Four independent samples of children were used to study the reliability and validity of the Writing Essential Skill Screener, a measure designed to screen primary grade children at risk for writing difficulties. Among findings was that the measure is comprised of two dimensions, writing and name writing, that the factor structure did not fit the…

The Early Development Index (EDI) is a teacher-completed checklist, intended to be a population-level tool to measure children's readiness for school and to alert communities to potential developmental problems in children. In response to the increasing popularity of the EDI, this paper provides a critical and timely evaluation and identifies the…

The auditory receptive language skills of 40 learning disabled (LD) and 40 non-disabled boys (all 7 - 11 years old) were assessed via computerized versions of subtests of the Goldman-Fristoe-Woodcock Auditory Skills Test Battery. The computerized assessment correctly identified 92.5% of the LD group and 65% of the normal control children. (DB)

Language-disordered (N=30) and linguistically-normal (N=30) first- through third-graders judged the grammatical acceptability of sentences (and attempted to correct those they judged ungrammatical). Results indicated that the judgment task was capable of effectively separating language-disordered and linguistically-normal children at specific age…

Comparison of Test of Early Language Development (TELD) scores of developmentally-delayed three- to six-year-olds (N=85) with other language and cognition measures indicated that TELD scores documented language delays, correlating strongly with other language measures, but failed to accurately classify subjects clinically classified as…

A review of theories and practices of contemporary special education in the Soviet Union focuses on the current state and tendencies in development of basic theoretical concepts, methods of screening, and organizational structure of special education and compares these with American theoretical considerations and practical approaches. (Author/CB)

The degree of correlation of the "concept" subtest of the Developmental Indicators of the Assessment of Learning (DIAL) with the Boehm Test of Basic Concepts (BTBC) was studied with 95 beginning kindergarten children. Both measures were highly correlated, indicating the evaluation of similar abilities. (Author/SEW)

A screening program for the detection of scoliosis was initiated in four Toledo, Ohio area schools. The primary objective of the program was to provide early diagnosis so that bracing might help to avoid surgical treatment later. Recommendations include: (1) yearly examinations; (2) examination of the siblings of afflicted students; and (3) movies…

The purpose of the study was to determine whether, by item analyses, a miniscreening test could be derived from the 23-item Screening Test of Adolescent Language (STAL). The miniscreening test is recommended for large scale screening with students from the 6th through 12th grades. (Author)

The author argues against the medical model of screening children for the early identification of special education needs. He proposes an alternate system which concentrates not on labeling children, but on the improvement of instruction for all, an approach which is exemplified by the reading program in Salford. (SJL)

Asserts that although no instrument has proved sufficiently robust to recommend universal screening, screening instruments for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can play an important role. Discusses the clinical issues raised in screening for a developmental disorder, including risk status, management advice, and availability of services. Asserts…

A study involving 30 Argentineans with autism evaluated the validity of the Autism Diagnostic Inventory-Telephone Screening in Spanish (ADI-TSS). The final version of the ADI-TSS could be assessed in 20 to 40 minutes and demonstrated a high validity, high interrater reliability, and high internal consistency. (Contains references.) (Author/CR)

This study examined developmental characteristics of 82 deaf and hard-of-hearing children identified through the high-risk registry in Colorado either before or after 6 months of age. Children identified early and receiving intervention two to three months after identification had significantly higher levels of receptive and expressive language,…

This study assessed the interrater reliability of a Swedish version of the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS), an instrument for screening and diagnosis of autism. The CARS was used for rating autistic behavior by two investigators in 25 children. Results indicated fair to excellent agreement. Aspects of validity and reliability are discussed.…

Three-year-old children (n=41) with mild learning problems and 41 typical children were given a battery consisting of seven simple cognitive tasks shown to contribute toward the differentiation of children with and without mild learning problems. Picture identification, oppositional concepts, identity discrimination, and semantic…