This article raises four issues in the education of students with emotional and/or behavioral disorders. These are: (1) misidentification, (2) diagnostic omission of comorbidity, (3) psychopharmacologic under treatment, and (4) misunderstanding of developmental psychopathology. (Contains references.) (DB)

This study compared differences in preschool children (n=201) clinically diagnosed with specific language impairments (SLI) who were and were not identified through standard psychometric discrepancy criteria. A combination of mean length of utterance, percent structural errors, and chronological age was found to be more useful for predicting a…

A study of Hans Christian Andersen's diaries from age 20 to age 70 found that his mean error spelling percentages are equal to contemporaries, but between 2 and 15 times lower than individuals with dyslexia. A structural analysis indicates that the proportion of plausible/implausible errors match those of normal achievers. (Contains references.)…

Describes an Italian patient with Asperger disorders, Neurogenic Diabetes Insipidus, and Primary Empty Sella. His response to vasopressin treatment suggested a concomitant presence of primary polydipsia. Implications of the observed concurrence of these rare disorders are discussed in relation to diagnosis and pathogenesis. (Author/CR)

A survey of 218 learning disabilities experts found only 30 percent believed IQ-reading achievement discrepancy should be a marker of reading disability. Over two thirds selected three markers: reading achievement, phonemic awareness, and treatment validity. Over 75 percent believed exclusion criteria should remain part of the definition with…

Voice range profiles (VRP) were analyzed according to 11 frequency, intensity, and morphological characteristics for 94 typical children and 136 children with vocal fold pathologies (ages 6-11). Normative data are presented showing marked differences between the groups. The use of the VRP Index for Children for screening is discussed. (Author/CR)

This article discusses the causes of tinnitus, sound or noise in the ears or head without any external stimulation. Classification of tinnitus, the essentials of medical evaluation of a patient with tinnitus, essential test procedures, and current concepts in the management of tinnitus are addressed. (CR)

This review summarizes subject selection and diagnostic procedures documented in 142 empirical articles published between 1993 and 1997. Although most researchers reported use of standard diagnostic criteria in classifying subjects, numerous studies did not report diagnostic methods and there was often a lack of specification of inclusion and…

This article discusses the inclusion of high functioning individuals in the learning disability category. It argues that extending services to individuals without significant academic impairments may deplete resources for others in greater need, distort the normal processes by which individuals select careers, and diminish the credibility of the…

A study of 57 boys with fragile X syndrome (ages 24-133 months) assessed the extent to which autism and autistic features were evident using the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS). Fourteen subjects scored above the cut-off for autism, with 12 of the 14 in the mildly or moderately autistic range. (Author/CR)

In the context of legal requirements that postsecondary students provide documentation of any learning disability, this article discusses components of a comprehensive learning disability evaluation at the postsecondary level with examples of actual documentation submitted to two institutions. Emphasis is on diagnosis based on multiple data…

The high degree of overlap of race and poverty in our society has led to the presumption in both research and practice that ethnic disproportionality in special education is in large measure an artifact of the effects of poverty. This article explores relationships among race, poverty, and special education identification to arrive at a more…

Linguistic theory has made important contributions to the clinical assessment and treatment of children with functional phonological disorders. In this article, Optimality Theory (OT) is introduced as a new linguistic model of grammar. Basic assumptions of the model are described and extended to clinical assessment and treatment. The aim is (1) to…

Children and youth exhibiting serious emotional, behavioral, and interpersonal problems create substantial challenges for schools, teachers, their parents, and other students. Stu-dents having these characteristics are often underserved or unserved by educational and mental health systems in the United States. Recent prevalence rates for children…

Attention to growth may net more accurate screening results than have been apparent in the long history of early identification research. Instead of relying solely on measures administered at one time point, including a measure of children's growth or responsiveness may add an important dimension to the screening equation and provide a clearer…