Facing Learning Disabilities in the Adult Years: Understanding Dyslexia, ADHD, Assessment, Intervention, and Research.
Technically, learning-disabled individuals are those who experience difficulty in one or more academic areas despite displaying average or better IQ; 20 percent of all school-aged children in the United States fall into this category. Sternberg (psychology and education, Yale) and Grigorenko (a research scientist at Yale) argue that this criterion is inadequate because it does not differentiate between physiological and external causes. Furthermore, they support flexible teaching methods that address students' individual needs within the classroom and question the wisdom behind encouraging students to train for careers in which their learning disability will cause significant problems. Parents of learning-disabled children will first want a title geared toward negotiating the current system, such as Corinne Smith and Lisa Strick's Learning Disabilities A to Z (LJ 6/1/97), but academic and larger public libraries should also collect this. Broader in scope than Our Labeled Children, Shapiro and Rich's book is a basic primer for those who have become aware in adulthood that they may have a learning disability. The discussion encompasses deficit/ hyperactivity disorder and dyscalculia (difficulty with mathematics) as well as dyslexia. Shapiro and Rich, both experts in special education, describe rather than critique the current system of educational accommodations. Highly recommended as a unique source of information targeted to learning-disabled adults themselves, this belongs in most public libraries.AMary Ann Hughes, Neill P.L., Pullman, WACopyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.