The disproportionate identification of learning disabilities among certain sociodemographic subgroups, typically groups that are already disadvantaged, is perceived as a persistent problem within the education system. The academic and social experiences of students who are misidentified with a learning disability may be severely restricted,…

University students who report a history of reading difficulties have been demonstrated to have poorer word reading and reading comprehension skills than their peers; yet, without a diagnosed learning disability, these students do not have access to the same support services, potentially placing them at academic risk. This study provides a…

The longitudinal prediction of reading problems from fourth grade to sixth grade was investigated with a sample of 173 students. Reading problems at the end of sixth grade were defined by significantly below average performance (= 15th percentile) on reading factors defining word reading, fluency, and reading comprehension. Sixth grade poor reader…

The present study evaluated the stability of math learning difficulties over a 2-year period and investigated several factors that might influence this stability (categorical vs. continuous change, liberal vs. conservative cut point, broad vs. specific math assessment); the prediction of math performance over time and by performance level was also…

Emergent literacy skills are predictive of children's early reading success, and literacy achievement in early schooling declines more rapidly for children who are below-average readers. It is therefore important for teachers to identify accurately children at risk for later reading difficulty so children can be exposed to effective emergent…

After explicit spelling instruction, low achieving second grade spellers increased the number of correctly spelled words during composing but differed in response trajectories. Class 1 (low initial and slow growth) had the lowest initial performance and improved at a relatively slow rate. Class 2 (high initial and fast growth) started higher than…

Methodological errors are cited in a study of predictive utility for screening tests designed to identify high risk preschool children. (CL)

Results showed that form errors, which involve some overall changes in the actual shape of the letter itself, correlated reliably with academic performance measures at the end of kindergarten as well as throughout Grade 1 in reading, phonics, language, and math. (Author)

Self-reported reading ability of parents of 174 reading-disabled children and of 182 controls was used to estimate the probability that a child will become reading disabled. Using Bayesian inverse probability analysis, it was found that the risk for reading disability is increased substantially if either parent has had difficulty in learning to…

The usefulness of the Vane Kindergarten Test in the early identification of children with learning problems was tested. (Author/GW)

The English Picture Vocabulary Test and the Croydon Checklist (for teachers) were used for screening along with a standardized reading test to measure the predictive validity of the screening instruments. Results indicated that a number of children were misclassified and reasons for this, such as teachers' misconceptions, are discussed. (PHR)

The validity of the Myklebust Pupil Rating Scale (PRS) in predicting learning disability was investigated in a two-year follow-up study of 55 preschool children. Correlational analysis yielded highly significant results with all correlations between the PRS scores and criterion measures. (SBH)

H. Myklebust's Pupil Rating Scale (PRS) was administered to the first (N=92) and second (N=130) grades of a middle-class suburban elementary school to ascertain its effectiveness for predicting reading and arithmetic difficulties. (Author)

The usefulness of the Myklebust Pupil Rating Scale (PRS) in diagnosing learning disabilities was studied in 516 third- and fourth-grade school children. It was concluded that the PRS is stable across populations and over time, and that no single subscale was sufficient to predict the total score. (PHR)

A sample of 74 Finnish children with mild learning disabilities and 57 controls were grouped into 5 subgroups (normal, general language, visuo-motor, general deficiency, naming) and followed from the third to the sixth grade. Results indicated that neuropsychological profiles were generally maintained, with changes related to progress in reading.…