ABSTRACT
Fletcher and his distinguished colleagues, Lyon, Barnes, Stuebing, Francis, Olson, Shaywitz, & Shaywitz, have authored a complicated paper and an exhaustive argument for a new classification of children with learning disabilities (LD). It would be difficult to critique the research base on which their proposal is developed, for their evidence is cited from very noted researchers in the LD field. Instead, this response to their paper identifies field-based and legal issues such as entitlement, heterogeneity, terminology, field application, and teacher shortage as they relate to a potential change in LD classification. As difficult as it is to develop a conceptual model and reach consensus with research peers, it is even more challenging to uniformly apply both a new definition and the eligibility criteria essential to the implementation of a law or rule. LD is unusual in that it is the only categorical disability with a federal definition, specific criteria, and requirements for report writing.
