Stanford Achievement Test scores of 1,434 elementary-level students already placed in either regular or special education programs were arranged according to four cutoff points: 20th, 15th, 10th, and 5th percentiles. This identification method, setting the cutoff at the 5 percent level, is proposed as a preliminary screening device for special…

The Learning Disability Index (LDI) was validated by an examination for mean profiles and demographic characteristics of high and low LDI subsets of the standardization sample of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised. The LDI continuum was found to measure Third Factor strengths/weaknesses as much as verbal-performance…

The author discusses the state of the art in assessment of African American children with possible handicaps. He asserts that changes must be made regarding the goal of assessment, the role of the assessors, the process of assessment, the criterion for validity, and the preparation of assessors. He further suggests that the problem with testing is…

This study explored whether standard administration and scoring of conventional articulation tests accurately identified 20 children (ages 5-9) as phonologically disordered and whether test data established severity levels and programing needs. Tests correctly identified the phonological disorders but failed to reliably differentiate severity…

This study examined the ability of a newly developed computerized visual vigilance measure, the Preschool Vigilance Task (PVT), to differentiate between 20 hyperactive and 20 control preschoolers. The PVT was developed to minimize cognitive requirements in a vigilance measure. The study compared performance of the subjects on the PVT and the…

The Wechsler Individual Achievement Test assesses achievement in students in grades K-12, with subtests in reading, mathematics reasoning, spelling, reading comprehension, numerical operations, listening comprehension, oral expression, and written expression. The test was developed to assist in identification of students with learning…

This critical evaluation of the Slosson Intelligence Test (SIT) determined that the test items are 30 years old, scores are derived from a nonrepresentative norm group, and scores are not interchangeable with other intelligence measures. The paper concludes that the SIT is unsuited for educational decision-making purposes, including screening,…

Presented are a rationale for identifying hearing loss in infancy and a history of screening procedures. The Crib-O-Gram and auditory brainstem response (ABR) tests are evaluated for reliability, validity, and cost-effectiveness. The ABR is recommended, and fully automated ABR instrumentation, which lowers expenses for trained personnel and…

Thirty-six children, aged four-five, completed four vocabulary measures: Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised, Picture Vocabulary subtest of the Test of Oral Language Development, Expressive One-Word Picture Vocabulary Test, and Receptive One-Word Picture Vocabulary Test. Only moderate correlations were found among these tests, implying that a…

The study examined issues surrounding the conjoint diagnosis of learning disability (LD) and emotional disorder (ED) using a sample of 30 children (ages 6-12) drawn from referrals to a hospital-based outpatient treatment center. The sample was evaluated for LD using selected learning-based measures. Two separate scales were used to classify…