Although most children master the skills of reading and writing in the early years of primary education, not all of them successfully learn these skills and some of them have Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD). These skills determine future progress and academic success of students as they are considered the basic and fundamental skills for further learning. SLD are some of the most common developmental disorders in compulsory education. Although the prevalence rate of SLD is difficult to estimate and may vary from one country to another (Florian, et al., 2006), it is argued that the prevalence ranges from 5% to 17.5%, mainly in reading disabilities (Katusic, Colligan, Barbares, Schaid, & Jacobsen, 2001).

The SLD term refers to a heterogeneous group of disorders characterized by difficulties in the acquisition and use of the skills of listening, speaking, reading, writing, reasoning or calculation. They are neurobiological disorders, intrinsic to the individual and occur throughout the entire life-cycle (NJCLD, 1994).

Currently there is consensus that reading and writing are complex cognitive activities in which multiple cognitive and linguistic processes are involved (Cuetos, 2008; Cuetos, 2010). In fact, several studies (Stanovich, 1986; Vellutino, & Scanlon, 1987; Vellutino, Fletcher, Snowling, & Scanlon, 2004; Jiménez et al., 2005) suggest that the specific difficulties in reading and writing are mainly produced by the existence of a deficit in phonological processing that occurs unexpectedly as other cognitive skills develop properly. Additionally, there are extrinsic factors (i.e., cultural differences, inadequate education, etc.) or special conditions (sensory difficulties, mental retardation, etc.) that explain this difficulty.

Major advances that have been derived from research in the field of SLD allow the conceptualization, identification and provide quicker and more effective intervention, so it is viewed as key to the success of SLD school-aged students (Torgesen et al., 1999). In this process of identification and intervention, the teacher's role is crucial. Teachers are the ones who better know their students, the ones who have more opportunities to identify risk symptoms of a possible SLD and, therefore, they can establish preventive measures in the classroom. It was found that when teachers have knowledge about the origin and understand the nature and symptoms of the SLD, he/she is able to identify and intervene at an early stage through measures supported in empirical research (Washburn, Malatesha, & Binks, 2011). However, teachers do not always have the needed knowledge to properly identify and intervene with these students (Hudson, High, & Al Otaiba, 2007). This lack of knowledge has been regarded as one of the major obstacles to implement effective intervention measures with these students (Moats, 2009; Washburn, Malatesha, &  Binks, 2011).

It is important that teachers not only dominate methodological and curricular strategies adapted to the diversity of the classroom, but also meet specific activities and intervention procedures that respond to the needs of students with SLD. Therefore, an approach based on the child's response to an intervention based on scientific research is recommended (RTI, Response to Intervention) (Jiménez et al., 2010).

Few studies have focused on analyzing if teachers rely on knowledge from research to identify and intervene in children with SLD. For this reason, this study was designed with a dual purpose. First, analyze knowledge, misconceptions and gaps of knowledge of primary school teachers about SLD in reading and writing. The second objective was to analyze the perceptions of primary school teachers in relation to the adequacy, effectiveness and feasibility of proposed interventions to be implemented in the classroom with students with reading and writing SLD.

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