Learning Disabilities in Reading and Writing: Current Issues in Assessment and Intervention
A special issue of Behavioral Sciences (ISSN 2076-328X). This special issue belongs to the section "Child and Adolescent Psychiatry".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 February 2026 | Viewed by 3902
Special Issue Editor
Interests: learning disabilities in reading and writing; the psychoeducational assessment and intervention of reading and writing difficulties; psychosocial adjustment in school settings; the differentiated instruction and inclusive education of students with LD
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Learning disabilities represent a spectrum of disorders, with the most prominent being reading and writing disabilities. Over the years, a considerable research base has emerged on the identification and treatment of LDs, providing a greater understanding of the cognitive, neurobiological, and environmental factors related to these disorders. In addition, researchers have made significant progress in identifying predictive indicators for tracking students at risk for LD. Different types of reading and writing disabilities have been recognized based on uneven patterns of strengths and weaknesses in cognitive profiles to explain difficulties in achievement across various academic domains. Moreover, students with LDs often have poorer emotional adjustment and school functioning, usually exhibiting behavioral problems and adaptation difficulties through their lifespan.
The relationship of emotional adjustment and school functioning with cognitive functioning and learning disabilities has not yet been sufficiently specified. In addition, the co-occurrence of LDs with other neurological and psychosocial disabilities (e.g., ADHD, developmental language disorder) indicates that approaches to making an assessment should be broad and comprehensive, including both inclusionary and exclusionary diagnostic criteria. In the future, it is likely that other indicators—neurobiological, genetic, or behavioral—will be included in order to improve identification accuracy.
Additionally, research has shown that effective intervention for learning disabilities should address the multifaceted nature and comorbidity of LDs and provide more holistic and multidisciplinary interventions (e.g., educational, psychological, occupational therapy, pharmacological, parent counselling, etc.) than skill training in reading and writing. It includes both individual targeted and direct instruction, as well as classroom interventions through differentiated instructions based on the response to intervention (RTI) model.
This Special Issue aims to broaden scientific knowledge in the field of learning disabilities in reading and writing, particularly pertaining to their diagnosis and intervention based on up-to-date approaches and multiple theoretical perspectives. We welcome international original research reviews and empirical studies using quantitative and qualitative methodologies, which address issues related to innovative approaches in the assessment and diagnoses of LDs in reading and/or writing and evidence-based individualized and classroom interventions with LD students of all levels of education.
Dr. Diamanto N. Filippatou
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- reading learning disabilities
- writing learning disabilities
- predictive indicators for LD
- cognitive, neurobiological and psychological assessment of LD
- subtypes of LD in reading and writing
- psychoemotional school adjustment and LD in reading and writing
- individualized psychoeducational intervention
- classroom intervention and differentiated instruction
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