Reviews the language basis of reading disabilities and provides a checklist of language deficits frequently associated with reading disabilities. Areas assessed include: word retrieval, verbal memory, speech production, comprehension, expressive language, and speech sound awareness. The checklist is designed for early identification of reading…

The average age at which profoundly hearing-impaired children are identified in the United States and in Israel is compared. Israel's hearing screening programs for assessing infants are described, their effectiveness is noted, and suggestions are made for possible applications in the United States. (Author/JDD)

The paper describes methods of identifying giftedness, instruments for assessing creativity, and the need for a single measure of many different kinds of talent. Development of the Khatena-Morse Multitalent Perception Inventory, which identifies talent in the areas of art, music, leadership, and creativity, is discussed. (JDD)

Expands the Cross model of psychological Nigrescence to hypothesize the changes in racial identity that a Black person can experience at various points in the life cycle. Describes how various stages of racial identity are manifest at three periods of life: late adolescence/early adulthood, middle adulthood, and late adulthood. (Author/TE)

The paper compares characteristics of underachievers with characteristics of learning-disabled gifted children; describes results of clinical assessments of learning-disabled gifted children; offers guidelines for identifying such students; and discusses teaching strategies that can be used at school and home. (JDD)

A study of 600 children in Dutch primary schools attempted to identify early predictors of reading problems leading to grade repetition or assignment to special education in first grade. Results suggest that the possibility of early detection is very limited. (MSE)

Analysis of home videotapes of autistic and normally developing children's first-year birthday parties found that autistic children displayed fewer social and joint attention behaviors and more autistic symptoms. Four behaviors (pointing, showing objects, looking at others, and orienting to name) correctly classified 10 of 11 autistic children and…

Variability of prevalence data for the category of gifted and talented is examined, with respect to two alternative explanations: (1) definitional differences; and (2) differences in the application of definitions. Analysis of state definitions of giftedness and guidelines for student identification found this category to be no less, if not more,…

Elementary teachers (n=9) saw giftedness as having the common characteristic of creativity. However, in nominating students to gifted programs, teachers focused on classroom performance more than creativity. Thus, their observations more closely matched official definitions rather than their personal concepts, and they had not worked to align the…

This literature review found little information on the marital status of parents of gifted children and widespread perceptions that most gifted children live in intact, middle to upper-middle class families. The need for data on possible under-nomination of children of divorce in programs for the gifted and on the validity of current…

The article stresses the importance of a creative, supportive classroom environment for the identification and nurturance of children's talents. Guidance is given for questioning techniques, cooperative learning approaches, and fostering the independence of each learner. (Author/DB)

Concurrent and prospective correlations among reading, spelling, phonemic awareness, verbal memory, rapid serial naming, and IQ were examined in 19 students with reading disabilities and 36 controls at grades two and eight. The strongest predictors of reading disabilities were cognitive-linguistic measures, particularly rapid naming. (Author/CR)

The accuracy of 3 developmental screening tests administered to 89 young children was compared. The Battelle Developmental Inventory Screening Test was more accurate than the Academic Scale of the Developmental Profile-II and the Denver-II, identifying correctly 72% of children with difficulties and 76% of children without diagnoses. (Author/JDD)

Studies the group decision-making process of the evaluation of preschool children with complex disabilities. Sequential application of processes was found to be influenced by the occurrence of a series of three cycles of decision making within each assessment and the decomposition of the assessment task into distinct subproblems. (Contains 67…

This study evaluated application of a revised criterion for the Language Development Survey, a parent-report screening measure designed to identify young children with language delays. The revised criterion generated fewer false positives, improved specificity, and improved positive predictive value while maintaining the high sensitivity and high…