written expression disorders in children and/or adults.

A hands-on guide for anyone who teaches writing to students with learning disabilities This valuable resource helps teachers who want to sharpen their skills in analyzing and teaching writing to students with learning disabilities. The classroom-tested, research-proven strategies offered in this book work with all struggling students who have difficulties with writing-even those who have not been classified as learning disabled. The book offers a review of basic skills-spelling, punctuation, and capitalization-and includes instructional strategies to help children who struggle with these basics. The authors provide numerous approaches for enhancing student performance in written expression. They explore the most common reasons students are reluctant to write and offer helpful suggestions for motivating them. Includes a much-needed guide for teaching and assessing writing skills with children with learning disabilities Contains strategies for working with all students that struggle with writing Offers classroom-tested strategies, helpful information, 100+ writing samples with guidelines for analysis, and handy progress-monitoring charts Includes ideas for motivating reluctant writers Mather is an expert in the field of learning disabilities and is the best-selling author of Essentials of Woodcock-Johnson III Tests of Achievement Assessment

How can teachers provide effective instruction for students with learning disabilities while meeting the needs of all students? The second edition of this accessible text gives K-12 educators research-based answers, straight from two highly respected voices in the field. The first teacher training text to cover all four learning disabilities that require differentiated instruction, dysgraphia, dyslexia, dyscalculia, and oral and written language learning disability (OWL LD), this book prepares educators to deliver explicit and engaging instruction customized to the needs of their students.

Discusses both language-based and nonlanguage-based written language disorders from a brain-based educational model of learning.

A high level of literacy in both print and digital media is required for negotiating most aspects of 21st-century life, including supporting a family, education, health, civic participation, and competitiveness in the global economy. Yet, more than 90 million U.S. adults lack adequate literacy. Furthermore, only 38 percent of U.S. 12th graders are at or above proficient in reading. Improving Adult Literacy Instruction synthesizes the research on literacy and learning to improve literacy instruction in the United States and to recommend a more systemic approach to research, practice, and policy. The book focuses on individuals ages 16 and older who are not in K-12 education. It identifies factors that affect literacy development in adolescence and adulthood in general, and examines their implications for strengthening literacy instruction for this population. It also discusses technologies for learning that can assist with multiple aspects of teaching, assessment,and accommodations for learning. There is inadequate knowledge about effective instructional practices and a need for better assessment and ongoing monitoring of adult students' proficiencies, weaknesses, instructional environments, and progress, which might guide instructional planning. Improving Adult Literacy Instruction recommends a program of research and innovation to validate, identify the boundaries of, and extend current knowledge to improve instruction for adults and adolescents outside school. The book is a valuable resource for curriculum developers, federal agencies such as the Department of Education, administrators, educators, and funding agencies.

Children living in poverty are more likely to have mental health problems, and their conditions are more likely to be severe. Of the approximately 1.3 million children who were recipients of Supplemental Security Income (SSI) disability benefits in 2013, about 50% were disabled primarily due to a mental disorder. An increase in the number of children who are recipients of SSI benefits due to mental disorders has been observed through several decades of the program beginning in 1985 and continuing through 2010. Nevertheless, less than 1% of children in the United States are recipients of SSI disability benefits for a mental disorder. At the request of the Social Security Administration, Mental Disorders and Disability Among Low-Income Children compares national trends in the number of children with mental disorders with the trends in the number of children receiving benefits from the SSI program, and describes the possible factors that may contribute to any differences between the two groups. This report provides an overview of the current status of the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders, and the levels of impairment in the U.S. population under age 18. The report focuses on 6 mental disorders, chosen due to their prevalence and the severity of disability attributed to those disorders within the SSI disability program: attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, oppositional defiant disorder/conduct disorder, autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disability, learning disabilities, and mood disorders. While this report is not a comprehensive discussion of these disorders, Mental Disorders and Disability Among Low-Income Children provides the best currently available information regarding demographics, diagnosis, treatment, and expectations for the disorder time course - both the natural course and under treatment.

The ability to communicate with written language is critical for success in school and in the workplace. Unfortunately, many children suffer from developmental dysgraphia—impairment in acquiring spelling or handwriting skills—and this form of impairment has received relatively little attention from researchers and educators. This volume brings together, for the first time, theoretically grounded and methodologically rigorous research on developmental dysgraphia, presented alongside reviews of the typical development of spelling and writing skills. Leading experts on writing and dysgraphia shed light on different types of impairments that can affect the learning of spelling and writing skills, and provide insights into the typical development of these skills. The volume, which contributes both to the basic science of literacy and to the applied science of diagnosing and treating developmental dysgraphia, should interest researchers, educators, and clinicians. This book was originally published as a special issue of Cognitive Neuropsychology.