In an attempt to provide technically adequate screening with criteria for referring children for further evaluation, the Diagnostic Index (DI) was developed. The DI expresses the relationship between a child's chronological and developmental ages, identifies as a percentage of normal development the discrepancy between age appropriate behaviors…

The paper provides guidelines for the classroom teacher in making effective referrals for special education services. The three phases of the referral process are delineated: (1) identification of the problem, (2) documentation/intervention, and (3) the activation of screening and staffing teams. Detailed suggestions for conducting the activities…

Comparison of a variety of vision screening methods used with preschool children led to modification of the standard Snellen E test called the Blackbird Vision Screening System. An instructional story using an "E-bird" was developed to teach children the various possible positions of the E. The visual confusion caused by the chart was…

The paper describes the New Jersey Child Find project, a program to locate and identify all unserved handicapped children between the ages of 0 and 21 years. Noted are four project objectives (such as conducting community awareness campaigns), background of the project (including early efforts to identify handicapped children as a result of a…

The paper describes Florida's SEARCH and TEACH program designed to prevent learning disabilities and their emotional consequences in children. SEARCH, a scanning test to identify kindergarten children at risk for problems with academic learning, is based upon the importance of age appropriate functions of spatial orientation and temporal…

This paper describes the Children's Diagnostic Center, an innovative model project at Hampton University in Virginia. The center was established to provide high quality, multi-disciplinary evaluations of children thought to have conditions likely to interfere with normal development; to describe resources and services available to parents to…

The paper describes the development and use of the Behavior Evaluation Scale (BES), an instrument designed to rate behavior problems for diagnosis, assist in developing individualized education programs (IEPs), document progress resulting from intervention, and collect data for research purposes. The uses of the BES in screening, diagnosis, IEP…

Alternative systems are suggested for appraising preschoolers for possible inclusion in early special education programs. Frequency sampling, in which diagnosticians analyze performance of certain tasks predictive of school performance, are seen to be potentially valuable but lacking in accuracy. Examination of co-occurrences--interactions between…

The article describes Systematic Screening for Behavior Disorders (SSBD), a screening procedure for identifying elementary students at risk for serious behavior disorders. Teacher judgment is the primary information source for the first two screening stages and direct behavioral observations for the third. Results of a year-long SSBD study are…

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 article examines the need for new strategies for screening and identification of infants potentially eligible for services under Public Law 99-457. Both traditional and new assessment methods involving the family are required. (Author/DB)

The final report of the 5-year International Pilot Study of Severe Childhood Disability outlines findings concerning the prevalence of severe mental retardation in nine developing countries: Bangladesh, Brazil, India, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan (Karachi and Lahore), the Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Zambia. The study attempted to determine the…

The preliminary report--two-thirds of which consists of tabular data--describes an early identification system used in London, Ontario (Canada) for kindergarten and first grade high risk students, and provides some data bearing on the internal consistency and concurrent validity of the system. Simple descriptive summaries of some characteristics…

The Double Administration Naming Technique assists clinicians in obtaining qualitative information about a client's visual confrontation naming skills through administration of a standard naming test; readministration of the same test; identification of single and double errors; cuing for double naming errors; and qualitative analysis of naming…

Two forms of the Battelle Developmental Inventory, intended for use with handicapped and nonhandicapped children ages 0-8, are examined. The instruments measure personal-social, adaptive, motor, communication, and cognitive skills, for use in screening, diagnosis, identification, assessment, and program evaluation. The paper discusses test…