Substantial evidence has established that individual differences in executive function (EF) in early childhood are uniquely predictive of children's academic readiness at school entry. The current study tested whether growth trajectories of EF across the early childhood period could be used to identify a subset of children who were at pronounced…

The current study investigated the stability of children's risk status across the preschool year. A total of 1,102 preschool children attending Title 1 schools (n = 631) and non-Title 1 schools (n = 471) participated in this study. Using averaged standard scores for two measures of language, print knowledge, and phonological awareness administered…

The heterogeneity among children with learning disabilities still represents a barrier and a challenge in their conceptualization. Although a dimensional approach has been gaining support, the categorical approach is still the most adopted, as in the recent fifth edition of the "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders." The…

Word and pseudoword reading are related abilities fundamental to reading development in alphabetic orthographies. They are respectively assumed to index children's orthographic representations of words, which are in turn acquired through the underlying "self-teaching mechanism" of alphabetic pseudoword decoding. Little is known about…

Do children who go on to develop dyslexia show normal verbal and nonverbal development before reading onset? According to the aptitude-achievement discrepancy model, dyslexia is defined as a discrepancy between intelligence and reading achievement. One of the underlying assumptions is that the general cognitive development of children who fail to…

Babbling between the ages of 8 and 19 months was examined in 19 children, 13 of whom were at high risk for reading disorder (RD) and 6 normally reading children at low familial risk for RD. Development of syllable complexity was examined at five periods across this 11-month window. Results indicated that children who later evidenced RD produced a…

The article discusses aspects of the definition of "learning disabilities". The process of learning is discussed including such themes as social interaction, personal reflection and response, integration, transformation/growth, and ecological wholeness, balance, and fit. Encouraged is a nonproblematic definition of learning disabilities. (DB)

The study compared the cognitive, affective, and perceptual role taking skills of 38 learning disabled (LD) children (ages 5 to 8) with those of a control group of normal children. Ss were administered three role taking tasks which measured their skills in each of the domains. The results demonstrated a role taking deficit in the LD children.…

The article reviews work conducted on the assessment and training of social skills in learning disabled individuals, outlining cognitive social skills and overt social behaviors that should be included in interventions, and discussing assessment techniques (such as behavioral observation codes and sociometric techniques). (CL)

Issues and developmental considerations in outcome and treatment of head injury in children are considered. Focus is on appropriate assessment practices in the areas of psychoeducational development, motor and cognitive deficits, and neuropsychological deficits. (Author/DB)

In response to a previous paper (EC 212 858) regarding the neurodevelopmental evidence for the basis of dyslexia, this paper suggests further concerns in the areas of cognitive measurement, the relationship between cortical-functional organization and child development, and lack of operational definitions in the study of the dyslexic syndrome. (DB)

This research review identifies similarities in skill acquisition across the domains of reading and math disabilities, specifically addressing the sequence of skill development and the theoretical question of whether the disabilities reflect delays or deficits in cognitive development. The paper discusses the nature of differences between learners…

Compared was the psychological test performance of 24 dyslexic boys and 24 normal readers at four age levels (7, 9, 11, and 13 years). (Author/SBH)

Cognitive performance asymmetries in favor of functions attributed to the right cerebral hemisphere are reported for 105 out of 108 children to a clinic for reading difficulties. Results suggest that reading disabled children are homogeneous with at least the right/left asymmetry aspect of their cognitive profile. (Author/CL)

Reviewed is research on the McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities, which are designed to assess several areas of a child's cognitive and motor development from the age of 2 1/2 to 8 1/2 years. (Author)