A project that sought to describe current policies and practices for the recognition, identification, assessment, and provision for the needs of Scottish children with specific learning difficulties associated with literacy is described. Other aims were: to identify criteria used to judge the effectiveness of different approaches; to report on how policies and practices perform in relation to those criteria and to present this information in a way that informs and advises decision makers on how to deal with these problems. The perspectives of policymakers, consumers, practitioners, teacher educators, and others were acquired through interviews and questionnaire surveys. Chapters of the report address: (1) regional provision for identification and meeting of student needs; (2) Scottish Examination Board arrangements; (3) preparation of beginning teachers for work with students with learning problems and ways in which experienced teachers enlarge their knowledge; (4) learning support teachers' views of meeting children's needs; (5) parents' perspectives; (6) the role of voluntary organizations; (7) illustrations of provision and practice; and (8) provision for specific learning difficulties within the health service. The report distinguishes among three ways of looking at specific learning difficulties: the discrete group view; the part of the continuum of learning difficulties view; and the anticategorization view. Six areas of conflict are identified, namely, policy differences, economic factors, disagreements among different stakeholder groups, recognition of learning difficulties, what constitutes effective provision, and emotional conflicts. Appendixes contain a literature survey, interview questions, questionnaires, and summaries of policy documents. (Contains 47 references.) (JDD)