Abstract
This article applies the Renaissance paradigm of "Homo universalis" to a 30-year retrospective of services provided in education settings to children and youth with language disorders. It also proposes directions to take for the future. The Renaissance ideal of "Homo universalis" refers to an individual who acquires learning in a wide variety of subjects or fields to develop his or her potential, not only in all areas of knowledge but also in physical development, social accomplishments, and the arts. This concept is used in this article to consider changes over the past 30 years in (a) the goals of education for children and youth with disabilities, (b) the scope of school-based services for students with language difficulties and disorders, and (c) delivery models utilized for providing services to those students. The article concludes with proposed directions for the future based on lessons learned, promising practices, and projected trends.