The Child Development Review (CDR) combines parents' and pediatricians' observations to monitor the development and adjustment of infants and young children. The method includes a questionnaire completed by parents, systematic professional observation, and pediatrician-parent discussion. Research on the CDR in well-child care, a preschool…

The practice of cognitive referencing to determine the presence of a specific language impairment (SLI) and eligibility for services is questioned by a study which compared the variability of the IQ scores of children with specific language impairment over time. The study found high IQ variability, suggesting that IQs reflect current abilities…

Intelligence quotient profiles in 81 high-functioning children and adults with autism were examined. Profiles did not reveal the presumed typical pattern of a lower verbal IQ than performance IQ. Results found that individuals with autism demonstrated a wide range of ability levels and patterns on the Wechsler Intelligence Scales, without a single…

Presents a synthesis of the literature findings on the dual diagnosis of mental retardation and behavior disorders. Topics covered include: (1) behavior management techniques; (2) drug treatment; (3) family perspectives; (4) education; (5) behavioral treatment; and (6) behavior disorders and mental retardation as mild disabilities. (Author/CR)

This article reviews problems in identification of learning disabilities and considers proposed alternatives to present procedures. It argues that the major problems of over identification, variability, and specificity, can be eliminated by increasing specificity and consistency of state criteria and strict adherence to identification criteria on…

The reliability, validity, and clinical utility of the Asperger Syndrome Diagnostic Scale in the diagnosis of pervasive developmental disorders are reviewed. While the measure holds promise as a research tool, there appears little evidence that it can distinguish among the variety of types of pervasive developmental disorders, or diagnose Asperger…

A review of laboratory research estimating effects of mild hearing impairment on infant speech perception abilities, under conditions simulating mild hearing loss in normal hearing infants, suggests that even mild alterations of auditory input during infancy may have significant developmental consequences. Results support identification,…

This article addresses implementation of the British Code of Practice, which provides guidelines for the identification, assessment, and service provision of children with special educational needs. It covers the school-based stages of assessment, statutory assessment, the annual review, the role of child health and social services, and parents as…

This article reports on the development of a screening checklist for identifying children who might have developmental coordination disorder (DCD), use of the checklist to determine incidence rates in East Kent (United Kingdom), and possible relationships between DCD and left-handedness and between DCD and self-concept. (DB)

This study investigated specific processing strengths and weaknesses among 75 readers, ages 6-10, with no oral language deficits. Unsuccessful readers of different ages showed similar information processing patterns, and differed from successful first-grade readers on short-term auditory/working memory and decoding/encoding. Three potential…

Data are considered for 152 children (ages 2 months to 6 years) who underwent brief developmental evaluation and referrals in response to parents' concerns. Members of a multidisciplinary team simultaneously observed and interacted with the children in an arena setting. Data largely confirmed parents' perceptions of their children's development.…

Diagnostic and treatment histories of 85 children and adolescents served in 2 exemplary school-based day-treatment programs in California were analyzed. Findings suggest a significant lag time between first symptoms, referral for services, and treatment; marked instability of psychiatric diagnoses over time; and lack of concordance between…

A naturalistic probe of early language content was administered to 31 normally developing preschool children. The productivity of 3 different strategies for eliciting 27 content categories was tested and the efficiency of the probe technique compared with analysis of language samples. Results suggest this nonstandardized, criterion-referenced…

The performance of reading-disabled, math-disabled, slow-learning, under-achieving, and normal-achieving children (total n=143) was compared on verbal and visual-spatial working memory measures under initial, gain, and maintenance testing conditions. Ability group classifications changed under dynamic testing conditions. The study demonstrated the…

Because eligibility for speech-language services often is based on the relationship between the child's cognitive ability and language performance, this study examined the agreement of measurement practices used in the cognitive referencing model of eligibility determination. Administration of 5 measures to 26 preschool children with delayed…