The Encyclopedia of Learning Disabilities (Facts on File Library of Health and Living) - Hardcover

Carol Ann Turkington; Joseph R. Harris

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0816040753 ISBN 13: 9780816040759

Publisher: Checkmark Books, 2002

Synopsis

Book by Turkington, Carol, Harris, Joseph R., Ph.D.

About this title

About the Author:

CAROL TURKINGTON is a health and psychology writer. Among her more than twenty-five books are 12 Steps to a Better Memory, The Encyclopedia of Memory and Memory Disorders, and The Brain Encyclopedia. A former newspaper writer and editor, she spent three years as a medical writer/editor at Duke University Medical Center and five years as senior writer in clinical psychology for the American Psychological Association in Washington, D.C.

From Booklist:

Dr. Sam Kirk coined the term learning disabilities in 1963. One in five children in the U.S. struggles with a learning disability, defined by law as "a severe discrepancy between potential and achievement." This book does a nice job of pulling together the terms and concepts related to a growing area of concern for parents and educators--what is a learning disability and what is not?

More than 600 alphabetically arranged entries cover conditions, means of identification, treatments, legal issues, and individuals who have made a contribution to research in the field. Examples include Acalculia (also known as anarithmia), the inability to do simple mathematics; Angelman syndrome, a childhood disorder characterized by hyperactivity; Cylert (pemoline), a drug sometimes used to treat ADHD (attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder); and Zone of proximal development (ZPD), the gap between the level of a student's independent function and how he or she may perform learning tasks with help. Entries are complete and informative, and the language is easy to understand. Appendixes include a list of national organizations that deal with various learning disorders along with descriptions, contact information, and Web sites; sources of government information and assistance; assistive technology resources; hot lines; commercial technology resources; bulletin boards and discussion groups; and books of interest to people with learning disabilities. There are also a short glossary of terms and an up-to-date bibliography.

Overall, coverage is excellent, and there seems to be little else available that is as current, complete, and easy to use. Recommended for public and academic libraries. RBB
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About this edition

• Publisher: Checkmark Books
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0816040753
• ISBN 13: 9780816040759
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 304