SAGE Journal Articles

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SAGE Journal User Guide

Article 1:  O'Donnell, P.S. & Miller, D.N. (2011). Identifying Students With Specific Learning Disabilities: School Psychologists’ Acceptability of the Discrepancy Model Versus Response to Intervention. Journal of Disability Policy Studies, 22(2). 83–94. DOI: 10.1177/1044207310395724

[This article discusses the evolving literature-base and practice implications for identifying students with learning disabilities. A recent change includes the criterion of responsiveness to intervention (RTI) and the implications for the practice of school psychologists, as well as both general and special education teachers, is the primary focus.]

Questions to Consider:

  1. Describe Response to Intervention (RTI) and some of the assumptions necessary when applying RTI principles to the assessment for learning disabilities.
  2. Discuss some of the concerns raised by the author in regards to the exclusive use of an RTI approach for a learning disabilities identification process.
  3. Describe how the change to DSM-5 criteria for LD identification, that now includes the consideration of RTI, impacts the practice of both clinicians (non-school-based) and school-based professionals.

 

Article 2: Cavendish, W. (2013). Identification of Learning Disabilities: Implications of Proposed DSM-5 Criteria for School-Based Assessment. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 46(1), 52–57. DOI: 10.1177/0022219412464352

[Using a national sample of practicing school psychologists, this study evaluated the levels of acceptability for the IQ-achievement (IQ-A) discrepancy model and the Response to Intervention (RTI) model as part of the identification process for students with specific learning disabilities.]

Questions to Consider:

  1. Discuss the concept of treatment acceptability and how this research has been used in the past for examining the acceptability of various assessment measures.
  2. Describe the results of this study in regards to the research question “Do school psychologists’ levels of acceptability for the separate models vary by demographic characteristics?”
  3. Based on the results of this study, discuss one key policy implication for school psychological practice raised by the author.