This study compared DSM-III-R (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual III, Revised), Childhood Autism Rating Scale, and clinical diagnoses of 138 admissions to a program for diagnosis and treatment of autistic and related communication-handicapped individuals. Results indicated generally high agreement on the diagnosis of autism, with DSM-III-R…

This paper compared clinicians' diagnosis and DSM-III (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual), DSM-III-R (Revised), and ICD-10 (International Classification of Diseases) diagnoses of 52 individuals with autism and 62 nonautistic, developmentally disordered individuals. The DSM-III-R system overdiagnosed the presence of autism, and ICD-10 closely…

The study evaluated the utility of Kaufman-Assessment Battery for Children (K-ABC) subtests in differentiating learning-disabled children from students with other handicapping conditions, and compared K-ABC subtests with Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised subtests. Results showed that subtest scores did not enhance differential…

Issues concerning evaluation, assessment, and classification of Attention-Deficit Hyperactive Disorders (ADHD) are discussed. The diagnosis of ADHD should be a best-estimate diagnosis, based on a behavioral assessment strategy with multimethod assessment. The selection and use of assessment techniques are discussed. (SLD)

Developmental language disorders in preschool children are described. Levels of linguistic functioning are defined, and clinical language disorders are presented. Implications for the school psychologist are discussed, with an emphasis on assessment of verbal and non-verbal functions. (SLD)

The unique adaptive behavior characteristics of five subtypes of students identified as learning disabled (LD) are described: (1) non-LD (though classified as such); (2) production deficits; (3) verbal organization disorders; (4) nonverbal organization disorders; (5) global functional disorders. Implications for assessment, programming, and…

The question of responsibility for the education of disabled students has become a controversial issue. This article explores the debate between proponents of special education and of mainstreaming for academically handicapped children. Under Public Law 94-142, disabled children are guaranteed an appropriate public education in the least…

The research project investigated whether expert system tools have become sophisticated enough to be applied efficiently to problems in special education. (Expert systems are a development of artificial intelligence that combines the computer's capacity for storing specialized knowledge with a general set of rules intended to replicate the…