Recently, in the area of learning disabilities, a subarea of special
educa- tion, an interesting development has become discernible. This
develop- ment centers on the increasing focus of learning disabilities
professionals on theory building and empirical research, and it is
reflected in the spate of books currently being published. With their
clear emphasis on con- ceptual and methodological issues along with
directions for future re- search, these newly published books differ
essentially from the bulk of learning disabilities textbooks. They
include S. Vaughn and C. Bos (Eds. ), Research in Learning Disabilities:
Issues and Future Directions, published in 1987 by College-Hill; T. E.
Scruggs and B. Y. L. Wong (Eds. ), Intervention Research in Learning
Disabilities, published in 1990 by Springer-Verlag; and L. Swanson (Ed.
), Learning Disabilities: Theore- tical and Research Issues, published
in 1991 by Lawrence Erlbaum Asso- ciates. As reflected in these three
books, the discipline began with a service orientation and has evolved
beyond that to come of age with aspirations of becoming a scientific
discipline. These books can be taken to voice the concerted efforts, of
learning disabilities professionals to promote theory building and
empirical research. Undeniably these books provide valuable information
on conceptual issues and research in learning disabilities.
Nevertheless, they appear to have one drawback, namely, they focus
exclusively on learning disabilities research in North America.