Comments on "Psychotherapy, classism, and the poor: Conspicuous by their absence" by Laura Smith (see record 2005-11834-002). Smith is to be commended for identifying a critical missing area in applied psychology: the inclusion of people who are poor into training, education, research, and practice. But in advocating for psychology to be…

Malpractice issues are often ignored when social workers use the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (Third Edition). Physical disorders may be overlooked, practitioners may report less severe diagnoses than are indicated because of adverse effects of labeling, or they may increase the severity of diagnoses so clients can qualify…

It is argued that Christensen and others fail in their claim that learning disabilities are merely an excuse invented by schools to explain their instructional failures. Specific instances of error are discussed. A reply by Gerber and Christensen follows this article. (MT)

What makes the surge in learning disabled (LD) children disturbing is that no one clearly understands what LD really means. LD is usually defined in terms of disability, deficiency, and disadvantage--rather than ability, asset, and advantage. Studies now reveal that LD children actually possess positive learning styles and abilities that were…

The author cites potential damages resulting from P.L. 94-142, the Education for All Handicapped Children Act, and its reliance on categories of handicapping conditions. He further notes the possibility of a backlash movement in the country's current conservatism. (CL)

Objections to the traditional categorical model of special education are followed by a summary of administrative factors supporting the tradition. Reasons underlying the persistence of the categorical approach are seen to include misconceptions about the nature of the disability categories. Learning disabilities are cited as an invalid and…

Investigation into research on diagnosis of learning disability indicates that the existence of this "disorder" is questionable. Diagnosing a child as learning disabled benefits mainly the school and the child's teachers. The educational system is thus given a mythical scapegoat for its failure to educate a segment of the school population.…

Outlining a conceptual scheme specifying how peer influences mediate the effects of organizational characteristics of schools on student outcomes, with social psychological theories of interpersonal attraction and influence as the basis for the outline, is the aim of this paper. Selection of peers and influence of peers is outlined. (CE)

Reviews a decade of rehabilitation literature which calls attention to imprecise, stereotypical, and devaluing language that is often used to discuss people with disabilities and offers more appropriate alternatives. Brings attention to these issues because professional counselors sometimes commit these language abuses, and counselors of all…

States that "Generation X" refers to people born in the later 1960s and early 1970s who are young adults by the 1990s. Points out that many college students object to the term. Analyzes the Baby Boomers and Generation Xers in a search for comparisons. Concludes that there are more similarities than were previously thought. (PA)

Argues that political correctness is a politically motivated assault on liberalism and that the left's response indicates a fundamental cultural shift evidenced by the complex dynamics of the politics of identity. The article explains how political correctness began decades ago and why one cannot consider the issue a legitimate debate but rather…

Examines three controversial issues surrounding differentiation between socially maladjusted and seriously emotionally disturbed students: (1) whether treatment methods should differ for two groups; (2) whether socially maladjusted are truly handicapped; and (3) the education of the socially maladjusted. Calls for a continuum of services for the…

This article questions the idea that children diagnosed as "specifically language-impaired" suffer from a defect in a mechanism involved in language learning. An alternative view is offered, that many of these children are limited in language ability just as others are limited in musical, spatial, or kinesthetic abilities. Assessment and…

Changes in labels for people with mental retardation over the years have not significantly impacted on negative attitudes toward this population. Recommended is selection of labels which are unambiguous in meaning, based on research on connotations of various labels, and based on preferences expressed by people with mental retardation and their…

This article uses a short story by Jack London to discuss the classification of individuals with mental retardation and argues that mental retardation and its various definitions are manifestations of the typological thinking that inevitably creates a simplistic and misleading aggregation of people with very diverse needs and characteristics.…