Minimum Standards for the Description of Participants in Learning Disabilities Research

In 1984, the research committee of the council for learning disabilities (CLD) noted that the available descriptions of individuals with LD in research reports were vague and inconsistent. Recognizing that such descriptions made it difficult to evaluate research findings, the committee recommended that specific guidelines for participant descriptions be followed in reports on research involving individuals with LD. Eight years after this call for greater uniformity, vague participant descriptors remain a matter of great concern. What follows is a report on this issue from the current cld research committee. Updated guidelines for the description of participants are provided for both small-sample and large-group research activities. Also, suggestions for promoting compliance with the minimum standards are forwarded. Rather than being viewed as a fixed, immutable product, the current attempt at identifying the minimum standards for the description of participants should be viewed merely as one step in an ongoing process. Clearly, as our multidisciplinary field continues to learn more about LD, additional information about participants may be deemed necessary. With this in mind, the cld research committee welcomes your comments on the present set of guidelines and invites your suggestions for future iterations of this document.