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Handbook of Learning Disabilities.

Article Excerpt
EDITED BY H. LEE SWANSON, KAREN HARRIS, AND STEVE GRAHAM

Lee Swanson, Karen Harris, and Steve Graham have masterfully accomplished a task of Herculean proportions. The recent Handbook of Learning Disabilities (LD) is an edited compendium comprised of contributions from over 55 of the leading scholars involved in LD research. Contributing authors were charged with reviewing the major theoretical, methodological, and instructional advances that have occurred in our field over the last 20 years. Most would agree that to be of maximum utility, the content in these areas would have to be organized in a framework that allows for reasonable accessibility. In this important respect, the editors have succeeded. The chapters in the text are neatly organized into five logically sequenced areas: Foundations and Current Perspectives, Causes and Behavioral Manifestations, Effective Instruction, Formation of Instructional Models, and Methodology.

There is something for everyone in this effort. Several of the chapter topics (e.g., genetic influences on reading and writing disabilities, self-concept, memory difficulties) are purposefully narrow and provide depth for those who wish to explore specific issues. Other chapters' topics (e.g., basic cognitive processes and reading disabilities) tend to be broad and more expansive. Finally, there is a series of topics that can best be viewed as foundational (e.g., history of the field, service delivery, law), in that they provide the reader with an integrative summary, or deep background, on prevailing issues in the field. In total, the volume represents the major aspects of the LD field, more information that any single professional may need at any one time. However, the knowledge contained in the text will serve readers well as they seek information over time and across projects, and as they encounter challenging situations. As it is impossible to adequately review the individual contributions...