47.Responsetointervention(RtI)isanalternativemethodtothediscrepancymodeltoidentifystudentsashavinga
learningdisability.Describehowbothoftheseapproachesareusedintheidentificationoflearningdisabilities.
ANSWER: Priorto2004,IDEAmandatedthatanycriterionforclassifyingachildashaving
learningdisabilitiesmustbebasedonapreexistingseverediscrepancybetween
intellectualcapacityandachievement.Achild’slearningdisabilitymustbedeterminedon
anindividualbasis,andtheremustbeaseverediscrepancybetweenachievementand
intellectualabilityinoneormoreofthefollowingareas:oralexpression,listening
comprehension,writtenexpression,basicreadingskill,readingcomprehension,
mathematicalcalculation,ormathematicalreasoning.Themeaningofthetermsevere
discrepancyisdebatedamongprofessionals.Schoolsnowhavetheoptionofusinga
processthatdeterminesachild’sresponsetointervention(RtI),whichisaimedat
evidence-baseddecisionsandisresearch-basedThebasicconceptofRtIisempirically
baseddecisionmaking—thatis,determininginterventionsuccessonthebasisofdata
reflectingthestudent’sperformance.Thisapproachhasconsiderableappealforseveral
reasons.Inparticular,RtIisfocusedonthechild’sacademicresponsetospecific
instruction,anditisalsoanotherperspectiveforassessingchildrenwithlearning
disabilities.Thislatterrationaleisveryusefulforsomechildrenwhoarestrugglingwith
earlyacademicworkbutmaynotevidenceaseverediscrepancy.
REFERENCES: Bloom’s:Remembering
LEARNINGOBJECTIVES:HESC.HARD.17.07.02-ExplainthevariousdefinitionsandclassificationsofLD.
NATIONALSTANDARDS: UnitedStates-CEC.5.0-Beginningspecialeducationprofessionalsselect,adapt,and
usearepertoireofevidence-basedinstructionalstrategiestoadvancelearningof
individualswithexceptionalities.
48.Instructional/academicinterventionsaredifferentforadolescentsthanthoseusedwithyoungerindividuals.Discuss
thekeyconcernsofaneffectiveinstructionalprogramforstudentsenteringadulthood.
ANSWER: Interventionsforindividualswithlearningdisabilitiesduringadolescenceandtheyoung
adultyearsdiffersomewhatthanthoseusedforchildren.Newissuesemergeduringthe
teenyears.Appropriateassistanceforayoungerchildwilltypicallynotworkwithapre-
teenorteen.Adolescentsstillneedtodevelopbasicacademicsurvivalskillsandthey
maylacksocialskills.SchoolinstructionforadolescentswithLDmayinvolveteaching
compensatoryskills,counseling,interpersonalskills,andtransitionservices.
REFERENCES: Bloom’s:Understanding
NATIONALSTANDARDS: UnitedStates-CEC.5.0-Beginningspecialeducationprofessionalsselect,adapt,and
usearepertoireofevidence-basedinstructionalstrategiestoadvancelearningof
individualswithexceptionalities.