Includes bibliographical references (pages 246-272) and index.

1. The Brain and Learning -- Some Exterior Parts of the Brain -- Lobes of the Brain -- Motor Cortex and Somatosensory Cortex -- Cerebellum -- Some Interior Parts of the Brain -- Brainstem -- Limbic System -- Cerebrum -- Brain Cells -- Learning and Retention -- A Look at Memory Systems -- Implications for Students With Learning Disabilities -- Rehearsal -- Learning Motor Skills -- How Different Are the Brains of Today's Students? -- The Search for Novelty -- Have Schools Changed to Deal With This Different Brain? -- Difficulties With Sleep -- Sleep Deprivation -- Effects on Memory -- Sleep Disorders -- 2. When Learning Difficulties Arise -- Research Examines Learning Difficulties -- Possible Causes of Learning Difficulties -- Gender Differences -- What Forms of Instruction Are Most Effective? -- Misconceptions About Learning Difficulties -- Gifted Children With Learning Difficulties -- Response to Intervention -- Key Elements of Response to Intervention -- Helping Students Become Strategic Learners -- What Is Learning? -- Learning Difficulties of Students -- What Are Learning Strategies? -- How Important Is Self-Esteem? -- Strategies to Consider -- 3. Attention Disorders -- Research Findings -- What Is Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)? -- What Causes ADHD? -- Is ADHD Inherited? -- Other Possible Causes -- Is ADHD on the Increase? -- Is It Possible to Have ADHD-like Behavior and Not Have ADHD? -- The Future of ADHD Research and Treatment -- What Educators Need to Consider -- Strategies to Consider -- 4. Speech Difficulties -- Learning Spoken Language -- Is Language Prewired in the Brain? -- Speech and Language Patterns by Age -- Putting the Language Components Together -- Problems in Learning Spoken Language -- Speech and Language Problems With Children and Adolescents -- Language Deficits and Learning a Second Language -- The Future of Speech-Language Disorders Research -- What Educators Need to Consider -- Strategies to Consider -- 5. Reading Disabilities -- Learning to Read -- Is Reading a Natural Ability? -- Spoken Language and Reading -- Three Phases of Learning to Read -- Decoding and Comprehension -- Difficulties in Learning to Read -- Social and Cultural Causes of Reading Problems -- Physical Causes of Reading Problems -- Is Dyslexia Present in Readers of Other Languages? -- Detecting Reading Problems -- Spoken Language Difficulties -- Early Indicators of Reading Problems -- What Educators Need to Consider -- Remember the Strengths of Struggling Readers -- What Teachers Should Know About Teaching Reading -- What Beginning Readers Need to Learn -- Some Effective Reading Intervention Programs -- Assistive Technology for Students With Dyslexia -- Dyslexia May Impart Other Cognitive Strengths -- Strategies to Consider -- 6. Writing Disabilities -- Is This Chapter Even Relevant? -- Learning to Write -- Difficulties in Writing -- Environmental Causes -- Neurological Causes -- Dysgraphia -- What Educators Need to Consider -- Characteristics of Good Writing -- Helping Students With Dysgraphia -- Strategies to Consider -- 7. Mathematical Disabilities -- Learning to Calculate -- Numerical Reasoning and Language -- Gender Differences in Mathematics -- Difficulties in Mathematics -- Dyscalculia -- The Future of Research in Mathematics Disorders -- What Educators Need to Consider -- Determining the Source of the Problem -- Diagnostic Tools for Assessing Learning Difficulties in Mathematics -- Other Considerations -- Strategies to Consider -- 8. Emotional and Behavioral Disorders -- Emotions, Behavior, and Learning -- Pathways of Emotional Signals -- Different Brain Areas for Different Emotions -- First Survival and Emotions, Then the Textbook -- Emotional and Behavioral Disorders -- Anxiety Disorders -- Depressive Disorders -- Other Emotional and Behavioral Disorders -- Impact of Childhood Abuse -- The Future of Research in Emotional and Behavioral Disorders -- What Educators Need to Consider -- Bullying -- School-Wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (SWPBIS) -- Strategies to Consider -- 9. Autism Spectrum Disorder -- Multiple Conditions on One Spectrum -- What Is Autism Spectrum Disorder? -- The Future of Research on Autism Spectrum Disorders -- What Educators Need to Consider -- Strategies to Consider -- 10. Putting It All Together -- Helping Students With Learning Difficulties -- Identifying Students With Learning Difficulties -- Accommodating Students With Learning Difficulties -- Motivating Students With Learning Difficulties -- Communicating With Parents -- Future Trends in Special Education.