|
 By Dr. Sheldon H. Horowitz
Director of Professional Services, NCLD
The National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities: An Important Resource
Let's call a meeting! We can brainstorm ideas, achieve consensus, and share what we've decided so others can benefit from our wisdom and respond in ways that build trust, ensure cooperation, and benefit everyone in our extended communities. Sounds easy, right? In reality, the process of achieving consensus is more often than not a long and difficult process. Each person at the table, whether they are offering their own personal perspective or speaking as a representative of a group or organization, must strive to achieve and maintain a balance between their needs and aspirations and those of others who feel equally passionate about the issue at hand. And when learning disabilities (LD) is the topic being discussed, you can bet that those who care most about this population are going to be outspoken advocates for their perspectives, protective of hard-fought battles to ensure access to services and support, and appreciative of the opportunity to participate in the decision-making and consensus-building process that can shape the future of the field of LD. That's precisely what the NJCLD is all about.
An Important Resource
The National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities (NJCLD) was founded in 1975 and is composed of representatives of organizations (including NCLD) who are committed to the education and welfare of individuals with learning disabilities. The NJCLD provides an interdisciplinary forum to review issues for educational and governmental agencies, prepares and disseminates statements about key topics, and clarifies important issues in the area of learning disabilities. Over 350,000 individuals constitute the membership of the organizations represented by the NJCLD.
How the NJCLD Works
The NJCLD meets twice a year to consider and discuss contemporary issues in learning disabilities, and to develop and disseminate reports and statements related to these issues. The major purposes of the NJCLD are:
- To facilitate communication and cooperation among the member organizations.
- To provide an interdisciplinary forum for the review of issues for educational and governmental agencies, and act as a resource committee for those agencies and other interested groups.
- To provide a response to national issues in the area of learning disabilities as the need arises.
- To seek agreement on major issues/problems pertinent to the area of learning disabilities.
- To prepare and disseminate statements to various publics so as to clarify issues in the area of learning disabilities.
- To identify research and service delivery needs in learning disabilities.
The procedures followed when writing statements and position papers provide opportunities for member organizations to speak openly, gather and exchange ideas, deliberate over controversial issues, and modify and revise draft documents until they are acceptable to all the organizations. Members of the NJCLD frequently lead discussions and present consensus documents at national conferences, and the papers generated are of significant value to program and policy decision-makers at the local, state and federal levels.
Member Organizations
Current member organizations of NJCLD are:
Reports and Statements Published by the NJCLD
The following NJCLD resources are available both at LDOnline and on most of the member organizations Websites.
- The Documentation Disconnect for Students with Learning Disabilities: Improving Access to Postsecondary Disability Services (2007) (56K PDF)
The purpose of this report is to outline the issues affecting documentation for postsecondary disability services and to suggest ways to bridge the gap between secondary and postsecondary settings.
- Transition to School and Work: A blueprint for your child's success after high school (226K PDF)
This brochure on transition planning is a helpful resource for parents.
- Learning Disabilities and Young Children: Identification and Intervention (October 2006)
This paper addresses early identification, services, supports, and intervention for young children, birth through 4 years, who demonstrate delays in development that may place them at risk for later identification as having a learning disability.
- Responsiveness to Intervention and Learning Disabilities (2005) (PDF)
This report examines the concepts, potential benefits, practical issues, and unanswered questions associated with Responsiveness to Intervention (RTI) and learning disabilities (LD).
- Transition to School and Work: A blueprint for your child's success after high school (2004)
This brochure on transition planning can serve as another helpful resource for parents.
- State and District-Wide Assessments and Students with Learning Disabilities: A Guide for States and School Districts (2004)
This report highlights issues and offers guidance on sound implementation of state and district-wide assessments to ensure equal access by students with learning disabilities.
- Professional Development for Teachers (1999)
This report outlines professional development as an ongoing process of continuous improvement.
- Learning Disabilities: Issues in Higher Education (Jan. 1999)
This report provides recommendations related to institutional missions, policies, and accommodations for students with learning disabilities in higher education.
- Learning Disabilities: Use of Paraprofessionals (Feb. 1998)
This report provides a framework for developing rules and guidelines for the use of paraprofessionals, including appropriate roles of the paraprofessional, training, and supervision.
- NJCLD Press Release (March 1998)
In this press release, the committee expresses its concerns on the issues of "social promotion" and grade retention.
- Learning Disabilities: Preservice Preparation of General and Special Education Teachers (Feb. 1997)
This report identifies the core competencies that the NJCLD believes are essential for both general and special educators who work with children with learning disabilities.
