Learning Disabilities Definitions Used by State Education Departments

This article features the results of a survey of the 50 State Departments of Education regarding their definitions of learning disabilities, identification criteria, and operationalization procedures. A conceptual framework consisting of 10 components is presented for analyzing the data in terms of definition and identification criteria. Results show a significant impact of the 1977 federal definition and criteria while revealing variations in state definitions and criteria. To determine current trends the data are compared with those from a similar survey conducted in 1976. Survey findings are discussed in terms of trends, heterogeneity of LD, and the NJCLD definition.