The Learning Disabilities Association of British Columbia
POLICY: EARLY IDENTIFICATION AND INTERVENTION OF LEARNING DISABILITIES
The following policy statement was presented to the LDABC Executive Committee, the LDABC
Board of Directors, and ratified on January 18, 2011. This document contains a number of
sections including: a) rationale, b) statement, c) Putting Policy into Practice.
A) RATIONALE:
The LDABC’s policy statement is positioned in alignment with government’s broader education
policy directions for early learning initiatives. Consistent with government policy, the LDABC
believes that the early identification and intervention of a child at-risk for learning disabilities
yields the greatest results in terms of the child’s future academic success, their social and
emotional well-being, and contributions to society. It also subsequently lowers demands for less
effective, more costly and lengthier late intervention services, and costs to society in terms of
lost potential.
B) STATEMENT
The Learning Disabilities Association of British Columbia (LDABC) endorses the practice of
developmental screening for the early identification and intervention of children who appear atrisk for learning disabilities in both pre-school and early primary public school.
The LDABC believes that the presence of early risk factors does not conclusively cause a child to
have learning disabilities, but it does indicate a need to monitor and provide for early
intervention needs. Ensuring early intervention is available to young children displaying the
early indicators of LD is consistent with government’s current emphasis on improved early
childhood learning opportunities and the Ministry of Education’s focus on planned, evidencebased intervention.
An environment of reform within both early childhood and the K to 12 public education systems
presents opportunities to consider how the needs of young children who display early indicators
of LD can be addressed in a way that is consistent with government and family priorities and
combines the strengths in these two areas.
LDAC supports the public availability of early identification and intervention service to meet the
needs of children at risk for learning disabilities by:
enhancing the knowledge and awareness of early childhood and early primary
educators, who are well positioned to play an important role at this critical stage, about the
nature, expression and intervention of the early signs of LD;
1.
ensuring that they are supported in this role through linkages with professional expertise
in learning disabilities, government sponsored support and intervention programs, and a
repository of intervention resources;
2.
mandating the use of valid and reliable early screening tools in early childhood public
education programs (pre-school, early primary and public health) to detect young children atrisk for learning disabilities;
3.
clarifying that early intervention services offered through the Ministry for Children and
Family Development are available to families who have a child at-risk for learning disabilities;
4.
providing parents of children at-risk for learning disabilities with information and
support through Ministry of Children and Family Development in recognition of the vital role
they play in nurturing the healthy development of their children; and,
5.
expanding the provincial Framework: "Children and Youth with Special Needs: A
Framework for Action, " for the early identification and intervention of young children at-risk for
school failure. The identification and intervention of learning disabilities should constitute a
fundamental plank of this government policy.
6.
C) PUTTING POLICY INTO PRACTICE:
Appropriate funding and resources should be allotted to expand upon early identification and
intervention initiatives. This demands careful planning and coordination across public
education, community-based government programs, and non-profit sectors. In particular, this
should include the development and dissemination of standards and capacity enhancement.
Improving access to early identification and intervention services for families who have a child
at-risk for learning disabilities recognizes the potential to provide alternatives to costly late
intervention services.
.According to the Human Early Learning Partnership, a child’s readiness and success at school is
influenced by their development in the following competencies:

Physical health and well being

Social competence

Emotional maturity

Language and cognitive (intellectual) development

Communication skills and general knowledge
The LDABC believes that the above competencies must be considered when designing effective
early identification and intervention services. LDABC further believes the above competencies
are best evaluated by employing early childhood screening in two areas: School Readiness and
Child Development.
School readiness screens yield information about the extent to which a child has acquired the
knowledge and skills considered to be important criteria for public school entry. Developmental
screens provide information about a child's performance in broad areas of normal development
and his or her potential to acquire further knowledge and skills. Both kinds of information are
critical towards ensuring children at risk for learning disabilities receive timely and appropriate
intervention.
LDABC recommends the following component of an overall strategy to improve the rate of early
identification and intervention of learning disabilities in pre-school and early primary children:

providing strong preschool programs that provide rich and varied learning opportunities
and that seek to identify and intervene with children who appear at-risk for later learning
problems;

mandating developmental and school-readiness screening in publicly funded pre-school
programs and upon school entry;

providing access to government funded intervention programs that are developmentally
appropriate, family-centered, and culturally and linguistically sensitive to meet the child’s
developmental, behavioural, and pre-academic learning needs;

providing families with access to a range of supports such as helping families to
recognize, understand, and accept the child’s problems; assistance in selecting appropriate
programs that meet the child’s individual needs; access to parent support networks and
programs; and enhancing a family’s capacity to enhance their child’s development in the home.