Competencies for Professionals in Learning Disabilities

Abstract

Two hundred and sixty-one professionals in learning disabilities rated their proficiency on CLD competency statements in eleven areas. The evaluation included ratings of real competence, i.e., skills used on their jobs, and ideal competence, i.e., skills participants considered important for being able to function at maximum efficiency. The respondents were divided into subgroups based upon nine demographic conditions: Service Model, Teaching Level, Years of Teaching Experience, School Type, Years in Special Education, Degree, Location, Sex, and Age. Results revealed that reading was the most important competency area and that the majority of professionals felt most proficient in reading skills. At the other extreme, competence in cognition and career/vocational education was not viewed as particularly important. Other areas such as mathematics, written language, and oral language were regarded as important, but specific groups of professionals believed they were not fully competent in certain aspects of those areas. Other results suggested that teachers benefit from experience and academic degrees, and that they have little interest in research or professional organizations. Educational diagnosticians and supervisors believed that they had better training than other personnel; itinerant teachers viewed themselves as less competent than others in many areas.