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NASP Home > Publications/Store > School Psychology Forum > Volume 1 - Implementing IDEA: Abstract

Implementing IDEA 2004 With a Three-Tier Model That Includes Response to Intervention and Cognitive Assessment Methods

James B. Hale
Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine

Abstract: Reauthorized by the U.S. Congress in 2004, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act will require ongoing regulatory efforts to determine its operationalization and implementation. School psychologists and other educational professionals are particularly concerned about the guidelines for identification of children with specific learning disabilities (SLD). Although some practitioners may continue to use the ability-achievement discrepancy approach, the response-to-intervention (RTI) approach can now be used to identify children with SLD. Although RTI methods should be encouraged and adopted, a multitiered approach that combines RTI with cognitive assessment should be used to serve all children with learning difficulties. In this best practices model, RTI should be adopted early to ameliorate learning problems, but if interventions efforts are unsuccessful, a comprehensive evaluation of cognitive processes should be undertaken to ensure that a child meets the SLD definition and eligibility criteria before classification occurs and individualized intervention begins. Neither the traditional discrepancy nor RTI approach is sufficient for SLD identification, as the SLD definition requires determination of whether a child has a deficit in the basic psychological processes in the presence of cognitive integrities, which adversely affects academic achievement. Only comprehensive evaluation of cognitive and neuropsychological processes can provide the necessary data for practitioners to make this determination. This methodology combines the best of RTI and cognitive assessment practices to not only ensure SLD diagnostic accuracy but also to optimize educational outcomes for children with SLD.

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