Researching adults with learning disabilities from an adult-development perspective

As the field of learning disabilities begins to discover the manifold issues of adulthood, there is a need for a framework for studying adults with learning disabilities. Currently, the research on adults focuses primarily on service delivery systems. If a life-span developmental perspective is utilized as a conceptual approach in future research, then the knowledge gained will be more meaningful. Considerations for incorporating such essential concepts as mediating variables, context, and age-span phases into research on adults with learning disabilities are discussed.