Learning disabilities in the United States: advocacy, science, and the future of the field.

This overview offers a perspective on the distinguishing characteristics, past and present, of the LD field in the United States. The discussion focuses on the complex relationships that exist among the social and political forces that have molded the field, advocacy, and research and teaching practices. It emphasizes the compelling need to establish clinical and scientific validation of LD, to preserve the hard-won achievements of advocacy.