Learning Disabilities and the New Reductionism

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to respond to Reid and Valle's article “The Discursive Practice of LD: Implications for Instruction and Parent—School Relations” in this issue. Our response to the discursive analysis is organized around two major themes: (a) the issue of balance in the scholarship on learning disabilities (LD) and (b) the centrality of the discourse of general education to the discourse of LD. Following our response to the discursive analysis, we comment on the implications for instruction and parent—school relations drawn by Reid and Valle. Highlighted in this section is the disconnect between the macro-level findings from the discursive analysis and the micro-level orientation of their “sociopolitical vision” for instruction and parent—school relations.

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