An evaluation of 3,469 infants at risk found that of those who showed late onset of canonical babbling, fewer than half had been diagnosed with a medical problem accounting for the delay. A follow-up study found those with delayed canonical babbling had smaller vocabularies at 18, 24, and 30 months. (Author/CR)

This study assessed the psychometric properties of two subscales of the Adelaide Behaviour Disorder Scale that have been hypothesized to describe conduct problems and emotional problems of adults with intellectual disability. Criterion scores for identifying individuals needing clinical intervention were established and validated against…

An assessment of foundation processes was administered to 51 Scottish children with reading difficulties and to 56 reading-level-matched controls. Results suggested the foundation is in place by the reading age of 7 years and that foundation-level dyslexia is identifiable in children with reading difficulty whose reading ages fall below this…

Reviews definitional issues of learning disabilities in the context of the Guckenberger v. Boston University federal lawsuit. Four major questions are addressed: (1) Who is learning disabled?; (2) How should learning disabilities be assessed?; (3) Who is qualified to decide whether or not an individual has a learning disability?; and (4) What…

Discusses the importance of screening infants and toddlers for social-emotional problems and the benefits of using parent-completed questionnaires in the screening process. Six screening tools that rely on parent report, including three experimental tools, are reviewed. Additionally, challenges to screening for social-emotional disorders are…

A study investigated the mental health needs of 127 British adults with intellectual disability by using the Psychiatric Assessment Schedule for Adults with a Developmental Disability (PAS-ADD). Results showed that there was a good deal of unmet mental health need and there is difficulty in targeting services to those who need them. (CR)

Studies of friendships in children with developmental disabilities have evolved primarily from the research on children with typical development. Children with developmental disabilities, however, present unique issues that warrant consideration such as measurement issues, developmental level, the etiology or type of disability, the experience and…

The relationship of parent and teacher ratings of social skills and problem behaviors, using the Social Skills Rating System with two peer-reference measures, were examined with 101 fifth- and sixth-graders. Teacher ratings of social skills, problem behaviors, and academic competence showed moderate correlations with both peer measures. (Contains…

A study involving 18 individuals with pervasive developmental disorders (PDD) (ages 9-21) and 67 controls found total score on the Biber Cognitive Estimation Test for both individuals with PDD and controls progressed consistently with mental age, development being the most dramatic around the mental age of 8 years. (Contains references.)…

This paper argues that conventional educational and psychological assessment is not sufficient to identify dyslexia, and that psycholinguistic assessment by clinicians specializing in language is required. Psycholinguistic assessment involves use of testing, clinical observations, and language histories for evaluating complex interactions between…

Students with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) not diagnosed until the postsecondary level share some important characteristics. A good assessment should include recommendations for accommodation; compensatory strategies; and needs for counseling, psychotherapy, and/or referral to other professionals. A trained staff physician is essential to the…

Discusses the characteristics of shy and withdrawn children, and offers parents and educators techniques to identify and overcome these phenomena in young children. Notes that parents and educators should be aware that excessive shyness can be a symptom of autism or emotional problems. (MDM)

This article reviews issues in speech motor control and a class of communication disorders known as motor speech disorders that include dysarthrias, apraxia of speech, developmental apraxia of speech, developmental stuttering, acquired (neurogenic and psychogenic) stuttering, and cluttering. Assessment, classification, and treatment of these…

An examination of clinical data from the regional hospital in Cape Town, South Africa, over four years for 538 children with a diagnosis of mental retardation found mild mental retardation referrals were underrepresented in low socioeconomic areas and that paramedical agencies were the primary referral source in these areas. (Author/CR)

Criticizes the process of making statements of special educational needs for students with disabilities. Statementing is argued to have led to schools' demands for special resources for activities seen as outside of the ordinary and to have increased the number of children with statements of special needs. (CR)