The study with over 2,500 children (ages 9-14) found the two approaches identified somewhat different groups of children as reading disabled despite little difference in performance on the Halstead-Reitan Neuropsychological Battery for Children. (Author/DB)

Two studies addressing the clinical validity of discrepancy criteria for identification of children with developmental language disorders (DLD) are reported: one with 256 preschoolers clinically defined as DLD, and one with 363 8-year-old controls. Factors contributing to underidentification in Study 1 and overidentification in Study 2 are…

Two classification procedures for identifying children with reading disabilities were compared, differing in their use of intelligence quotient (IQ). Results indicated that abandoning IQ in classification had a very limited impact on the number of children identified as reading disordered, but that use of IQ resulted in more high-IQ children being…

This study of 218 White and 132 Black students (mean age=10.3) referred for possible learning disability services found that Black subjects were more likely to exhibit a severe discrepancy between expected and actual achievement levels when using a regression procedure than when using a standard score comparison procedure. (Author/JDD)

These concluding comments on the series of articles introduced by Linda Siegel's paper (EC221505) summarize the bases for disputing the utility of intelligence tests. The learning disabilities field's resistance to abandoning use of Intelligence Quotient tests is also acknowledged, and improved assessment measures and further research are called…

To identify classroom behaviors that differentiate primary-level students with learning disabilities (LD) from their nondisabled peers, two scales of 83 items each were devised and piloted. Two subscales and 18 individual items were found to discriminate students later classified as LD and those referred but not subsequently classified as LD.…

This study, involving 1,069 children (ages 9-14) referred for evaluation of learning disability, used 3 definitions of reading disability to provide criteria for 5 groups of children based on discrepancy between intelligence quotient (IQ) and academic achievement. Results question the validity of segregating children with reading deficiencies…

Listening and reading comprehension tests were administered to 180 children in grades 3-8. A regression equation was derived and applied to listening comprehension scores of seven children with reading difficulties. The procedure was determined to be useful in predicting reading comprehension and attributing it to poor decoding, poor…

This article argues for the adoption of a 2-step procedure in diagnosing dyslexia: first, identify students with word list reading standard scores below 90, and then identify students with a reading score at least 10 points lower than expected from the full scale intelligence quotient. (JDD)

This study of 1,657 children (ages 7-16) found that although children with dyslexia had higher intelligence quotient scores than poor readers, the 2 groups did not differ in performance on reading, spelling, phonological processing, or most language and memory tasks. The performance of both reading-disabled groups was significantly below that of…

This study of 640 twins with reading disability and 436 controls (mean age 12) examined external validity of the distinction between specific reading retardation and reading backwardness, in 3 domains: genetic etiology, sex ratio and clinical correlates, and neuropsychological profiles. There was no evidence of differential genetic etiology of the…

Comparisons of Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised scores, for 24 children with learning disabilities demonstrating a low verbal, high performance intelligence quotient (IQ) discrepancy and 33 slow learning children having uniformly low verbal and performance IQs, revealed few cognitive differences beyond the Performance Scale…

This study examined the development of reading and phonological processing abilities of 209 first graders assessed at the beginning and end of the school year. The discriminant analysis, based on reading and intelligence data, correctly identified later group membership (students with and without reading disabilities and "garden variety" poor…

This study examined the utility of Wechsler's Deterioration Index, which compares short- and long-term memory capabilities. Three studies with a total of 120 children (ages 6-14) found that the index did not predict learning disability status but did distinguish children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder from nondisabled children.…