Handbook of Learning Disabilities

This definitive handbook is now in an extensively revised third edition, including many all-new chapters and new topics. Foremost experts review the breadth of current knowledge about learning disabilities (LD), from core psychological and neurobiological processes to evidence-based instruction. Chapters describe best practices in identifying and supporting students with difficulties in reading, writing, math, and other content areas. Service delivery models that support differentiated instruction and data-based decision making are examined, and ways to meet the needs of specific populations, including English learners with LD, are explored. Prior edition editors: H. Lee Swanson, Karen R. Harris, and Steve Graham.

New to This Edition

• Reflects a decade of advances in research, policy, and educational practice.
• Most chapters are new or extensively updated.
• Chapters on language development and reading disabilities, LD in English learners, social–emotional learning, comorbidity with LD, dyslexia legislation, cultural and equity issues, the use of technology to support differentiated instruction, state-of-the-art research methods, teacher preparation, integrated multi-tiered systems of support, and other timely topics.

Cynthia M. Okolo, PhD, is Professor Emeritus of Counseling, Educational Psychology, and Special Education at Michigan State University. Her research focuses on technology and literacy for students with mild disabilities, universal design for learning, and history instruction for students with learning challenges. Dr. Okolo is a former special education teacher, and her scholarship is rooted in applied issues related to instruction in inclusive classrooms. She has played a leadership role in numerous state, regional, and national boards and organizations; has directed undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral programs; and has been a frequent contributor to the scholarly literature as an author and editor. Dr. Okolo is a recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Council for Exceptional Children.

Nicole Patton Terry, PhD, is the Olive and Manuel Bordas Professor of Education in the School of Teacher Education and Director of the Florida Center for Reading Research (FCRR) at Florida State University. She is the founding director of The Urban Child Study Center at Georgia State University and The Village at FCRR, two research entities where researchers collaborate with school and community partners to promote student success. Dr. Patton Terry’s work focuses on young learners who are vulnerable to experiencing difficulty with language and literacy achievement in school, in particular, African American children, children growing up in poverty, and children with disabilities. A former special education teacher, she currently serves as president of the Society for the Scientific Study of Reading and is a Fellow of the American Speech–Language–Hearing Association and the American Educational Research Association (AERA). Dr. Patton Terry is the recipient of AERA's 2026 Exemplary Contributions to Practice-Engaged Research Award.

Laurie E. Cutting, PhD, is the Patricia and Rodes Hart Professor of Neuroscience in the Departments of Special Education, Psychology and Human Development, Radiology, Pediatrics, and Electrical and Computer Engineering at Vanderbilt University. She is also Associate Director of the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, a member of the Vanderbilt Brain Institute, and training faculty for Vanderbilt’s Neuroscience PhD program, and was the recipient of the 2017–2018 Joe B. Wyatt Distinguished University Professorship. Dr. Cutting recently completed a 2-year assignment as Associate Provost in the Office of the Vice Provost for Research and Innovation. Her work focuses on brain–behavior relations in children and adolescents, with a particular emphasis on academic and cognitive development.