Arthur Jensen replies to the critique by Steven Selden. He points out that scientists' choices of subject matter are subjective, but heritability of intelligence is no longer argued among experts. (MD)

Presents a nine-celled matrix to explain psychological stability and change. Considers the relationship between various levels of analysis and internal forces, external forces, and interactive theories. (PCB)

Critiques Arthur Jensen's concept of a "reality principle" in educational research from the March 1984 "Phi Delta Kappan." Emphasizes that objectivity and ideology are complementary, not contradictory, aspects of educators' work. (MD)

Genetic research has shown that dyslexia is familial, substantially heritable, and heterogeneous in its genetic mechanisms. Evidence also supports the view that the primary symptom in dyslexia is a deficit in the phonological coding of written language, a symptom that appears to be heritable. (Author/JDD)

Discusses how genetic data on present human population relationships and data from the Pleistocene fossil hominid record are being used to compare two contrasting models for the origin of modern humans. (TW)

A literature review of autism and tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) substantiates a significant association between the two. Studies of 14 autistic probands and 13 TSC probands identified 7 TSC subjects with autism, who had more seizures and mental retardation than those without autism. More male TSC probands with autism than female were…

Comparison of twins (40 identical and 23 fraternal) for mathematics deficits (MD), in which at least one member had a mathematics disability, found evidence for a significant genetic etiology. However, tests for the differential etiology of MD as a function of reading performance level were nonsignificant. (Author/DB)

Analysis of pedigrees from parents of 69 preschool children who stuttered revealed that more male than female relatives ever stuttered but that female subjects who stuttered had more female relatives who ever stuttered than did male subjects. Segregation analyses suggest that transmission of a single major genetic locus increases the liability to…

The modern history of biology shows how Darwin's selectionist theory has replaced instructionist theories in explaining the operations of living things: first with inheritance through the gene pool of the 1850s, and second with the replacement of a template theory of immune system function in the 1960s. Today scholars in several disciplines…

This case study describes a 12-year-old boy with autism in association with the folate-sensitive fragile site fra(2)(q13). Cytogenetic results of blood analysis are described, and two possibilities are discussed: the fragile site may be a coincidental finding unrelated to the autism, or may represent an area of potential gene damage. (JDD)

Fifty-seven same-sex twin sets (32 monozygotic and 25 dizygotic) were examined for concordance of speech and language disorders. Monozygotic twins had a higher concordance than dizygotic twins and also were more similar in the types of disorders they presented than dizygotic twins. Positive family histories were reported for both groups.…

Examines the interplay between genes and environment and argues that the development of much individual variation can be explained in terms of relatively simple forms of underlying regulation. Looks at "sensitive periods," during which variation is produced by experience received at a particular age. Includes a discussion of the…

Church records of adult reading abilities as evaluated yearly by Swedish priests were examined from the eighteenth century in families characterized by poor reading and good reading ability. Although descendents of poor readers tended to demonstrate lower reading scores, transmission patterns did not indicate a simple genetic mechanism. (Author/DB)

A case study is presented of a boy with partial tetrasomy 15, severe mental retardation, and autism, from age 6 to 9. The case is analyzed in relation to other cases with an extra marker chromosome 15 and the mechanisms that underlie the association between autism and marker chromosome 15. (JDD)

Siblings and parents of 39 children with dyscalculia were assessed for arithmetic, reading, and attention disorders. Findings indicated a familial prevalence of dyscalculia almost tenfold higher than expected for the general population and suggest that dyscalculia, like other learning disabilities, has a significant familial aggregation,…