History+of+Learning+Disabilities

**A Brief History of Learning Disabilities**


 * ====== **__1802__**- Franz Joseph Gall, a German physiologist and anatomist, studied the localization of mental functions in the brain (LD, 2012). ======


 * ====== **__1877__**- “**Word blindness**” was coined by German neurologist Adolf Kussamaul. He described the term as, “Complete text blindness... although the power of sight, the intellect and the powers of speech are intact.” ======


 * ====== **__1887__**- The definition of reading problems was refined; German physician Rudolf Berlin used the term “**dyslexia**” to detail “a very great difficulty in interpreting written or printed symbols.” ======


 * ====== **__1895__**- James Hinshelwood, ophthalmologist, wrote in medical journal- //The Lancet//. His work discusses a case of word blindness, where a 58 year old male woke up one morning to find out that he could no longer read. Hinshelwood also studied word blindness in adolescents, and recognized the necessity for teachers to make an early identification in schooling years. ======


 * ====== **__1896__**- In response to Dr. Hinshelwood’s publication, Dr. W. Pringle Morgan wrote in the //British Medical Journal// discussing a case of 14 year old male who appeared to exhibit symptoms of word blindness from birth. Morgan wrote: “The schoolmaster who has taught him for some years says that he would be the smartest lad in the school if the instruction were entirely oral.” ======


 * ====== **__1905__**- Cleveland ophthalmologist Dr. W. E. Bruner published the first report of childhood difficulties in the United States. ======


 * ====== **__1952__**- The American Psychiatric Association published the first edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, or **DSM-I** (History DSM, 2010). ======


 * ====== **__1963__**- Samuel A. Kirk is the first person to ever use the idiom “**learning disability**.” It was termed on **April 6, 1963** at a Chicago conference that involved the Exploration into Problems of the Perceptually Handicapped Child (LD Report, 2007). Shortly thereafter, the Association of Children with Learning Disabilities was established. ======


 * ====== **__1968__**- The second edition of the Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, or **DSM-II** was published (History DSM, 2010). ======


 * ====== **__1969__**- Congress passed the **Children with Specific Learning Disabilities Act**. This was also included in the Education of the Handicapped Act of 1970 (PL 91-230). This was the first time in history that federal law mandates supported the services which would be provided for students with learning disabilities. ======


 * ====== **__1975__**- The **Education for All Handicapped Children Act** (PL 94-142), was mandated as a free, suitable public education. ======


 * ====== **__1980__**- The third edition of the Diagnostic Statistical Manuel of Mental Disorders, or **DSM-III** was published (History DSM, 2010). ======


 * ====== **__1987__**- The Interagency Committee on Learning Disabilities released a report that called for the establishment of **Centers for the Study of Learning and Attention**. The intentional purpose of these facilities was to expand understanding and research of this issue. ======


 * ====== **__1990__**- The ** Individuals with Disabilities Education Act ** (IDEA) renamed and changed the PL 94-142 law. In the IDEA, the term ‘disability’ would replace ‘handicap,’ and the new regulation would require transition serves for students. Traumatic brain injury and Autism are added to the eligibility registry. ======


 * ====== **__1994__**- The fourth edition of the Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, or **DSM-IV** was published (History DSM, 2010). ======


 * ====== **__1996__**- At the National Institute of Mental Health, Dr. Guinevere and her research team used **functional magnetic resonance imaging** (fMRI). This process allowed a person to look at/measure the activity taking place inside living brains. ======


 * ====== **__1997__**- The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is reauthorized. In the **Individual Education Plan** (IEP) process, ordinary education teachers are now included. Students also gain more access to the general curriculum and are included in state-wide assessments. ADHD was also added to the list of circumstances that can make a child eligible for services. ======


 * ====== **__2000__**- The most updated version of the Diagnostic Statistical Manuel of Mental Disorders, or DSM was published. It is the ‘Text Revision’ of the DSM-IV, also called the **DSM-IV-TR** (History DSM, 2010). ======


 * ====== **__2001__**- Proposed by President George W. Bush, the **No Child Left Behind Act** (NCLB) was passed by Congress (LD, 2012). ======


 * ====== **__2004__**- IDEA is reauthorized again. School employees have more authority in special education placement decisions. The new law is more aligned with the NCLB Act. ======


 * ====== **__2005__**- Yale University’s, Dr. Jeffrey Gruen and his research team indentified a **gene** that held variations and patterns strongly associated with dyslexia. ======

Timeline Dates (LD OnLine, 2006)