The Future of the Field

Abstract

The survey found there was considerable concern about the efficacy of current approaches to providing differential programming and considerable sentiment about the need to expand the focus of intervention and develop preventive programs. A comprehensive appreciation of these concerns and their implications for the future arises from awareness of the field's past and present status. To summarize the situation and offer some thoughts for future directions, we went to Corinne Smith because of the breadth of focus represented in her work. Her paper presents a picture that does homage to those whose pioneer efforts laid the foundation for the field, and she suggests that current practices represent great strides forward in developing intervention approaches. At the same time, she stresses that current interventions do not yield predictable benefits for the individuals served. She concludes that the deficiencies of prevailing strategies will only be corrected through naturalistic research focused on a broad-based approach to the prevention and correction of learning disabilities. To facilitate such research, she sees a need for school personnel to place a higher priority on program development and evaluation and for basic researchers to further identify key individual learner differences of relevance to planning and implementing intervention. Outside the school, she recommends greater emphasis on parent-school partnerships. Throughout the discussion, she enumerates an extensive list of specific activity for the future. Thus, her presentation provides a general indication of the nature and scope of the work that lies ahead. However, given the extensive range of the recommended activity, there remains the task of detailing and justifying a specific agenda and priorities for future work. (We hope to hear from readers regarding their sense of agenda priorities.) All in all, while acknowledging the concerns that must be dealt with, Professor Smith is extremely optimistic about the future of the LD field. How about you?—Howard S. Adelman, PhD, and Linda Taylor, PhD, Guest Editors