- Operationalizing the NJCLD Definition of Learning Disabilities for Ongoing Assessment in Schools (Feb. 1997)
This article highlights five constructs underlying the NJCLD definition of learning disabilities and recommends operational procedures for ongoing assessment and interventions for children in preschool and secondary school.
- Secondary to Postsecondary Education Transition Planning for Students with Learning Disabilities (Jan. 1994)
This article addresses the rationale for the transition planning process as it applies to the education of students with learning disabilities, specifically the progression from secondary to postsecondary education.
- A Reaction to Full Inclusion: A Reaffirmation of the Right of Students with Learning Disabilities to a Continuum of Services (Jan. 1993)
This article defines NJCLD's position on inclusion.
- Learning Disabilities and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) (Sept. 1992)
This position paper provides information that will assist entities covered by the ADA to achieve voluntary compliance with the requirements of ADA as related to individuals with learning disabilities.
- School Reform: Opportunities for Excellence and Equity for Individuals with Learning Disabilities-- A Special Report (June 1991)
This article's purpose is to stimulate thought and discussion about reform initiative and positive action on behalf of individuals with learning disabilities. It also defines eight components that must be considered when addressing issues of school reform and developing strategies to improve education.
- Providing Appropriate Education for Students with Learning Disabilities in Regular Education Classrooms (June 1990)
This report identifies factors that are necessary for an effective educational program for students with learning disabilities, problems related to serving students with learning disabilities in the regular classroom and recommendations for actions required at the state, school district, and school building level to effectively educate students with learning disabilities within the regular classroom.
- Learning Disabilities: Issues on Definition (Revised Jan. 1990)
This article addresses problems resulting from the Federal definition of learning disabilities.
- The Need for Subject Descriptors in Learning Disabilities Research: Preschool Through High School Years (Sept. 1989)
This position paper provides a set of descriptors the NJCLD believes are necessary to describe subjects in studies of learning disabilities.
- Issues in Learning Disabilities: Assessment and Diagnosis (Sept. 1987)
This article emphasizes the importance of integrating the assessment, diagnosis, and procedure that lead to a diagnosis of a learning disability and eligibility for services.
- Adults with Learning Disabilities: A Call to Action (Feb. 1985)
This paper identifies issues related to learning disabilities as manifested in adults and proposes ways for exploring and resolving the problems they encounter.
- Learning Disabilities: Issues in the Preparation of Professional Personnel (Sept. 1982)
This position paper gives recommendations to professionals who provide services to individuals with learning disabilities and their families.
- Issues in the Delivery of Services to Individuals with Learning Disabilities (Feb. 1982)
This article provides information about services for individuals with learning disabilities based on reviews of model service delivery programs.
- Inservice Programs in Learning Disabilities (Sept. 1981)
This report highlights information pertaining to the design and implementation of in-service programs for professionals who provide services to individuals with learning disabilities.
NJCLD Position Statements and White Papers Currently in Development
- Literacy for Students with Learning Disabilities in Grades 4 and Beyond
The purpose of this paper is to advocate for effective instruction of students with learning disabilities in the 4th grade and above who struggle with the acquisition of literacy skills. Over the last decade, the emphasis has been on the early acquisition of literacy skills in the primary grades. Literacy development in older children and adolescents is equally important. These students must be accurately defined and receive explicit instruction in basic reading and writing skills as well as the application of these skills at increasing levels of complexity.
- Validating Learning Disabilities: Conceptual Issues, Challenges, and Implications
A number of forces have converged in recent years to call into question the validity of the LD construct. The purposes of this paper are to: (a) identify these forces and the resulting contentions that have been voiced regarding the five core elements of the construct of LD (unexpected underachievement, intrinsic processing disorders, relevance of IQ, intra-individual differences, and exclusionary criteria); (b) discuss the essential shared understandings we hold regarding the nature of disability and the nature of learning, because these understandings have a direct bearing on how we define the construct of LD and how we operationalized that definition for purposes of assessment, evaluation, identification, placement, and service; and (c) propose recommendations for practitioners, researchers, and policymakers about how to deal with the contentions that exist.
Additional Resources
Visit NCLD’s LDInfoZone for more information on the National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities (NJCLD).
Research Roundup Archive
Any comments or feedback you would like to share about this column or other LD.org information would be greatly appreciated! Please address your e-mail to
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
. This email address is being protected from spam bots; you need Javascript enabled to view it and be sure to include a topic or key words in the subject line.
Did you enjoy this article? Would you like to help support NCLD programs? Click here to become a FRIEND of NCLD today.
|
